"We all sorely complain of the shortness of time, and yet have much more than we know what to do with. Our lives are either spent in doing nothing at all, or in doing nothing to the purpose, or in doing nothing that we ought to do. We are always complaining that our days are few, and acting as though there would be no end of them." ~ Seneca
On my way home, I usually take my time and walk from Chelsea to Port Authority. The walk is approximately 20 minutes if I go at a leisurely pace. I used to listen to my iPod in an attempt to block the world but I rarely do that now. I found out, it's a much more interesting walk without it.
The things you can overhear out in the streets of New York are notorious. There are books & blogs written about them. And, it's all true. Some of the things I've overheard have even shocked me and I'm not easily shocked. I won't go into any of these here because like I mentioned, there are countless books and sites devoted to such things. But, I have noticed something that has been a constant ever since I started my walks: people complain. They complain ALL THE TIME! I once counted how many overheard conversations were people complaining and I got up to about eight or nine people. Most of them were on the phone others were talking to whoever they were with. Some were complaining to themselves (they were alone.)
Whenever I see this happening, the same questions come up for me. What would we do if we couldn't complain? What would we think about? What things are we not dealing with or focusing on when we're spending that time and energy complaining? Is it helping? I know all about venting frustration and the like but, is all this venting, in public, in private, on websites, etc., doing any good? Is the complaining doing anything to change the world or help each other? I could go on with questions but I'll stop here.
I've decided to try a little experiment. For an entire week, I'm going to not complain about a single thing. Not only will I not complain, but I will not join in or agree with anyone else in their complaining. That's right. For one week, I will focus my energy on other things that have nothing to do with complaining or finding fault with things. I guess criticizing of any kind is out of the question as well. And, this includes the complaints that never make it out of our heads. When a thought pops in that is anywhere near a complaint, I will stop it and think a better-feeling thought instead.
I'll be honest and say that I already sort of live this way. I grew up with a mom that practically lived her life complaining. Granted, she had her good reasons for some of them, but most of the time, her complaining was for nothing. I grew up realizing that complaining didn't do much. Nothing got resolved by it. Most of the time, the only person that was hot and bothered and all upset was my mom. That was the extent of any kind of resolution her complaining brought about!
Therefore, even though I do my best to not complain, I do have my moments when I either make a small comment, even if it's constructive, that can definitely constitute as a complaint. I'm also guilty of joining in with either a nod or a few words of agreement when others are complaining. I think this is something we naturally fall into doing, especially in work situations where you feel a sort of unity with your colleagues. This too shall stop.
I'm curious to find out what this will do to my thinking patterns? Will this aid me in focusing even more on the positive things in my life? Can I even stop any complaints in my head before they have the chance to come out of my mouth? How will my world improve in a NO COMPLAINTS Zone?
I'm starting right now! It's Tuesday morning at 10AM. I'll let you know how it goes and I encourage you to join me in this little experiment. Let's see how productive we can be in our own lives when we stick to our business: Feeling Good! Concentrating on our beautiful lives and adding to the joy in it!
Peace and Light to you and KEEP DREAMING and STOP COMPLAINING!
Gene-Manuel
On my way home, I usually take my time and walk from Chelsea to Port Authority. The walk is approximately 20 minutes if I go at a leisurely pace. I used to listen to my iPod in an attempt to block the world but I rarely do that now. I found out, it's a much more interesting walk without it.
The things you can overhear out in the streets of New York are notorious. There are books & blogs written about them. And, it's all true. Some of the things I've overheard have even shocked me and I'm not easily shocked. I won't go into any of these here because like I mentioned, there are countless books and sites devoted to such things. But, I have noticed something that has been a constant ever since I started my walks: people complain. They complain ALL THE TIME! I once counted how many overheard conversations were people complaining and I got up to about eight or nine people. Most of them were on the phone others were talking to whoever they were with. Some were complaining to themselves (they were alone.)
Whenever I see this happening, the same questions come up for me. What would we do if we couldn't complain? What would we think about? What things are we not dealing with or focusing on when we're spending that time and energy complaining? Is it helping? I know all about venting frustration and the like but, is all this venting, in public, in private, on websites, etc., doing any good? Is the complaining doing anything to change the world or help each other? I could go on with questions but I'll stop here.
I've decided to try a little experiment. For an entire week, I'm going to not complain about a single thing. Not only will I not complain, but I will not join in or agree with anyone else in their complaining. That's right. For one week, I will focus my energy on other things that have nothing to do with complaining or finding fault with things. I guess criticizing of any kind is out of the question as well. And, this includes the complaints that never make it out of our heads. When a thought pops in that is anywhere near a complaint, I will stop it and think a better-feeling thought instead.
I'll be honest and say that I already sort of live this way. I grew up with a mom that practically lived her life complaining. Granted, she had her good reasons for some of them, but most of the time, her complaining was for nothing. I grew up realizing that complaining didn't do much. Nothing got resolved by it. Most of the time, the only person that was hot and bothered and all upset was my mom. That was the extent of any kind of resolution her complaining brought about!
Therefore, even though I do my best to not complain, I do have my moments when I either make a small comment, even if it's constructive, that can definitely constitute as a complaint. I'm also guilty of joining in with either a nod or a few words of agreement when others are complaining. I think this is something we naturally fall into doing, especially in work situations where you feel a sort of unity with your colleagues. This too shall stop.
I'm curious to find out what this will do to my thinking patterns? Will this aid me in focusing even more on the positive things in my life? Can I even stop any complaints in my head before they have the chance to come out of my mouth? How will my world improve in a NO COMPLAINTS Zone?
I'm starting right now! It's Tuesday morning at 10AM. I'll let you know how it goes and I encourage you to join me in this little experiment. Let's see how productive we can be in our own lives when we stick to our business: Feeling Good! Concentrating on our beautiful lives and adding to the joy in it!
Peace and Light to you and KEEP DREAMING and STOP COMPLAINING!
Gene-Manuel
Gene, I will be joining you on this challenge! It's a great way to use my Superpowers for good. I'll keep you posted!
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