Stop complaining
29 Oct 2007
There are two aspects to complaining. The first is complaining about our current situation and we can only do this when we know that something better already exists. Statements like I don’t have a big enough house or I don’t have a smart enough car or I’m not earning enough money or my sales manager is horrible to me are all complaints about something that you can do something about but have taken the decision not do anything about. With this aspect of complaining, you simply need to stop and take total responsibility for your life.
There are also situations where you could have a legitimate complaint about something that is affecting your ability to achieve your goals of doubling your sales as quickly as you wish or could have resulted in you losing a sale through no fault of your own. Maybe the switchboard operator did not pass an important customer call on to you? Maybe the order was not delivered on time? Maybe they sent the wrong size or the wrong colour? Things out of your control can and do go wrong and need dealing with, but in the correct manner.
Have you ever noticed that so many people who complain, complain to the wrong people. An husband has an issue with his wife but complain to his colleagues at work about her. A mother has an issue with her children but complains to her husband. An employee has an issue with their boss but they complain to their friends or workmates. Why do they do this? The answer is very simple. They complain to others because it is easier than complaining to the person they have the issue with. But of course that rarely ever resolves the issue.
So if you have a reason to complain about something that is affecting your ability to achieve your goals, you need to deal with it and with the person who caused the problem. But do not complain. The moment you tell someone you need to complain about something or you act in a manner that is identified with complaining, their subconscious mind will switch them into a defensive mode and you will not get the level of cooperation you want on dealing with that situation. You may even alienate yourself from them and get even less cooperation in the future.
Instead, develop the habit of replacing complaining with asking for help and cooperation to ensure that the situation does not repeat itself. If the situation cannot be resolved, then go to a higher level, and if you are already making your point to the highest level of authority who cannot or will not help, then you may have to make the decision to sell your services to another organisation. Either way, things will then change. You have to create the situation and circumstances that will enable you to double your sales, not stand by and allow everything to happen to you.