I can’t tell you how many people spend their lives complaining. They complain about the government, the President, the Congress, and every other government official. I have my complaints too. I just thank God we live in a country where we have the freedom to verbalize our complaints.
The problem is … these complainers … more often than not … don’t do anything about their complaints. They don’t bother to watch the political debates on TV, read the news analyses on the various candidates, or even (heaven forbid!) vote. They rationalize their lack of doing anything about their complaints by saying, “It wouldn’t do any good anyway.”
I hear other people complain about their marriages, but refuse to go to a workshop on marital communication or talk to a counselor. I hear parents complain about the problems they’re having with their kids, but they won’t read any books on parenting. I hear people complain about their physical ailments but go on to say, “You can’t trust doctors. They’re just out to get your money.”
Well, if you’re like me, you get mighty sick of all the complaining. It is demoralizing and demotivating. Plus, it is just plain unfair.
Let me offer a simple rule of thumb you should use on yourself, you should enforce at home, and you should encourage at work. And that is … if you aren’t willing to do SOMETHING about your complaint, you have no right to voice it. You ONLY earn your right to complain when you put some of your own time, money, and/or energy into making things better.