I'm not complaining--really, I'm not

[urbpan]

I don't usually do New Years Resolutions, but this year I want to resolve to stop complaining. Winter will not be the easiest time to do this, since I hate winter weather so much. It'll be a challenge right out of the gate.

As I shoveled snow until I felt bad this morning (only took a half hour) I was thinking about complaints: what constitutes a complaint? If you state a fact ("it took us almost eleven hours to drive to Long Island in a snowstorm") is that a complaint? Or is the intention of the statement what makes it a complaint?

I used to be very aggravated by my coworkers complaining at my last job. My belief was that the complaint didn't accomplish anything. If there is something that can be done about it, then do it. If not, then shut up and stop making everyone around you feel negative. Maybe it's the negative energy that makes a complaint what it is. Perhaps instead of resolving to stop complaining, I should resolve to have a more positive outlook.

Any thoughts?

Comments

[obie119.livejournal.com]

I think if it's something you can reasonably change or work to change (sleeping through alarms, local policies, I don't know), then it's cool. Complaining about things you have no control over, though (weather, long lines in the post office the week before Christmas, delayed flights) gets old really fast. There's one co-worker who drives me crazy with complaining about the weather every.single.day. I think part of it is a social thing, she wants to bond with people over weather complaints. But there are millions of other ways to bond besides the same complaints every day!
Yesterday we were stuck in O'Hare for three hours trying to get home - and we were the lucky ones to actually make it onto a flight. Even with pain in the ass delays, there's other ways to interact with fellow travelers besides mutual complaining. Complaining often only reminds the listeners of something unpleasant and can bring down the mood.

Also, I think the weather complaints depend on your situation. If you are someone who works outside, or your livelihood is affected by the weather (i.e. independent shopkeepers who may have lost business with the snow this weekend), or you're physically unable to shovel - then yeah, go ahead, and I will totally sympathasize.