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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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