If You Can’t Say Something Nice, Do Something About It

Today’s Bloganuary prompt is “What do you complain about the most?” I’ll be so glad when Bloganuary is over.

Okay, that’s one complaint. But really, I don’t complain about much. I figure if I have some control over it, do something about it. If I don’t have any control, then complaining isn’t going to do me much good. So I don’t gripe about the weather, although like anyone else I’m not always happy about it.

I do, of course, have my pet peeves. Like people who drive too close or too fast. You’re not going to get me to go any faster by riding my tail. In fact, if anything, I might slow down to compensate for your reckless driving.

I don’t really like to put the things that make me unhappy down in print. I don’t think it reflects well on me. Not that I’m trying to hide my true nature, mind you. But seriously, who wants to hear someone else complain?

At my local grocery store, as you’re checking out they ask how satisfied you are with your visit that day. If one of the workers treated me well, or if I could easily find everything I wanted, I mark five stars. If I’m upset, I don’t mark anything at all. I think the better way to deal with a problem is to talk face-to-face with the person who can do something about it.

I don’t think that sort of rating system is effective. Someone might be in a bad mood and mark one star, just out of spite but not because anything really negative happened. When I bought my current car, the sales person let me know I’d get a survey if I took my car in to the dealership to get it serviced. He also told me anything less then a rating of ten out of ten is considered a zero.

There is the flip side of this, of course. I frequently look at ratings if I plan to buy something or am interested in finding a good book. I rely on the opinions of others in those situations to make a decision. I’m looking at buying a mattress right now and those opinions matter to me. If others have complaints, I want to hear them. I should add that the more people who’ve weighed in, the better.

But whining doesn’t do it for me. So for now, I’ll work on not being a complainer and instead, being a doer.

Image Credits: Complaining Egg © flowertiare–stock.adobe.com; Ratings Stars © Sergey Kolesov–stock.adobe.com