Stop Complaining 9-2-09 Editor's Column

I’m fairly confident that everyone, everywhere, could complain about something at this very moment.

Some probably are too, which is funny to me considering so many people say that they “can’t complain,” when they are asked how they are doing.

However, the truth of the matter is, we can complain and many of us do so on a regular basis.

Some of us complain about our jobs because we feel undervalued, underpaid, overworked or just plain tired of the place.

Others complain about our financial situations and talk about all the things we wish we had, implying a sense of entitlement.

And, still more complain about the various people around us as though we epitomize what it means to be a model citizen.

However, as someone who says “I can’t complain,” on a regular basis, I’d like to think that we really don’t have any reason to.

There will always be those moments at our jobs that make us want to scream, but that comes with the territory. It’s not like we grew up to expect everything to be peachy all the time, so to expect things to work in our favor at all times is simply unreasonable on our part.

Then there’s the money issue. It always seems to be a case of “I never have enough of it,” or “I wish I could get more of it,” when in reality, the only things we should be concerned about paying for are our bills.

There are so many people that barely make enough or have enough income to support their families with food or to make their house payments or to fix their cars so they can get to work, yet I hear on a regular basis, people who are mad about not being able to buy a television or an Xbox game.

Really? Is it that important? Or can you survive just fine without it?

Finally, we come to complaining about people. It took me a while to learn this, but the only people whose opinions should matter to us are the ones we care about.

People we have just met don’t know who we are or what we stand for. They don’t know how hard we work or anything about our values. That’s why we brush them off and worry about the people who do matter in life, like our wives, husbands, parents and siblings.

These examples are just the tip of the iceberg. I challenge you to write down what you complain about this week and put that list away. In a month, review them and ask yourself whether or not it was worth complaining about.

And remember, as you go down a new road today, enjoy the view.