No One Likes a Whiner
Ok, rant time. I do not have the patience for whiners. I used to try to sympathize with them, but that disappeared a couple of years ago. Enough already. We seem to be plagued by people who want to whine, moan, and complain about anything that does not go their way. It’s always someone else’s fault, never theirs.
Maybe I’m just exposed to more whiners than most, and I’ve lost my tolerance. But, on the other hand, I have spent a lifetime working with entrepreneurs, business owners, and executives. I see first hand, every day, the traits that successful and unsuccessful people share. Successful people, on the whole, never whine, complain or blame. Instead, they understand the issue or roadblock and figure a way around, over or through it. They have a thirst for knowledge and clarity. And, most importantly, they honor their past.
Honoring your past is recognizing the success that you’ve had. It means understanding the elements that contributed to that success. Then, applying this knowledge to your future.
Honoring your past also includes recognizing all the mistakes you’ve made and what lessons you learned from those mistakes. Your past mistakes and failures should give you renewed clarity and knowledge. When you understand why something happened and how it will never happen again, you can now apply this knowledge to your future.
You see, I believe that there are three kinds of people in business.
The first kind of business person knows what they want from life and business, and their intent is to dominate whatever field they work. Their goal is to learn, grow, lead and excel.
The second kind of business person also knows what they want. They have clearly defined what GOOD looks like for themselves and will see themselves as successful when they achieve this clear vision. Their success may not reflect what I might see as success, but it is exactly what they understand success to look like, and they are happy with that level of achievement.
The third kind of business person has no idea what they want and has learned nothing from past failures or their triumphs. The past has taught them nothing. They walk the world believing that society owes them something because the world has undoubtedly conspired against them. So when they are not as successful as they think they should be, they begin to try to point blame away from themselves. They blame their employer and their fellow employees, and friends. They blame the President, Congress, and their governor. They blame their parents for raising them wrong, their college teaching them wrong, and the Channel 7 weatherman to boot. They blame everyone but themselves. I think I have an allergic reaction towards chronic complainers and whiners. Honestly, I don’t have the time or patience to breathe the same air as these people. So I run away from them.
Your success or that of your business is totally and completely on your shoulders. They either succeed or fail based on your clarity of vision and goals and a willingness to step out in faith and go to work. My treasured mentor, Brian Tracy, said, “ The greatest mistake you can ever make is ever to think that you are working for anyone else other than yourself.” It is all on you. If you have the time to whine and complain about something, then you have the time to do something about it.
Take some responsibility and take action, and you will always win.
No one likes a whiner.