Comments on: 30 Days of No Complaining – Wisdom Multiplied

By: What I Learned from Working on My Habits | Work Happy Now!

What I Learned from Working on My Habits | Work Happy Now! — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 02:50:48 +0000

[...] – January Theme of the Month – Relaxing With My Work – 30 Days of No Complaining – Wisdom Multiplied [...]

By: Tasha

Tasha — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 18:57:55 +0000

I think that saying “I wish”is always a complaint.Instead of the father complaining about his daughter not trying harder at her homework,why doesn’t he just ask?or better yet why doesn’t he just focus on the other positive qualities his daughter possesses.
When people focus on how they wish someone would behave,it’s like saying the person isn’t good enough for them and that person can feel that strain through their body language.Maybe if the father focused on positive qualites of his daughter,she’d surprise him and want to please him more by doing her homework

By: 6 Amazing Techniques to Staying Happy During a Stressful Project | Zen Habits

Tue, 09 Jun 2009 23:38:59 +0000

[...] Karl Staib writes about unlocking and kicking open the door to working happy at his own blog: Work Happy Now! If you enjoyed this article, you may like to subscribe to his feed, follow him on Twitter or read one of his most popular articles, 30 Days of No Complaining – Wisdom Multiplied. [...]

By: Sara

Sara — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 18:45:51 +0000

My 30 day challenge will be not to say negative things about co workers. I work with people who make this challenge very difficult!

I’ve tried this in the past, but didn’t set myself a goal, i.e. 30 days. I always failed in the past because gossiping is a form of bonding. I didn’t want to give it up cold turkey. If I look at it like an experiment, though, I don’t think that I’ll feel as much pressure. I’ll have the knowledge that if at the end of 30 days I want to go back to gossiping, then I have the right to do so.

By: 25 Ways to Live 25 Hours a Day | Marc and Angel Hack Life

25 Ways to Live 25 Hours a Day | Marc and Angel Hack Life — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 07:58:39 +0000

[...] Complaining kills time and energy. Stop it! – “By complaining, I was putting the blame on external things instead of myself. By noticing this habit, I’ve been able to lean into my fear and not let it decide my actions. After becoming more aware of my thoughts and emotions, I’ve learned that if I don’t give in to my fears, I could choose actions that may be scary at first, but they would reap greater rewards in the end.” – via Work Happy Now [...]

By: Karl Staib - The Work Happy Guy

Karl Staib - The Work Happy Guy — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 03:36:03 +0000

Hi Stacey, good point. There are times I do ask and other times I know I shouldn’t. I was just making a blanket statement, but each situation should be evaluated and questioned further if needed.

Hi Marelisa, not accepting the present moment was a big weakness of mine. I’ve learned to go with the flow much more as I age. It’s made work a lot easier to enjoy.

By: Marelisa

Marelisa — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 22:53:52 +0000

Hi Karl: That’s interesting that you “hate” your jobs to make sure they don’t detract you from your ultimate goal of having your own business. I guess that when you complain you’re basically struggling with the way things are at that moment, and that’s a struggle that you can’t win. You can ask yourself: What step can I take now to be in the best position I possibly can for tomorrow?, but you can’t change the present moment. I like your suggestion of rephrasing your complaints to make them more positive and proactive.

By: Stacey Shipman

Stacey Shipman — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 21:54:29 +0000

Congratulations on your experiment – that takes a lot of patience! I agree with what you say about rephrasing our language, it is a matter of choice. I also think it’s ok to wake up and say “I don’t want to go to work today”. What becomes frustrating to me is the person who says that, goes to work and continues to say the same thing all day instead of taking a day off. We can state the facts, and then decide what action to take as a result. If we decide to go to work, then stop talking about how you didn’t want to go to work! Again, it’s your choice.

In your example about the report I wonder your thoughts on asking what the reasons are for the redo – seems to me this information would be helpful for rewriting – rather than just accepting it. Communicating feelings is critical, and there are appropriate and respectful ways to ask so it’s a win-win for both sides involved. What do you think?

By: Karl Staib - The Work Happy Guy

Karl Staib - The Work Happy Guy — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 20:11:05 +0000

Hi LA, 30 days of positive action is a good one. Hard to measure, but worth considering. Maybe it’s the challenge I need.

Hi BOH, I can’t count how many times I’ve used the “victim complaining” method. When I fell into that trap it was hard for me to step back and realize it was mostly my fault. Doing this exercise has helped me reduce much of this kind of complaining.

Hi Lance, the idea of being more aware and not falling back into the same old complaining habits is a great way of looking at it.

Hi Karen, good point. When we see the routines we live over and over we can break the cycle. Now all that’s left is finding the place you want to visit.

By: Karen Swim

Karen Swim — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 15:09:29 +0000

Karl, you have shared so many great insights here. I loved your reframing the language. I agree with you it’s not the complaint but the attitude behind it. Complaining can change negative, harmful, or inhumane practices. Complaining for the sake of complaining can become a cancer in a work environment that affects morale and productivity. Lately, I’ve found myself annoyed but rather than verbalize it to others I took some time to figure out the cause, turns out I’m badly in need of a vacation! Now that I’ve defined it I can work on the solution and stop being internally annoyed.