Coaching Corner: Are You Complaining or Finding Solutions?
by Marilou Butcher Roth, Master Coach
Today, I want to look at complaining--we all do it at some time or another. The key question is whether you stay in the belly of the complaint or look for ways to improve what you are complaining about.
Let’s look at a typical situation. Something happens that you do not like. You find yourself in a reactive mode, usually with blame attached somewhere, because gosh, it’s so much easier if you can blame someone, isn’t it? You call a friend and express your disappointment with the situation at hand, stating your position with such certainty that your friend gets on the complaint train with you, even recalling their own similar situations. More complaining…more blaming. There may be more conversations, all the while, keeping the focus on the “problem.” And, the more conversations, the more momentum builds and quite frankly, your ability to find joy decreases. When we do this, it takes concerted effort get your feel-good back.
This week, can you put your attention on your own complaining? Can you take what you don’t like and think about how you can make better? Perhaps, there isn’t a clear solution readily available. That’s okay. You can still shift your attention to what you might personally be learning from said situation. As you generate this shift, you might even find the light bulb going off with an idea--oh joy! Either way, get yourself away from the complaint…it is serving no one, especially you!
Marilou Butcher Roth
Marilou Butcher Roth is the owner of The MBR Group, a coaching and training company working primarily with REALTORS who have a desire to work and live from a more inspired place. She is also the Broker/Owner of Group REALTORS in Cincinnati.
Marilou is a member of the Ohio REALTORS Board of Directors and past chairman of the organization’s Communications Committee.
