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Ponderings

Thinking out loud about faith, culture, and life.

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Stop complaining - It is not having the effect you think
Work, Complaining Ben Smith Work, Complaining Ben Smith

Stop complaining - It is not having the effect you think

There are two opposing kinds of workers. The first kind often looks like they are not giving much effort to their work. They get their job done and are good at what they do, but because of the appearance of the lack of effort, some judge their job as easy in comparison to others. The second kind often looks overworked, overstressed, and working very hard. They, too, get their job done, but because of the effort and stress required, many judge their job as more burdensome than others.

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Are you a chronic complainer?
Relationships, Complaining Ben Smith Relationships, Complaining Ben Smith

Are you a chronic complainer?

A friend of mine once told me that they were planning to take a family member out to dinner for their birthday, but they were not looking forward to the event. I assumed that this meant that there was an ongoing conflict between the two and asked what the source of the conflict was. My friend told me that there was no conflict but that when their family member interacted with servers at a restaurant, they often were overly demanding, hyper-critical, and rude. He said that it seemed that his family member was never satisfied and consistently critical to a point that he was embarrassed to share a meal with him.

I fear the consumer-focused world we live in encourages a complaintive spirit. Business owners rightly are concerned that a bad review, fair or unfair, could hurt their business. Consumers today are well versed in all the ways that opinions and reviews can be posted online about businesses. This, along with the often-repeated mantra that “the customer is always right,” creates an atmosphere where entitlement and selfishness can run amuck.

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