When I was a kid I loved Sesame Street. My favorite character was Cookie Monster, Bert and Ernie, and Big Bird, okay they were all my favorites.

 But, the one character that stood out the most to me, was a character that didn't seem to fit in with the rest of the characters of Season Street. 

 

He lived in a trash can. You guessed it, Oscar the Grouch.

 

Oscar was a professional complainer. He complained about the weather, he complained about his home, he complained about his friends. Oscar complained about everything.

 

No wonder he lived in a trash can!

 

I was thinking today about why people complain. Why do I complain? Why does my family complain? Why do my clients complain?

 

I think it boils down to this...

 

You and I complain because we are not content.

 

We're not content with our current situation.

We're not content with our finances.

We're not content with our car.

We're not content with our relationships.

We're not content with our living environment.

 

Don't get me wrong. Discontentment can produce great productivity, like starting a business if you're not content with your finances, or taking action on your health if you're not content with your weight.

 

But sometimes we allow our discontentment to influence our behavior in a negative way, don't we?

 

3 Ways How Not To Be A Grouch

 

1. Care for others. What can you do for someone else to show that you care about them?
2. Care for yourself. What can you do to take care of yourself?
3. Care for those you don't like. What can you do to care for those you don't like? Not get even? Don't try to hurt them back. Kill them with kindness.

When you're caring for yourself and others it's difficult to stay discontent. And when you become content (okay with) with your situation you'll stop being a grouch.

 Learn more about John Cordray at www.johncordray.com

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