complaining

I found this quote via design mom today and it stuck with me:

Complaining Does Not Work as a Strategy 

“If you took one-tenth the energy you put into complaining and applied it to solving the problem, you’d be surprised by how well things can work out… Complaining does not work as a strategy. We all have finite time and energy. Any time we spend whining is unlikely to help us achieve our goals. And it won’t make us happier.”
― Randy Pausch, The Last Lecture

Oh the days of time i've added up complaining. And about what? I have a great life, I am blessed beyond measure. What a joke that I fall into that trap so easily. Good job, Satan. Good job.

Another one of my favorite quotes about complaining, or bitterness (which are usually one in the same around here) is from my friend Kathryn Bolton:

If you stop saying it, you will stop feeling it. 

Amen and amen!

This year I did switch out our advent calendar, and instead of a teeny gift each day I put in a service activity. Oh, you should hear the weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth. I keep telling them they'll thank me in 20 years for this.