Summer Conversations: Complaining

A new summer series between Rachel (R) and William (W).

R: My nutrition coach challenged her clients to stop complaining for 24 hours and to put a dollar in a jar for every complaint. Do you think we could do this challenge?

W: I don't think we complain that much.

R: I think we complain all all the time. But I guess we'd have to define what constitutes a complaint. Is it a complaint if you just think it in your head?

W: No, I think you have to say it.

R: How do we know the difference between a fact and a complaint?

W: I think it has to do with the tone.

R: You mean, "it's 100 degrees outside, what a hot day" versus "OMG, it's so hot, I can't stannnnndddd it."

W: Ben Bergeron (CrossFit coach and author) says no complaining, no whining, no excuses. We should listen to one of his podcasts and see how he defines it.

R: OK, so Ben says that complaining is being negative without any input about how to fix the situation.

W: Yeah, so maybe it's not complaining if make a statement and include a possible solution.

R: Look at this one from Ben on Instagram. "People are happy being unhappy!" Do you think this is true?

W: I know some people who are happy being unhappy.

BB: "Being unhappy and complaining gives people a false sense of control. Some people actually assign meaning to their lives by being unhappy. Being unhappy and complaining gives people a sense of control. Complaining feeds our egos. That's a detrimental place to be."

R: I think the positive thing about complaining is if you know what you don't want, you know what you do want. Maybe we should get a notebook and write down all of our complaints so we can put a positive spin on them and attract more of the things we want instead of what we don't want! Do you want to play this game with me?

W: Of course, I love playing games with you.

Part 2: What did we complain about and how many times a day? Stay tuned. :)

Join the conversation:

How do you define complaining?
Do you think there's an upside to complaining?
Do you think there's anything negative about complaining?
Do you think you can go 24-hours without complaining?
What do you complain about mostly?

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