Lately I've been around a lot of complainers (including myself) who seem to feel the need to complain about everything under the sun. "This weather is horrible! I hate working here! What's wrong with these people? This economy stinks!" These types of comments have become so natural to us that we don't even think twice anymore before we blurt them out...Well, it's time we should. I have to constantly remind myself that if I want to change the environment in my workplace, home, school, etc. that the change has to first start with me first.
When we start our day off counting the blessings we have and using a positive perspective, we change the people around us. Think about it...who wants to be around someone who is grumpy all the time? We usually hide from negative people once we hear them coming around the corner. We run to the people who are filled with joy. These people keep us encouraged, laughing, and when we leave them we often can't help but leave smiling. Why can't we be more like this? It may take more work, effort, and practice, but it's very possible to be someone who others need to see to help be that little spark of encouragement or source of light they see when they're in the midst of a dark situation.
We complain about wanting a better job, significant other, children, financial status, and much more. While we always want more, we're truly never satisfied after we get that small thrill of getting more. This is because we need to learn to be content in our current situation first in order to maintain true peace and happiness. Even if our situation doesn't change, we can make it better by changing ourselves. Many people say things can always be better. The saying "It can always be worse" is just as true. So the next time we open our privileged mouths to blabber something negative, we should think about those who are worse off than us: the earthquake victims from Chile and Haiti, those who are starving all over the world, and those in other countries who do not have the same freedom and rights that we do in America. Reflect on those people and what they're facing, then think about what there is to complain about. God Bless.
Yolanda Christine Beard
