I happened
to be in Miami, Florida during the summer holidays, and visiting Miami without
going to the south beach is pretty incomplete. I was really looking forward to
a relaxing afternoon at the beach with just family and friends.
On getting there the whole area
was busy, there was an open party going on.
We had to keep going around to get a good parking space. Luckily we
found a spot where we parked. We were about to step out from the car, when
a lady’s car broke down on the main way. It resulted to quite a sudden traffic. The
guy directly behind kept sounding his horn and shouting at her to move her car
to the walk path so he could move, but she kept complaining that the car
couldn’t start. He kept on barking at why she drove out with the car if it had
issues. The amazing act that caught my attention was when a guy
parked behind the “shouting guy” stepped out of his car, walked over to her,
asked her to open the car trunk so he could help her out. He did what he
could do and moved the car to the side.
This
got me thinking, that most times we have plans of what we want to accomplish on
daily bases, but the unforeseen can happen and disorganize our plan(s) or cause
a setback. So in such situations, what we do will determines how our day will
end. Will you keep complaining and criticizing like the guy directly
behind the lady? Or instead, be like the other guy who just walked up,
fixed the obstacle and moved on. You cannot have a productive day, if you keep
complaining.
WAYS TO
HAVE A MORE PRODUCTIVE DAY
I have compiled
a list of ways you can prevent nagging over issues from ruining your day:
1.BE PROACTIVE WITH A POSITIVE
ATTITUDE
Like the scenario
above he approached the lady and tried to figure out what he could do, if he
had chosen to do the opposite by sitting down in his car, or go on a road rage
like the other man, that car would still be stuck in the same spot.
According to Dr
Travis Brad-berry, who quoted in his book; How Complaining Rewires Your Brain for Negativity, “repeated complaining rewires your brain to make
future complaining more likely”. So over time no matter what happens to you
whether positive or negative, you will still complain and that’s how people
will perceive you. Nobody likes to work with a negative person.
2.TAKE CARE OF YOUR
HEALTH
We tend to neglect our
health in pursuit of the demands of life. Your health is your responsibility.
Whenever our body is stressed in the form of headache, muscles
tightness, high blood pressure or digestive issue, studies have shown that it
can affect the brain. (To read more http://bit.ly/2idzSRk).
This study shows that complaining shrinks the hippocampus, which is the area of the brain that is critical to problem solving and intelligent thoughts. Therefore next time you want to complain, criticize or blame, think of what it does to the brain.
This study shows that complaining shrinks the hippocampus, which is the area of the brain that is critical to problem solving and intelligent thoughts. Therefore next time you want to complain, criticize or blame, think of what it does to the brain.
It
is advisable to eat nutritious food, sleep for at least 6-8 hours in a day and
make out time for exercise.
3.HAVE A PURPOSE AND A
PLAN
Rick Warren once said “the greatest tragedy
is not death, but a life without a purpose”. If you can’t identify your
purpose, there is a good chance that you will be very good at
complaining.
Steve Maraboli also quoted that “you were
put on this earth to achieve your greatest self, to live out your purpose and
to do it courageously”. A plan without a purpose is a mere wish.
Imagine what you want
your future to be in every aspect and then work every day towards that distant
vision or goal.
4.MANAGE YOUR TIME PROPERLY AND
FIND A HOBBY YOU ENJOY DOING
Whatever activities
you enjoy doing, be it biking, hiking, gardening, reading books, or even
cooking, find time for it. But you must not compromise on your daily
priorities.
You must focus on your
priorities and take control of your day, by having a to-do list for the day
which keeps you organized and provide a direction on how your day should be.
5.DO NOT COMPARE
YOURSELF WITH OTHERS AND AVOID NEGATIVE PEOPLE
Why you
should distance yourself from complainers. It is very important because our
brains naturally or unconsciously mimic the mood of those around us, especially
those we spend time with. This is called NEURONAL MIRRORING
Focus on
how to improve yourself and do not compare yourself with others. The only
person you should try to be better than is the person you were yesterday.
Learn more from this additional
link and resources that will help you gain more knowledge on how to have a
productive life and also on how to stop complaining.
v https://www.entrepreneur.com/slideshow/299624
v https://www.fastcompany.com/3066537/10-expert-tips-to-make-2017-your-most-productive-year-yet
v https://www.inc.com/andrew-thomas/7-ways-to-stop-complaining-and-feel-happier-backed-by-science.html
v https://timemanagementninja.com/2017/08/tmn-tip-stop-complaining-about-others/
