Many of us complain a lot more than we should. At least, I know I do. With a different attitude, we’d be more thankful even after Thanksgiving. And, we’d smile more. Maybe it’s just natural for human beings — to always want more and not be satisfied. But, we can indeed stop complaining and be thankful.
We complain about…
We complain about having to get cavities filled – instead of being grateful we have teeth and dental care available.
We complain about eating chicken again, instead of being thankful for the abundance of food and food choices most of us do have.
We complain about having to get up in the morning, instead of smiling because we’re “on the green side of the grass” as my dad often says.
We complain about upkeep on our house or car, instead of being happy we have them, unlike so many of the poor in this country and others.
We complain about our health, or our money, or our spouse, or our kids, or the jerk at work, or . . . Instead of realizing we have those things and many don’t.
Sometimes, we complain because we’re stressed or tired. And, maybe we need to deal with those issues first. Sometimes, we complain because we can’t fix the problem. Then again, we need to know what we can’t change. Remember the famous Serenity Prayer from Theologian Reinhold Neibuhr:
God grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change;
Courage to change the things I can;
and Wisdom to know the difference.
There’s also a longer version used by Celebrate Recovery and others.
Other than that, how do we stop complaining?
Make a conscious effort? Just do it? Or make a list of our blessings and thank God? Change our perspective and who we compare ourselves to? And change our expectations of how life should be? Or all of the above?
Maybe this will help. . .
If you can…
If you can start the day without caffeine,
If you can always be cheerful, ignoring aches and pains,
If you can resist complaining and boring people with your troubles,
If you can eat the same food every day and be grateful for it,
If you can understand when your loved ones are too busy to give you any time,
If you can take criticism and blame without resentment,
If you can conquer tension without medical help,
If you can relax without alcohol,
If you can sleep without the aid of drugs,
THEN,
you are probably the family dog. (author unknown)
A Choice…
Well, maybe that doesn’t help you stop complaining, but it should at least have helped you smile.
Actually, some people say we should BE more like dogs..
Back to complaining… In the end, stopping our complaining is mostly or, at least, often a choice? An attitude change, a change to our way of thinking. Charles R. Swindoll said,
“We have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for the day. Life is 10% what happens to us and 90% how we react to it. Our attitude is everything.”
The full version of his quote is here. We can indeed change. Making an effort to be grateful, positive, and thankful (and not just at Thanksgiving). Helping those less fortunate and seeing first hand how grateful we should be. Trying more often to look at the positive . . . and smiling more!
Something, I admit, that I need work on – how about you? Please leave any thoughts or comments below.
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in 2016 and has been expanded and updated.
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