Asking for what you want is not
complaining. Complaining often impedes
rather than facilitates a positive outcome. In Tolle’s example of the waiter (above) many people would complain to
everyone at the table, leave little or no tip and never inform the waiter what
was wrong. And yet the waiter was the
only person who could have rectified the situation.
Contrary to popular opinion, complaining is
often employed to avoid taking action toward improvement. The first step toward positive change is
dissatisfaction. Complaining keeps our focus on the dissatisfaction and never
moves us beyond to positive resolution. Our focus must be on what we desire rather than what is wrong.
“Were the great leaders of the
On August 28, 1963, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther
King, Jr. did not stand on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and simply complain. He spoke words that struck a chord with our
nation and still bring tears to the eyes of those hearing them nearly a
half-century later. He did not focus on
the problem, he focused beyond the problem. He declared, “I have a dream!” Dr. King created in our minds a vivid picture of a world without
racism. He had “been to the mountain
top” and his words took us there as well.
Be
sure to join my co host Billie Jo and me as we interview Will Bowen on
our radio show on Wednesday November 4th at 11 p.m. EST on the HaroldSays Channel on BlogTalkRadio.
