10 Reasons to Quit Complaining

I used to complain a lot and there are still moments when I catch myself moaning about things, people, situations etc.. However I realize that complaining does not serve me and I am endeavoring to permanently quit complaining. I am writing this to remind myself of the things I have learned but which are easy to forget and to help others who also want to quit.

Here are 10 good reasons to quit complaining.

1. Complaining is not fun.

Now this requires that you be honest. There are situations in which complaining can seem legitimate and sometimes it even feels like if we don't complain then we are letting ourselves get "walked all over". However, in truth complaining is only an automatic reaction to feeling hard done-by or threatened. And when you complain about something it implies you are focusing your attention on something unpleasant. Focusing on unpleasant things is necessary at times but it is never fun.

2. Complaining distracts you from the things that make (or break) the quality of your life.

In every moment of every day there are loads really of important things that deserve your full attention. There are many small things that are easily missed. Smiles, compliments, thank yous, honesty, making sure all is clear in all you relationships, listening to people ( I mean really listening ), all of these things contribute to creating what I consider to be a high quality of life. When you are complaining you are not able to pay as much attention to things of this kind. Unless you quit complaining it is likely that at some stage you will miss significant opportunities in all areas of your life.

3. Complaining is a waste of time.

When ever you are complaining, you are not thinking in a way that is creative. From a goal-setting/goal-achieving perspective it is definitely a waste of time. All the time you spend complaining is time that you could be using creatively, to think of solutions to your problems and ways to improve your situation.

4. Complaining creates unnecessary negativity.

How does it feel to be in the same room as someone who is unhappy, who is not enjoying themselves? In my experience, not that great.

Those who complain carry a heavy burden of negative thoughts and emotions around with them. Carrying negative thoughts and emotions can prevent you from focusing on the things at hand here and now.

5. Complaining creates tension in the body mind which is damaging to health.

Negativity acts like a poison for the body and mind. And when your in a negative state of mind the chances are you will be sending people bad vibes which can be very bad for both business and personal relationships.

6. Negativity distorts your vision of reality.

This is the way in which negativity acts like a poison for the mind. In my experience, when people complain they shut themselves up in a little bubble of misery. All they can think of is their problems. Their vision of reality becomes a long list of what is wrong in their lives and the good stuff gets left out of the picture.

7. Quit complaining - save your precious energy.

Complaining requires a certain amount of physical and psychological energy. Seen as complaining can not bring you anything positive, all of the energy used to complain all goes to waste. I know that I really notice a difference in the amount of energy/motivation depending on my mind state. The more negativity there is in me, the less energy I have. So if this works for you too, when you quit complaining not only will free your self of unnecessary negativity, you will also save loads of energy.

8. Not complaining does not mean passively accepting.

When I say "quit complaining" I am not advocating passive acceptance of all unpleasantness in your life. If something is disturbing to you and you have the means to take action and change this then by all means go for it. Realize that the complaining can never make taking effective action easier. It will only make it harder for you to focus on what needs to be done.

9. Complaining strengthens the ego (false sense of self).

By ego I mean the false of self that comes from identification with compulsive repetitive thinking, identification with your past and future, that creates an illusory sense of self. I use the word ego in the same way as Eckhart Tolle does. The ego is the root of all human suffering and conflict. The less momentum it has (in yourself) the easier it becomes to not take it personally (in yourself and others), to see through the illusion. If you don't understand what I am taking about in this part, and you would like to, the best thing you can do is probably read by Eckhart Tolle. These two books have inspired me loads and helped me learn many many things.

10. It's contagious and It spreads

Complaining is contagious and addictive. Unless you are alert and consciously choosing what goes on inside of you, it is very easy to let other peoples behavior affect you directly. Unless you quit complaining now, you will be spreading all of the undesirable effects I have mentioned above. You will be influencing the people around you in a way that does not help them, does not make them happy. Remember that every second of your life you are directly influencing the world around you in small yet very significant ways. Choosing to quit complaining is choosing a better world for all of us.