Why Complaining is Literally Harming you
It may seem natural to complain. There is always something to complain about, and to be honest, one doesn’t even need to try! The wife, the dog, the cat, the boss, the economy, the weather, the mother in law, the kids….let’s be honest, you don’t need to look far to find something to complain.
Some people complain more than others. Before they have even opened their mouth, you know already where the direction of the conversation is heading.
In fact, complaining has become such a habit that even when they are sleeping, they are complaining. Oh yes, their dreams are full of complaints! And when they have exhausted their list of complaints, they will complain about not having anything to complain about.
The litmus test to know if you are a complainer is simple. Ask yourself how much you can converse once you take complaints out. If you have nothing to say, that’s it…you are a complainer.
Some may argue that it is okay, even healthy to vent. But is it really? Not after reading this below:
##1 Complaining changes nothing
With complaints you become a victim of what or who you are complaining about. There is a story in the Bible… the children of Israel were king of complainers. Boy! They craved the onions, garlic and good cuts of meat from the old times.
Well, guess what? After they complained and complained silly, did they get the said onions and garlic they craved? Oh yes, God caused a wind to blow quail into their camps. And like the gluttons they were, they ate and ate meat like they had never seen animal flesh before. Until they literally died for stuffing their mouth for eating. Now tell me how it changed their situation? If anything it made matters worse and they only became a victim of their complaints.
##2 Complaining causes you to be unpopular
No one likes negative people. And simply put, complainers without realising it subscribe to the lifetime club of negativity. Even though complainers congregate together…you know…birds of the same feathers, complain together… even so, complainers soon fall out with each other. Why? Simple…they will soon start complaining about each other.
Complainers causes a distrust. If a complainer is complaining about another person, you don’t need an Isaac Newton formula to work out that you will soon come up in their conversation of complaints. Think about it.
##3 Complaining causes you not to see opportunities
Back to our children of Israel from the Bible, boy, there was one time they complained so much they literally provoked God. God had said previously He would give them the Promised Land they desired. But one day, they pushed the boat too far out and the boat just caught up in a tidal complaint wave. They had been presented with a land flowing with milk and honey. In other words, a land of opportunities. But the complaining bunch only saw the giants, i.e. the challenges of the land. Their complaints had blinded their vision. Don’t push your boat of opportunity into a sea of complaints! It will get swallowed up.
##4 Complaining affects others
We said complaining causes you to be unpopular. It even goes further. Complaining makes others feel uncomfortable with you. I used to sit next to someone who could win a complaining contest if there was ever any. Even when he was barely audible, you could hear the whiney drone going on and on. You just knew a complaint was cooking.
##5 Complaining can so affect another that it can harm them too
Complaining became a stench to even the leader of the children of the Israelites, i.e. Moses. Moses lost it big time one day because their complaints just wound him up. Moses responded to them in anger which to be honest was not befitting of a leader. Unfortunately for Moses, as a result, God did not allow him to enter the Promised Land either. All because of complainers…and I guess uncontrolled anger.
##6 Complaining causes you to miss out on opportunities
God obviously did not want a land full of complainers so as a result the Israelites forfeited entering a land full of opportunities. It was their kids who were to enter this land. For forty years they simply wandered in the wilderness of life. If you can’t see an opportunity, you can’t be offered an opportunity. People just pull away from you if you are a complainer because as we said above, the complaining affects them. Remember, we said Complaining is truly harmful!
##7 Complaining leads to anger, bitterness, frustration and even depression
I have never seen a happy complainer. Because complaining changes the atmosphere. It brings people down. Complaining steals our joy and peace because complaining is toxic or even like poison.
##8 Complaining ages you
Complaining involves frowning, sighing, even anger and bitterness, not exactly age defying components!
Complaining can quickly become a bad habit because suddenly our spirit is awakened, become more heightened or even trained to things that feed our appetite of c-o-m-p-l-a-i-n-t-s. What you focus on, you will find. If you keep finding fault in everything, faults will gravitate to you.
Often there are so many good things happening around us that we can be thankful for. The fact we have food to eat when there is some kid who struggles even for one meal a day. Yet we complain that the Burger King queue is too long! And as a result, we don’t even enjoy the burger in the end!
Why not make a change today. Instead of complaining, why not tweet us at @defyingoddsbook with something you are grateful for today! Who knows it can develop into a gratitude journal. Before you know it you have transitioned from a complainer to even an encourager!
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