In his book Mojo, executive coach Marshall Goldsmith tells about research done by the company DDI, revealing that the average American worker spends 15 hours a month criticizing or complaining about their boss. Skeptical when he read the results of the study, he followed up with his own research and came to the same conclusion: The average employee spends a great deal of time complaining — almost the equivalent of two work days a month, twenty-four days a year.
In another study, work-place happiness expert Alexander Kjerulf learned that the number one cause of unhappiness on the job is having co-workers who constantly complain.
Could it be that the average person – just like you and me – wastes more time complaining than we realize? It’s an easy trap to fall into and a difficult one to get out of. (Especially when the rest of the world makes it so easy. If only everyone would do everything the way I think it should be done…)
In addition to complaining at work, we’re tempted to complain at home and at church and everywhere else we go. And what does our complaining accomplish? It accomplishes nothing, except to erase time from the calendar and to make others miserable in our presence.
Today, I’m encouraging you to reclaim lost time. Take back the 24 days each year that this sinful habit is seeking to steal.
Start today. Maybe even right now. After all, this is the season of Thanksgiving, so what better time to break the habit of complaining and replace it with gratitude?
“Do everything without complaining…” (Philippians 2:14)
Keeping the Faith,
Roy Ice
