They say that the behaviors you dislike the most about yourself are the behaviors that you dislike the most in others. Last week I wrote a post about how it has been driving me nuts lately when people complain. Well, after writing that, it occurred to me, that I personally have been complaining a lot lately. Therefore, I have reached my “complaint patience” limit before I even leave the house. So it makes perfect sense that I want to bang my head against the wall when I run into other people that are complaining. I’m full up with my own, I don’t’ have room for any of theirs.

This revelation, doesn’t not negate the point that I made though. Complaining is pointless and achieves absolutely nothing. This revelation, does however, mean that I need to take my own advice – assume responsibility for my own life. So in that vein, here are the things that I’ve been complaining about lately, and what I can am going to do about them.

• I never get the things on my to-do list done and therefore always feel behind.
  • I have a two-pronged plan of attack for this one. First – I need to start making my to-do lists realistic. Most days I have more on there then is actually possible to do in one day. So I need to get more realistic about how long certain tasks take. Second – Prioritize my list. Should I fail to be successful with my first attack, or I throw caution to the wind do something that isn’t on my to-do list (gasp!) I will know which things absolutely have to get done today, versus what can be put off. As long as the high priorities are completed, I’m good to go.
• I hate that I have to spend so much time at my day job, when I want to be working on my own business.
  • On one hand, this is a frustration that I need to live with. I am actively working toward my goals, and when I started I knew that it was going to take time. On the other hand, it would behoove me to start implementing the part of my plan that will make money in the short-term, versus only working on the long-term aspects. I’ll need to revisit my to-do list . . .
• I always feel like I’m broke.
  • Number 1 – I am not broke, so I need to break myself out of that mind set. I don’t have to go grocery shopping with a calculator, play the “which bill can be paid late this month” game, or decide between adequate food or gas for my car. I’ve been there. I’m not there now. Number 2 – I do however, have a budget. If I actually stick to that budget then balancing my checkbook will be a lot less traumatic. Note to self: instead of complaining, start paying attention to my budget again!
• I’m horribly disappointed that the only way my body can be healthy is with the intervention of daily supplements and drugs and even then I’ll still have bad days.
  • This is one that I need to learn to live with. I have lost track of how many different things I have tried and how much money I have spent to try to get away from this. It is not possible. So I need to become okay with that. I’m working on it . . .
• I’m frustrated that nine months later, I’m still having pain which makes implementing an exercise routine difficult, and because of the meds I’m on, I’m still gaining weight.
  • I can’t do the exercise that I want to do. That does not mean that I can’t find exercise that I CAN do. So my new goal is to find exercise that I can do, so I can finally start moving my body again. Oh, and as much as it pains me to say this, I should probably cut back on the amount of pizza I eat . . . I’ll probably try the exercise first. After all, I should get to keep one vice, right?!?!?

So there’s my game plan. What do you need to stop complaining about? What’s your game plan?