It has always seemed easier for me to complain about, well, anything. I can usually find a flaw in just about everything I do, and then verbalize it afterwards. I have noticed that I am not the only one who does this though. I thought I was unique in how I could pick something apart but it appears I am not. Everyone does it and maybe not as as in depth as I do but they still do it.
Why is it easier to complain about things than to praise them? It seems like its harder to praise and be happy with what we have. People are not perfect and we all have our flaws, but it seems like we are particularly bad when we are servicing the general public, or we are interacting with large groups of people. If you order something from a drive through and they forget to put sugar in your coffee, after you drive away you are going to be upset and complain about it.
We all might complain but it is a rarity that anyone ever does anything about it, but when someone actually takes some initiative and makes a scene the rest of us don't applaud their actions but instead start complaining about them! Even if we agree with the topic they are complaining about. Have you ever experienced lady in the auto shop, yelling at the guys for not bolting her tires on tightly enough or being in a restaurant and someone is yelling because they have been waiting for over an hour for their food? We sit there and think " You don't have to treat other people like that, it's mean." We are somewhat right, it's not just the waitress's fault if the cooks can't keep up, and yelling at them doesn't solve anything. Instead we should be speaking to the manager and voicing our concerns to them instead.
I truly think that we complain for a reason, it forces us to move forward in life, to not be satisfied with what we have and to strive forward to bigger and better things. Think about it. How would anyone get better at their job if it was always good enough, and no one showed them an easier or better way? Why would we have started driving cars if there was nothing wrong with "Just walking"
Complaining forces us to reexamine our situation find out exactly whats wrong and fix it. The only problem is that complaining gets taken too far and becomes a weapon for some people. Somebody has found out that they can save money, and get what they want from complaining all the time. I do try to praise when I think it's necessary, and I do think it's necessary to balance the way we talk with with others. If you complain to someone all the time they're just not going to talk to you after a while. Their complaint will be that "You bring them down."
We are all going to complain anyway so lets at least try to balance it out with some positivity.
That's my thoughts for today.
Scott Goerz
