I spoke to 10 customer-support agents today in an attempt to get my internet service set up.
It was a frustrating situation, so my first instinct was to complain a lot.
But then it occurred to me: to what end?
Unless there’s hope that complaining will resolve a problem — and indeed sometimes this is the case — complaining is generally the least useful thing you can do.
Yes, angrily pointing your finger at a problem can be cathartic.
But it’s far more valuable to divert that energy towards working on a solution, addressing some other problem, or better yet helping someone else accomplish something.
Avoiding the trap of complaining pays dividends by giving you back time and attention for you to spend on things that are far more rewarding and meaningful.