Just stop bitching, moaning and complaining!

“This weather is so bad!” “What’s with all this rain, it’s supposed to be summer?” “Times are tough!” “Business is bad!” “The government sucks!” “This country is going to the dogs!” “The cost of living is too high!”

Put your hand up if you have heard these and other similar complaints in the past few days?

I think I only have one real complaint and that is people who continuously complain about almost everything. And, when I hear these people complain, I am reminded of the old saying, “any idiot can complain, condemn and criticize and it’s normally the idiots that do”. If that makes me a stupid idiot for complaining about the complainers then so be it.

Let’s look at the weather! Ever met, or do you work with the WEATHER COMPLAINERS?

“It’s too hot, it’s too cold, it’s too overcast, it’s too cloudy, it’s too windy”, and my best, “It’s too rainy!”

Hey, weather balloon, do you realize that you are made up almost completely of water?  Do you realize that water is one of the main requirements for almost all life on Earth?  Do you understand that you need water for almost all of your bodily functions and for your complaining, whining, life itself?  Plants, food, drinks (dah), crops, fish, the Coke light you’ve just had with your cheeseburger, the water in your taps, all come from …..wait for it … Rain!

Do you realize we live in Africa, a pretty dry continent where water and rain are very scarce?  I don’t even want to get into all the benefits of rain and water and yet you do nothing but complain about the rain and how miserable it makes you feel. Hey Sparky, perhaps it’s not the rain – perhaps it’s just you and if your entire mood and attitude is determined by the weather, then you had better seek out a professional who owns an expensive couch.

Have you also noticed that the exact same people who continuously complain about the rain and the weather are more often than not couch potatoes?   Weather complainers are not really your outdoorsy, Bear Grylls, triathlete type of people.  What could the sunshine possibly do for them?  All they would be doing is staying indoors as usual watching Sevende Laan and Come Dine With Me, all the time complaining how hot it is.

“Yes but I can’t remember it ever raining this much, this time of year!”  Nonsense!  Call the weather bureau or Google year-on-year the amount of rain that fell every year for the past 500 years.  It rains!  It always has and thankfully it always will.  I am sure if you go and study the Bushman paintings on the wall in a remote cave you will see a painting of some tribesman that translates, “I can’t remember it raining this much this time last year!”

It frikken rains okay!  Bless the rain, dance in the rain, drive slower, cuddle up and be thankful for this miracle substance.

And now for my next pet peeve, a complaint that drives me to want to slap someone –

Radio DJ in that slick nasal radio voice “Sa… what are you up to tadai?” Idiot listener in his or her Souf Efrken northern burbs whine, “Oh I’m just at work, terrible hey?”

Terrible!  Terrible?  Really?  Your work – the place that employs you, gave you a job when nobody else would, the place that gives you benefits and gives you something to do.  The place and people that trust you with their clients, products and services and pays you every month to support your children is “Terrible!”

If it is so terrible, leave.  If that is your attitude towards your company, your colleagues and your boss you had better leave, immediately.  Oh and it’s probably a national radio station.  Do you really think that your boss or colleagues are not listening and are not going to hear how you feel about them and the company that they, the owners, have spent their lives building?  Do you imagine that their customers, your customers, are not listening?  What kind of a rocket scientist goes on national radio and tells people how terrible his job and company is?  You must really be an inspiration to your clients and colleagues. If it’s so terrible just pack your bags and leave, just stop bitching and complaining about it every day.

Next complaint – “I CAN’T LEAVE – I HAVE TO WORK!”

Ever heard this nonsense?  “I have to go to work tomorrow!”  No you don’t!  Who is forcing you to work?   Who has a gun to your head or is holding a family member hostage and is forcing you to go to work every day?  If this is true drop me a mail, I know people.  The truth is you choose to work.  You chose to answer the advert.  You chose to go to the interview.  You chose to fudge your CV, abilities and attitude.  You chose to accept the tasks, salary and hours.  You chose to because you chose to earn some money because you probably chose to live a better life than the thousands of unemployed people on the streets and the homeless.  You choose to work sparky, you don’t have to. Resign, get a board and hit Louis Botha Avenue.

No boss.  No deadlines.  No managers.  No responsibilities.  No traffic.  Hey, you won’t have any money either but at least we won’t have to hear your whining about how you have to work and how much you hate you job.  You chose to be there, so commit to it, do your job and shut the hell up.

The next complaint I want to rant about:

“THE COST OF LIVING IS SO HIGH!”

“EVERYTHING COSTS SO MUCH AND INFLATION IS GOING THROUGH THE ROOF!”

That’s because you and your fellow complainers keep buying crap you can’t afford.  You live in a house you can’t afford, drive a car you can’t afford, wear clothing you can’t afford, go places you can’t afford only to impress people you don’t like and who don’t like you.  Then you bitch about inflation and the cost of things.  Credit creates inflation. Yes, I know it’s a bit more complicated than that, but in a nutshell, if you can’t pay cash, you can’t afford it.  Stop blaming society (which you are, you are society) for high costs and runaway inflation.  It’s your fault.  So change your behavior, stop complaining and blaming others.

Next one – “BUSINESS IS TOUGH!”

So what are you doing about it?  How are you opening new markets and closing new business? How are you under promising and over delivering? What did you do today to secure a new client or look after an old one?  How are you servicing your customers in a mind blowing fashion and adding value that your competitors are not?

You will also never hear or see busy people making this idiotic complaint, because they are to frikken busy fixing stuff and making stuff happen.  It’s normally the people sitting on their fat butts, doing nothing that complain. Business is tough you say well here’s an idea, answer the bloody phone, pitch up for the appointment, cut your profits and get the business.  Just stop bloody complaining.

“The government sucks!” “This country is going to the dogs!” “We are turning into another Zimbabwe!”

Who voted for them? This government that you say sucks!  Someone, in fact, millions and millions of people must have either voted for the current government or didn’t bother to vote for an opposition party.  It has been said that you get the government that you deserve.

If you think the country is going to the dogs then what are you doing about it?  Are you even registered to vote?  And do you make an informed vote?   What are you doing everyday in your community or street to make it a better and safer place?  If you want to complain to me about the state of the nation tell me first everything that you have done and are doing to make it a better place,then I will listen to your mindless complaints.

Only once you have tried to mobilize or pull together your neighbors will you ever understand the mammoth task that lies ahead for anyone wishing to change the future of our country.  Just try and fix your street and see the absolute apathetic, entitled mindsets of your neighbors.  Try getting 22 educated, millionaire business people to just agree and pay for the street security and adhere to the rules of the closure.  The same idiots who bitch and moan are the same people who don’t pitch for meetings, are too busy to help and refuse to pay in full, or at all, for security and other services.  They expect others to do all the work and no matter what you do it’s just not good enough.

SOLUTIONS

To the complainers, please stop and think before you do because you infect and affect the people around you.

To those who have to endure these negative, “doom and gloomers” take care and be aware that encounters with these energy thieves are, for the most part, a lose-lose situation.

If you correct or question them, you’ll be pointing out the flaws in their thinking and attitude and you will become an immediate enemy and someone else to complain about.  If you agree with them you become just like them.  If you remain silent you will be called stuck-up or unfriendly.

Depending on my mood, I choose number 1 or number 3.  I’ve got enough friends and sometimes it’s just cool to point out to those who are full of it, that they are just that – full of it!

And finally, I heard Robin Williams say this in an acceptance speech.  I hope it helps.

Illegitimi non carborundum – “Don’t let the bastards grind you down”.

Ah Dammit!  It’s raining again now I can’t go out and cycle!

Have a complaint free month