GUEST POST - HOW TO STOP COMPLAINING TO BE HAPPIER

JAMES OH

AUTHOR
BETTER THAN THE BEST
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/302553

How to Stop Complaining to be Happier

I've always been a complainer. It wasn't so much that I was unhappy and that's why I was complaining -- it was just a habit that started to perpetuate itself, making it hard to break and eventually becoming a part of who I am. Soon, the mindless complaining started to create unhappiness, reinforcing negativity in myself and for those around me.

I knew that I needed a change, so I decided to do a bit of a detox. When I went online to get some tips, I found that many others were doing the same, and that cutting out complaining and other forms of negative self-talk had actually been shown to improve mood and to increase your overall happiness level, improving other aspects of your health, as well.

Here are a few tips that helped me learn to stop complaining and that may help you, as well:

Make a Pledge and Tell Everyone about It

When you announce your intentions to others, not only does it make it more official, but you also have people who can then support you in meeting your goals and hold you accountable. When I told my friends and family about my decision to stop complaining, a few people were confused about why I wanted to do it, but most were very supportive and excited to see how I would progress on the journey.

Let others know what you are doing and why you are doing it. If you have a goal for how many days you want to make it complaint-free, tell them that. Also let them know what kind of language you consider to be a "complaint" and what you need from them in order to support you.

Use a Visual Reminder

A reverend who challenged his church to stop complaining launched a movement (http://www.acomplaintfreeworld.org/) that now strives to reach people all around the world to promote this message of positivity. One of the strategies that this movement employs is the use of a purple bracelet as a visual reminder of the pledge to stop complaining. When you slip up and complain, you move the band to the other arm and you start counting down your complaint-free days again.

When I started on my complaint-free mission, I used one of the bracelets. However, it was hard for me to remember how many days it had been since I switched it, making it more difficult for me to monitor my progress. I found that keeping a journal helped me more. Though it wasn't a constant visual reminder, it did offer me a clear visual guide to my progress whenever I opened it up.

Focus on the Positive

To really stop your complaints, you have to find other things to focus on besides the negative. There will always be bad things happening either in your life, in your friends' lives or in the world. If you dwell on these things, you will become consumed , and that negativity will breed more negativity.

If you feel that you want to start complaining about something, focus on something positive instead. It can either be a positive aspect of the situation you want to complain about, or it can be something else positive that's happening in your life. When I first started doing this, it felt a little weird and unnatural. Bu after a few weeks, I started to naturally think about the positive things in my life, and all those negatives started to dwindle, making it all that much easier to stop complaining.

Get to the Root of Your Complaints

Mindless complaining isn't just about habit sometimes. It can often mask your unhappiness with deeper issues. Maybe you aren't happy in your job, or maybe your marriage is experiencing some troubles. Maybe you just don't feel content in your life. Whatever the reason, you have to deal with these issues if you are going to stop the complaints and start to focus more on the positive.

In my case, I was very unhappy with my job and found that I wasn't doing what I really wanted to do. A few months into my no-complaints challenge, I started shifting my focus to writing full-time, and I eventually was able to quit my job and transition to writing for pay. It was such a relief and I was so much happier that I found that I naturally wanted to complain less.

Complaints are insidious little comments that can start to dominate our speech and our thoughts before we realize what's happening. Over time, this constant focusing on the negative can cause you to feel unhappy and not to live up to your full potential. If you have done some honest soul-searching and realize that you need to stop complaining, these tips can help you to focus on the positive and get to a place that  is happier and more fulfilling in your life. You'll be amazed at what changing this one habit can do for you!

About the Author:

Bridget Sandorford is a freelance food and culinary writer, where recently she’s been researching culinary schools in Atlanta. In her spare time, she enjoys biking, painting and working on her first cookbook.

ACTION

GIVE AWAY EBOOK

GIVEAWAY FOR SITE OWNER/BLOGGER WHO BACK LINK THIS POST.

FOR DETAILS, PLEASE CHECK THE LINK BELOW:-

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/302553


JAMES OH

THINKING PROCESS OLD VS NEW

THE EBOOK IS A GOOD ILLUSTRATION OF APPLICATION OF THE NEW VERSION.

CLICK TO CHECK MORE DETAILS:-

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/302553

JAMES OH

FINANCIAL FREEDOM

11 SIMPLE CONCEPTS TO BECOME A BETTER LEADER

11 Simple Concepts to Become a Better Leader

1. Listening

"When people talk, listen completely. Most people never listen." - Ernest Hemingway

Listening is the foundation of any good relationship. Great leaders listen to what their customers and prospects want and need, and they listen to the challenges those customers face. They listen to colleagues and are open to new ideas. They listen to shareholders, investors, and competitors. Here's why the best CEO's listen more.

2. Storytelling

"Storytelling is the most powerful way to put ideas into the world today." -Robert McAfee Brown 

After listening, leaders need to tell great stories in order to sell their products, but more important, in order to sell their ideas. Storytelling is what captivates people and drives them to take action. Whether you're telling a story to one prospect over lunch, a boardroom full of people, or thousands of people through an online video - storytelling wins customers.

3. Authenticity

"I had no idea that being your authentic self could make me as rich as I've become. If I had, I'd have done it a lot earlier." -Oprah Winfrey

Great leaders are who they say they are, and they have integrity beyond compare. Vulnerability and humility are hallmarks of the authentic leader and create a positive, attractive energy. Customers, employees, and media all want to help an authentic person to succeed. There used to be a divide between one’s public self and private self, but the social internet has blurred that line. Tomorrow's leaders are transparent about who they are online, merging their personal and professional lives together.

4. Transparency

"As a small businessperson, you have no greater leverage than the truth." -John Whittier 

There is nowhere to hide anymore, and businesspeople who attempt to keep secrets will eventually be exposed. Openness and honesty lead to happier staff and customers and colleagues. More important, transparency makes it a lot easier to sleep at night - unworried about what you said to whom, a happier leader is a more productive one.

5. Team Playing

"Individuals play the game, but teams beat the odds." -SEAL Team Saying 

No matter how small your organization, you interact with others every day. Letting others shine, encouraging innovative ideas, practicing humility, and following other rules for working in teams will help you become a more likeable leader. You’ll need a culture of success within your organization, one that includes out-of-the-box thinking.

6. Responsiveness

"Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it." -Charles Swindoll

The best leaders are responsive to their customers, staff, investors, and prospects. Every stakeholder today is a potential viral sparkplug, for better or for worse, and the winning leader is one who recognizes this and insists upon a culture of responsiveness. Whether the communication is email, voice mail, a note or a a tweet, responding shows you care and gives your customers and colleagues a say, allowing them to make a positive impact on the organization.

7. Adaptability

"When you're finished changing, you're finished." -Ben Franklin 

There has never been a faster-changing marketplace than the one we live in today. Leaders must be flexible in managing changing opportunities and challenges and nimble enough to pivot at the right moment. Stubbornness is no longer desirable to most organizations. Instead, humility and the willingness to adapt mark a great leader.

8. Passion

"The only way to do great work is to love the work you do." -Steve Jobs

Those who love what they do don’t have to work a day in their lives. People who are able to bring passion to their business have a remarkable advantage, as that passion is contagious to customers and colleagues alike. Finding and increasing your passion will absolutely affect your bottom line.

9. Surprise and Delight

"A true leader always keeps an element of surprise up his sleeve, which others cannot grasp but which keeps his public excited and breathless." -Charles de Gaulle

Most people like surprises in their day-to-day lives. Likeable leaders underpromise and overdeliver, assuring that customers and staff are surprised in a positive way. There are a plethora of ways to surprise without spending extra money - a smile, We all like to be delighted — surprise and delight create incredible word-of-mouth marketing opportunities.

10. Simplicity

"Less isn't more; just enough is more." -Milton Glaser 

The world is more complex than ever before, and yet what customers often respond to best is simplicity — in design, form, and function. Taking complex projects, challenges, and ideas and distilling them to their simplest components allows customers, staff, and other stakeholders to better understand and buy into your vision. We humans all crave simplicity, and so today's leader must be focused and deliver simplicity.

11. Gratefulness

"I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought, and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder." -Gilbert Chesterton 

Likeable leaders are ever grateful for the people who contribute to their opportunities and success. Being appreciative and saying thank you to mentors, customers, colleagues, and other stakeholders keeps leaders humble, appreciated, and well received. It also makes you feel great! Donor's Choose studied the value of a hand-written thank-you note, and actually found donors were 38% more likely to give a 2nd time if they got a hand-written note!



The Golden Rule: Above all else, treat others as you’d like to be treated

By showing others the same courtesy you expect from them, you will gain more respect from coworkers, customers, and business partners. Holding others in high regard demonstrates your company’s likeability and motivates others to work with you. This seems so simple, as do so many of these principles — and yet many people, too concerned with making money or getting by, fail to truly adopt these key concepts.

CHARACTER CAN ONLY DEVELOPED THROUGH EXPERIENCING

Do you agree ? If not, tell us your experience and we love to hear from you. This is the platform where you can take out your courage to share it out. 

Thanks and look forward to hearing from you.

James 

YOU ARE A REAL GEM

MAVERICK THINKER CLUB

TO GROW IS

BETTER THAN THE BEST

STAY TUNE FOR THE NEW DEVELOPMENT OF THE ABOVE BOOK.

GROWTH AND CHANGE

SIMILARLY, THE MORE COURAGE YOU GIVE TO YOUR SELF-REFLECTION AND SELF-DISCOVERY, THE MORE OPPORTUNITY YOU WILL HAVE FOR GROWTH AND CHANGE.

I DO AGREE, HOW ABOUT YOU?

JOIN THE WINNING TEAM