My job is changing for the positive and negative. Upper management is switching my office to a new location, which means my commute is going to be an extra 2.5 hours each week. That’s nothing to dismiss. An extra 10 hours a month in the car. Ouch! They are also broadening the type of work that I do, which is exciting and scary. I’m going to be more accountable for the company’s wins and losses.

This spurred on a barrage of venting to my wife, who is understandably tired of hearing me complain about my job. I’ve always wanted to own my own business, but was never ready. I’m mentally ready, but not monetarily ready. She gave me the tough love that I needed, but wasn’t looking for. She told me to either suck it up or find a new job. I didn’t want to hear this, not in that moment.

 

I wanted to hear…

“You are too talented to be stuck at that job for much longer. What you need is to get a little more focused and the world is your oyster. You are a great writer, talented speaker, and your passion is work happiness…you know what you want to do, that’s a gift, so dig a little deeper and make it happen. You could try waking up at 5 am and working like a passionate crazy man that I know you are to become the success that I already see. In the mean time why don’t you look for another job and work happy and hard at this new opportunity. Honey, it will get better, it always does.

What I Need to Give Myself

The reinforcement that I was hoping to get from my wife should actually have been given to myself from myself. One of my weaknesses is confidence. I know that I’m a talented person, but I’m also afraid of failure. I hate to fail, which makes putting myself out there very difficult.

In this blog I talk about “knowing yourself” and this is a lesson I need to review. I keep falling back into the same habits. When my life changes I get down on myself – mini depression if you will. This used to happen to my father too. He used to get so down that he wouldn’t talk to his family for days, at least it felt this way when I was 10 years old. He’s a completely different person now. He’s harnessed his torture, which has made him stronger. What I learned from his mistakes is not to keep it bottled up inside. So I vent to my family and friends.

My venting is a process that helps me deal with my issues. I get down so I can see life at a new perspective. These new angles help me to see what I really want out of my life.

I admit that this might be difficult on the people in my life. They want me to be happy. They don’t want to see me suffer. The thing is I need this suffering to spur change. It’s a part of who I am.

I’ve been working on processing these feelings as quickly as possible so I can get back to being happy and productive. There is no magic fast forward button, so sometimes it takes a few days. Believe me, it’s better than a few weeks, which is how long my process used to take.

I’m glad I have a job. I love that I will be trying new things. It may not be the dream career that I always fantasized about, but that’s a part of being young and figuring out my next move.

Self Love

You must believe that you are capable of great things. It’s a must for any career. To believe this you have to have a solid foundation that will help you rebuild your career when it becomes shaky. The more that I work on this blog and network with wonderful people like yourself, the more solid my foundation becomes.

I’ve married an emotionally stable person who is honest with me. I cultivate friendships that support my dreams. I created this blog to add another support to my life. None of these are more important than the belief that I have in myself. You must find ways to cultivate your own self love.

If all you do is complain then you aren’t giving yourself the opportunity to see what you capable of changing. If you need to vent, do it and then find options that will pull you in a better direction. I have faith that you can handle these tough times; you have to believe that you have all the tools to make whatever you want to happen, really happen.

You must give yourself the love that is needed to overcome unexpected change.

Some people:

• Practice Mantras
• Use prayer (asking for strength)
• Go into a mini-depression to find a better understanding of themselves and their options. Other people may call it a concentrated contemplative state, but this negates the sad feelings.

I don’t recommend the last one unless you’ve been dealing with this technique for the last twenty years.

How do you cope with change? How do you encourage self-love to pick yourself up when you are down?

If you liked this article you’ll enjoy these:

• Day 18 of 30 – No Complaining
• Day 16 of 30 – No Complaining
• Day 8 of 30 – No Complaining
• Day 1of 30 – No Complaining
• No More Complaining at Work – A Thirty Day Challenge

Download the Free eBook Work Happy the Google Way * Post from: Work Happy Now!

One day I’m complaining about the weather then the next day may be a similar day of weather and I’m enjoying it. My mood dictates my complaining.

I’ve been documenting my successes and difficulties of no complaining for the month of December.  My complaining hasn’t reduced that much; I wish that I could report that it has, but I must be honest.

The positive that has come from this challenge is my ability to not connect with my complaining. I am learning to allow my external and internal complaints to happen, but not let it dictate my feelings.

In my last “No Complaining” update I talked about how I complained to a fellow co-worker about my lack of pay. We all want just a little more. What I noticed from watching the complaint pop out was my lack of attachment to it. I care that I don’t make as much money as I would like, but I’m reducing its ability to dictate how I feel.

Andy Rooney and Politicians

I’ve been watching Andy Rooney on 60 Minutes, who is one big complainer. He whines about his watches, hand bags, and everything else in his life. His complaining has made him millions of dollars. He even complained because 60 Minutes gave him a watch with no numbers on it. The audience just chuckles at his observations.

He whines and gets rewarded. It’s because of his tone. If he whined without including a bit of humor to his voice no one would watch him.

The same goes for politicians. The weaker party always whines about the party in power. They do this to keep bringing awareness to the issues. Eventually people take notice when government inadequacies affect them. The weaker party can say, “We’ve been saying that for the past two years.”

We don’t notice this as complaining because they do it with authority. They make a claim and shout it to the world. The anger masks the complaining as a strength instead of a weakness.

The Silver Lining of Complaining

Most people in my life whine for the sake of whining, but never look for a silver lining. They just point out what’s wrong with a situation, but do nothing with this information. I don’t mind a bit of complaining if it’s lined with something funny, makes a good point or creates a compelling reason to take action.

On my way home I noticed my complaining kicking in during my commute home… again. But this time I wasn’t attached to the pain. I noticed these feelings then thought about eating dinner with Nikki and posting this blog post. Weaving the direction of my complaints into a positive feeling or letting it spur me into action has done wonders for my happiness.

If you enjoyed this article I know you’ll like:

• Day 16 of 30 – No Complaining
• Day 8 of 30 – No Complaining
• Day 1of 30 – No Complaining
• No More Complaining at Work – A Thirty Day Challenge

Download the Free eBook Work Happy the Google Way * Post from: Work Happy Now!