Complaining lets us get stuck instead of appreciating what we have and pursuing what we want
Stop Complaining: Guide to Living Life Instead of Complaining About It
I was reading a short article in Reader’s Digest called “Why I Stopped Whining” and found an interesting quote. The point of the story is that when you complain, you waste time and miss out on appreciating what is good.
“Complaining allows us to acknowledge the imperfect without having to take action–it lets us luxuriate in inertia. We all have grand ideas about what life would be like if only we had this, or did that, or lived there. Perhaps complaining helps bridge the vast yawn between these fantasy selves and reality.”
It’s just a short two-page article, and the author goes on to explain that she learned to accept that life isn’t perfect and to appreciate the things she has. But, the quote made me think of a whole lot more. Complaining allows us to be lazy. We can sit and whine and feel bad, but we don’t have to be brave enough to take the next step to change things. Sometimes change is scary and it feels “easier” to just stay semi-miserable than it would be to take a risk trying something new. It’s a “luxury” to sit around complaining and not doing anything.
We often complain because we don’t have what we want. And there are some things we can’t ever have, but we could put an effort towards getting the things we want that are possible. Even though the writer, Roxane Gay, was making a point about accepting and loving what we have, that particular quote reminded me of the reality that whining also keeps us from achieving what we could have.
So…have your moment to sit and pine and think about how imperfect things are…then accept the things you cannot change and find the courage to change the things you can!
God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference.