A Subtle Waste of Time
Stop complaining... always
Why do I complain? What is there ever to gain from idly complaining? Everything I can complain about falls into one of two categories:
I can fix it
It is out of my control
If my issue falls within the first category, then I quit complaining and start solving.
If my issue falls within the second category, then I ignore it and find something in the first category to get busy with. Because saying even a word about problems out of my control is a waste of breathe. And we only get so many breaths before we eventually die. So why waste?
“Bear without murmuring what cannot be changed”
(The Moral Sayings of Publius Syrus, 260)
“What’s the harm in complaining to a friend? I don’t actually care that much.”
That’s exactly the problem. Your brain can only focus on so many things at a time. To expend precious time complaining is a waste. Especially if you don’t really care very much. It might feel good for a moment, but the problem persists.
And just like depression, the more we talk about and think about our problems, the bigger they seem. That means logically that the less we talk about and think about our problems, the smaller they seem.
So when you catch yourself complaining, remind yourself there are only two courses of action.
Start fixing it.
Find something else you can start fixing.
Question of The Day
Do you ever feel better after complaining?
Your Friend,
Noah “BigNerd” Sochaczevski