Randy admired Sandy Blatt and Jackie Robinson because they didn't complain. As Randy put it "complaining is not a strategy." Do you agree? Why?
110 Comments
4/30/2012 09:08:16 pm
Everyone complains.But no matter how much you whine and feel sorry for your self, it's not going to help you at all. It is not a stategy because strategies help you move forward, not staying put. jackie Robinson, though faced with extreme racism every day did not complain. Instead his strategy was no matter what his skin color was, he had to prove he was the best and deserved to play in the game of baseball, for himself and more to come.Instead of fussing and complaining of his unjust treatment he used actions instead of words. He went out, played some real good baseball and became a legend. Complaining is not a strategy. It gives you nothing offensivley or defensivley. But trying your best and proving yourself like Jackie Robinson, is truly a strategy worth using.
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Chandru Sundarrajan
5/9/2012 08:15:21 am
I unquestionably agree that complaining is a waste of time. The act of complaining will get you no where in life, with the exception of if you fix the problem like many inventions of the past. Complaining will only make you hated my others, because people don't like others who have pessimistic attitudes. Finding a way to fix the problem, on the other hand, will lead you to success.
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Jackson Stone
4/30/2012 11:11:40 pm
I agree that the ack of complaining doesn't get you anywhere. But, complaining on the inside can get you to change you life or invent something to make it better. Some of the best inventions that are here today, such as the clapper( the lamp that turns on when you clap), were invented because the inventor didn't want to live with what they had so they changed it.
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Mukund Kuntimad
5/6/2012 12:29:32 am
I think there is a major difference between complaining and realizing an opportunity to make situations better. Inconveniences did lead to major inventions which made life easy like remotes, clappers, walkmans, etc. However, if the person used all his energy to sit and complain that he had to get up each time he had to turn the TV or light on and did nothing to solve the problem, clappers and remotes would not have been invented. Instead of just whining about it, the energy was focused on making life better and more convenient.
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Giselle Peng
5/1/2012 03:59:17 am
I agree with him; complaining doesn't actually accomplish anything. If it were a strategy, it would get you somewhere, but it doesn't. Instead, complaining tends to make people look at you negatively. Nobody likes a complainer.
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Beverly Lo
5/8/2012 06:27:20 am
I agree with you. Whenever someone is complaining, I sometimes want to walk up to them and punch them because it's so annoying! They aren't the only ones having to do it! I also like your reference to Edison. It reminded me of the quote in Randy's book - "If you gained nothing, then you gained experience"
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Adreesh Roy
5/8/2012 01:14:29 pm
Totally agree. Complaining can get really annoying sometimes. I recall an incident in fifth grade where I actually taped a classmate's mouth shut because she wouldn't stop complaining that she had to work with me. (How could you not want to work with me.) ;) That was really cool how you found Thomas Edison and tied him into this answer, it really shows how if you don't give up, you'll eventually find a solution or answer to a problem.
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Haris Rafiq
5/13/2012 10:34:06 am
People are always like, "I have the right to complain", like complaining acceptable. You're right, nobody likes a complainer-- and a complainer likes nobody. (You see what I did there? Pretty clever, huh? I'm so proud of myself. I'm gonna go grab some pie now)
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Sierra Latshaw
5/1/2012 03:59:39 am
I do not believe that complaining is a strategy. I don't believe that complaining is a strategy because it does not get you anywhere instead it makes you seem annoying. If instead of complaining you did what you were complaining about you would find satisfaction in what you did. For example every monday in athletics we run a mile. Every morning I wake up and by third period I am already dreading the end of my day. At lunch I groan about how in three periods I have to run a mile, but in reality it takes me less than 8 minutes to finish and I ruined a whole day complaining about 8 minutes of work. So complaining only makes you negative and ruins things versus being positive and just pushing through to the reward.
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Surabi Rao
5/1/2012 07:34:34 am
Oh my gosh, Mile Monday! I used to dread it and complain about it, but then I realized that honestly complaining gets you nowhere. Nice anecdote!
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Surabi Rao
5/1/2012 07:37:21 am
I believe that complaining can be used as a strategy. For example, if your next-door neighbor spends every day and night partying and listening to loud music, it's necessary to complain to the homeowner's association or something about your annoying neighbor, so that they can tell your neighbor to cut it out and you can finally get some sleep and concentrate on your homework. However, complaining should just be used as a last-resort, because if you constantly complain, no one will care and no one will want to listen anymore.
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Janice Kao
5/9/2012 09:19:24 am
I agree about the complaining is a strategy part!!! I didn't think that it could be used when you're older. I only thought little kids had the strategy to complain, you know? I bet your little sister has complained to your mom and in the end, she got what she wanted. I guess complaining would be last resort for both elder and young people. Little kids get annoying really fast since most of the time they complain.
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Janice Kao
5/1/2012 09:33:53 am
I would say that complaining is and isn’t a strategy. Take little kids for example. They get away with pretty much everything by complaining and whining. The only thing they can do is complain though. They complain to get what they want and I consider that as a strategy. However, as you get older, complaining is a sign of weakness. It wouldn’t be a strategy for adults or anyone older than teenager. Adults can’t use the strategy because if they whined, they would be known as childish and no one would like them. Everyone already expects adults to know that complaining is not an option anymore. Because that is stuck in our society’s minds, complaining will probably never be a strategy for an older person.
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Giselle Peng
5/9/2012 11:16:20 am
I never thought about complaining actually being used as a short term strategy; you're right, little kids do use it. I agree with you about how it stops working as you get older, though. There have been several occasions where I've really wanted to just tell someone to shut up and get it over with. No one likes a complainer.
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Kate Kaiser
5/1/2012 11:10:33 am
I definitely agree with Randy. I think that he is right in saying that complaining will get you nowhere. A strategy for success is not to voice your displeasure, but to work hard and get past the rough spots. Whining is only going to take away your time and effort for actually getting the job done. I really liked Randy’s idea of taking one-tenth of the energy you use to complain and applying it to solving the problem. He is correct when saying that that will give you much better results. You can either sit at the bottom of the obstacle, moaning about how difficult it is, or you can take that energy and put it towards conquering the obstacle. Randy made it clear which action he favored, and I can do nothing but agree with his logic.
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Jamie Stivers
5/1/2012 09:48:30 pm
I agree that complaining will not get you anywhere. Everyone has something that they have to do that they don't enjoy every once in a while. But there are people who just go and get it done, and people who complain until they get out of the situation. Complainers will not get anywhere. When you are faced with a job, you need to confront it and achieve it. Just think about how much better you would feel about yourself when you finished the job, done well.
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Ashleigh Little
5/1/2012 11:17:36 pm
I 100% agree with Randy about complaining. If complaining was a strategy then everyone would be successful, but since its not only those who have the attitude and want for success make it to the top. Complaining doesn't make a problem go away or get better, usually it just makes the situation worse.
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Lauren Villanueva
5/9/2012 01:09:05 pm
Your example of how most famous people worked to get where they are, are spot on. The last two sentences I agree with because it really doesn't help you to complain but persevering does.
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Grace Lu
5/1/2012 11:53:18 pm
I agree with Randy. Not only is complaining annoying for the people around you to hear, but it does nothing to solve your problems. In fact, your complaining wastes the time you COULD spend solving the problem. There is always someone out there who has it much harder than you do. You need to be thankful for what you do have, whatever it is, and work hard make the best of it.
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Daxton Davidson
5/2/2012 01:15:46 am
I completely agree that complaining is not a strategy. It does not solve the problem so why does it. If there is nothing you can about the problem then why complain, but if you can solve it, which most of the time you can, then complain just wastes time that you could use solving the problem instead of complaining about it. If everyone who complained spent the time worrying and complaining about the problem to solving it then everyone would be more efficient. Complaining just puts off the task off actually getting stuff done, so the solution to complaining is solve the problem and then oyu don’t have to complain.
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Ryan Kinder
5/2/2012 01:25:58 am
I would agree that complaining is not a strategy. If you complain and complain you will be regarded as a person that does nothing and can't do anything. Complaining gets you no where.
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Eric Benenson
5/2/2012 03:33:25 am
I don’t believe that complaining is a strategy because a strategy is a plan of some sort. Complaining is just a setback for moving ahead. If you don’t complain, then you will find yourself happier because of the fact that you got farther in a project, or got through chores easier.
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Zachary Pranske
5/2/2012 03:56:17 am
It's pretty stereotypical, but I agree that complaining gets you nowhere. Sandy and Jackie had the right idea. Everybody needs to vent a little by complaining, which is okay...if it doesn't detract from efforts to fix the problem. Actions speak louder than words. Randy was right to admire them, because these are two admirable people worthy of their admiration. Instead of whining about the cold, society should grab a blanket and move on.
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Chandru Sundarrajan
5/2/2012 10:35:26 am
I completely agree that complaining is not a strategy. It will simply not help you anywhere in life. If anything, it will only create enemies because people do not like others who just complain. In this world, people like others who push and motivate themselves, somehow figuring a way out of the problem. Especially in the modern workforce, that is the skill employers look for in workers. Tenacity and persistence are the key qualities that is common throughout all successful people in history. This is what Jackie Robinson and Sandy Blatt did, eventually gaining fame. Putting effort and staying positive will definitely reap rewards.
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Taeeun Kim
5/9/2012 11:07:59 am
I totally agree with you Chandru! People usually don't want to work with somebody who always complains about everything. If you complain every single time, it would just make your own life more miserable.
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Jenna Song
5/2/2012 11:07:36 am
I agree with Randy that complaining isn't the strategy. Complaining gives you the bad impression from other people and it will negatively effect what kind of person you would be. With the time you are complaining about something you can do other useful things with that valuable time. If you're going to complain, think again and use that time on something else you know will shape the person you will be positievly. Complaining doesn't help matters, it just creates more of a mess and arguement between the person you are argueing with, and it won't be a effective solution to your problem. Complaining is like going in circles, going nowhere and achieving nothing. I agree that complaining is not the strategy for anything. If you have time to complain then why don't you actually just do the work you are complaining about? In most cases, you end up having to do the work even though you have complained. Why not finish it up earlier with less messier arguements in between?
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Anna Sneed
5/2/2012 11:19:44 pm
Most of us complain a little every day. However, some of us complain much more than others. But do we truly like someone who complains all the time? Unless we just delight in negative people, no. Complain isn't a good strategy because there isn't much you can get done through complaining. Sure, you might get some money back on a product you bought, if you take it back to the store and say it's broken. However, things like that are small. You can't build a llama farm if you complain the whole way. People eventually get tired of people who complain all the time, and try to stay away from them. If you only focus on the negative in life, it seems like nothing can be accomplished.
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Sakina Daresalamwala
5/9/2012 11:04:55 am
You're right, Anna! You don't get anything done by complaining except for a tired mouth. And usually it's about small and insignificant things that aren't really useful to anybody! I often find that if I'm positive, I get a lot more done than when I'm in a negative mindset! (BTW, you just had to include a llama reference, didn't you?) :)
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Kyle Towe
5/3/2012 12:52:40 am
Complaining is a great strategy for people who don’t want to succeed in life. It gets you no were by doing it and only wastes time. If you never complained about anything then think of all the time you would have saved/ not been wasted and then you could have used that time to solve your problems. When you complain that only leads to more complaining because your problem still isn’t fixed. Complaining is a bad strategy and you need a good one to get anywhere in life.
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Sujay Adhikari
5/10/2012 11:34:51 am
I really liked your intro and I agree with everything you say. Complaining gets you nowhere, so you might as well spend your time actually being productive.
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Taddie Cook
5/3/2012 04:06:31 am
I think that sometimes complaining is important. If no one ever complained about rule or the way something is done, nothing would ever improve. I don't know if that is considered feedback, but whatever the name, it is important. Also, it is important to consider someone's mood as you complain. Some people really hate criticism, especially if they are in a poor mood.
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Teena Thomas
5/3/2012 10:17:58 am
I agree with Randy, complaining isn't the strategy. Complaining just gives bad impression of you to others around you.If you constantly complain no one will want to listen to you anymore ,they would just look down on you.Instead of whining you could got and think of a way to solve that problem that you are facing.
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Helen Zhang
5/3/2012 11:12:55 pm
I definitely agree. There are activities so much more productive than complaining. For example, if you're complaining about how difficult your homework is, you could actually be spending the time asking an adult or older sibling for help. Besides, complaining increases negative energy and causes you to procrastinate even more. There are absolutely no benefits in complaining, so don't waste your time doing so.
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Rinith Prasad
5/3/2012 11:20:59 pm
Randy is right. Complaining is not a strategy. It is only a way to cover up your losses. There has never been a way that you complain and win. It is just not possible. If you had to become a winner, you shouldn't complain. If you complain, no one will like you. If you have a good idea, no one will listen to you. Then, the great idea that could have saved the world, would have perished. Instead of complaining, go out there and try and try. When Thomas Edison created the lightbulb, he stated that he had never failed. He had found 99 ways to not create a lightbulb, but only one way to create one.
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5/4/2012 01:05:21 am
I totally agree with him. I think that he is right on. Complaining gets you nowhere. Your energy is better used to fix the problem. If you are stuck in a tree, complaining will only annoy your friend, the only person left to help get you down. They will then not help you, making your task, getting down, harder. Instead you could just figure out how to get down. Complaining will just make everything take longer.
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Jennifer Chavarro-Rogers
5/4/2012 03:42:25 am
I agree that complaining will get you nowhere. Instead of sitting there, whining about something, you just need to get up and go do it. It will take less time to do what you're complaining about then to actually complain about it. You can pretty much do anything else, and it will be more productive than whining. Complaining is just another form of procrastination, where you end up not doing anything. That won't get you very far. Instead, just use your time wisely and be able to finish something on time, rather than putting it off.
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Vishaal Sakthivelnathan
5/4/2012 08:34:56 am
I believe that Randy is 100% correct. If we complain for everything, will we as humans get anywhere? If we complain, we can keep complaining and whining. If George Washington complained that his troop were not sufficient to his standards, would the American won the Revolution? If Gandhi complained about how hard it was to gain India's independence, would India be free? It is like running around in circles. You could exhaust your energy going no where, or you could use energy and actually do something. Just imagine all the wonders you could do instead of complaining.
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Raghav Kotha
5/4/2012 10:40:09 pm
I agree completely with Randy. Even though I know I am going to complain about something in the future, I know that I should try to stop it. Complaining really isn't a strategy because the official dictionary definition of strategy is to come up with an idea or plan which can help you reach a goal. I don't think that complaining is going to help you reach a goal. This is what I think about Randy's aphorism.
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Catherine Jackson
5/5/2012 05:39:02 am
I totally agree. What does complaining do? There's no way it can make your situation better. In fact, it'll most likely make things worse, because everybody will think of you as the person who whines about everything. If you stop whining and actually do something about your situation, you might be able to improve it.
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Swathi Sarathy
5/5/2012 10:09:46 am
I definitely agree that complaining is not a strategy. Just because you complain about not getting something done your way, doesn’t mean that anything is going to change. As Randy says in the book, whining won’t help you achieve anything, and the time we spend complaining could be put to better use. In the meantime, we can achieve things by just working hard.
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Swathi Sarathy
5/5/2012 10:09:46 am
I definitely agree that complaining is not a strategy. Just because you complain about not getting something done your way, doesn’t mean that anything is going to change. As Randy says in the book, whining won’t help you achieve anything, and the time we spend complaining could be put to better use. In the meantime, we can achieve things by just working hard.
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Sydney Stevens
5/5/2012 12:31:04 pm
I agree with this statement because, like Randy explains, complaining does not get you anywhere. Instead of whining about the problem or struggle, we need to learn to deal with it and take down these problems. We usually complain about minor things and by doing so, we do not go anywhere or do what we were trying to do in the first place. What we should do is ignore the pain and look at the bigger picture and move on with life. After all, there are much worse problems that we could be dealing with.
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Taeeun Kim
5/5/2012 02:41:24 pm
I really agree with Randy’s “complaining is not a strategy” statement. Let’s be honest and think about what we always do when we have so much homework or have afterschool practice or anything that we don’t want to do. Before we even start, we complain. We complain about how stupid it is and about how it’s going to get us nowhere in life. But in reality, do those complains reduce the amount of homework we’re given or how many hours we’re stuck in afterschool practice? No. Complaining doesn’t make the situation better. In my opinion, complaining makes the work I’m about to do even worse because it builds up my frustration. Nowadays, even if I have bunch of homework, I try to think in a positive or more like in a surrendering way. I think to myself, “Even if I start complaining right now, I’m going to be doing it anyway so why even bother to complain?”
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Grace Lu
5/12/2012 10:40:00 am
Wow, now that you mention it, this makes me realize that I do complain very much. Thanks!
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Mukund Kuntimad
5/6/2012 12:18:08 am
It is a poplar belief that "the squeaky wheel gets the oil." Yes, it is important to complain when the need or want is great, like hunger or thirst. It is not good to complain about inconsequential things. By inconsequential things, I mean things like hardships, prejudices, etc. It takes quite a bit of time and energy to complain. Instead of wasting time and energy in whining, what if the same energy was channelized in completing the task? I bet the task would be completed, and you would have time to do what you wanted to do instead. So I thoroughly agree with Randy when he says that complaining is not a strategy.
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Dheeraj Nuthakki
5/6/2012 01:03:18 am
I agree with Randy. Complaining won't get you anywhere in life. The more you complain, the more miserable and hard life gets. Instead of complaining, you should go do something to solve the problem. It's not like you have a slave that does everything for you. You are not going to get problems solved if you just sit there complaining. You should take the time you are wasting complaining to go solve the problem. I'm pretty sure if you use your brain you would solve the problem in the time you took to complain. Time is a virtue, and you don't want that precious time to be wasted complaining. To tell the truth, nobody likes a complainer and so nobody will care. You have to solve the job yourself.
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Beverly Lo
5/6/2012 03:35:12 am
I never really thought about Randy’s view on complaining. Usually, well not even usually, more like all the time, when something isn’t fair or if I’m upset, I will start ranting and complaining about the situation. After reading Randy’s discussion about complaining, I agree with him. Even if something isn’t fair, complaining will never get you anywhere. While wasting time by complaining, you’re only giving yourself less time to make things better for yourself. Complaining will get you nowhere. What we need to do is quit complaining and start working harder to achieve our goals.
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5/6/2012 07:51:35 am
I definitely agree with Randy that complaining shouldn't be a strategy. People who complain usually don't accomplish as much as they can, and make their life miserable by constantly reminding themselves of what's wrong. As Randy mentioned, if complainers put half as much energy on working as they do complaining, they can get twice the work done. Complainers have a lot of potential, and by wasting their time and energy whining, they are giving themselves less energy to accomplish something. I always complain when it comes to homework or school projects but after reading Randy's perspective, I stopped complaining and started working, and accomplished much more than before.
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Coleman Wylie
5/6/2012 10:27:55 am
Yes, I agree with Randy. I, like many others, complain. But, do realize that it doesn't help your situation at all. Strategies are supposed to help you achieve something, and since complaing only hinders you, it couldn't be considered a strategy. For example, whenever my mom assigns me a chore, I usually complain. in response, she usually tells me that in the time that I spend complaing, I could probably be finishing the chore.In some cases this isn't entirely true, but without complaing, you can certainly achieve a lot more work, and that is helpful in any situation.
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Yuna Oh
5/6/2012 10:43:23 am
Complaining is not a startegy and I agree. I complain also, but I realized that with my head long time ago. Complaining is just waste of time and energy. When you complain about things, situation doesn't get better. You just waste time you could've used on solving the problem. So when I read this section, I thought this is one of big life time advice that every parents or teachers should give to kids and I hope I can put it into action soon enough.
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Shishir Jessu
5/7/2012 07:38:24 am
I agree with Randy completely in his belief that complaining is not a strategy. Often, complaining can point out someone's weaknesses, and in some cases, it can get you into trouble (such as if you complain to your parents if you think they give you too many chores). While it is not anywhere near the best way to handle problems, many people do it. There are some people who complain about every single problem they may have, and this is where Randy's belief about how it is not a strategy comes into play. If one constantly complains about the problems they are having, they will be wasting that time. They could invest the energy to fix the problem and move on from it. Furthermore, they could save themselves from having their morale brought down by their problems and they can use their positive attitude to progress themselves in life.
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Payton Molina
5/7/2012 07:40:19 am
You are always going to have those people in your life who complain constantly but you don't have to be like them and complain you can help yourself by not complaing and think of the positives in it. I don't think complaining is a strategy because strageies are there to help you not there to help you complain more. Stratgies help you get through hard times or hard work at school. They don't help you not acheive your goals or dreams. There are a lot of people and children who complain today that really don't need to they need to look at the positives in life not the negatives. Things aren't just going to magically get better by complaining and making things seem worse. That's why you don't complain and just look what is ahead instead of what is in the past or behind you.
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John Wang
5/7/2012 10:08:31 am
I agree with Randy. If you show people you don't care what they say, then their criticisms will die down. And after a while, it really won't matter to you, anyways. Not complaining is the best way to get rid of criticism. Eventually, everyone else around you will feel the same as you do; since you don't care, neither will they.
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Madiha Rehan
5/7/2012 11:00:52 am
I believe that Randy is correct. Complaining really won't get you anywhere. Instead of complaining, people should learn how to take in their situations and make something out of it for them to accomplish. Complaining won't get your work done, neither will it help you out in any circumstances. Working hard at what you want will bring you more success than complaining over things.
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Lea Balcerzak
5/7/2012 11:34:12 am
Randy’s book is filled with many applicable and useful life lessons. “Complaining is not a strategy” is an example like any other. I definitely agree with this one of his morals. Even in my own short life I have experienced this valuable life lesson in action. Personally, I believe that if someone has energy to complain, they could very much use that energy and instead this of all the ways in which they can succeed. Complaining takes more effort than we could sometimes imagine, yet just think what all that humanity could accomplish if all the people who complaining on a daily basis would instead think positively and ponder of new ideas and innovations. I know how hard it sometimes may be not to stat complaining when your life is down and in ruins, yet every day I strive to be a tiny bit more positive and focus on the good things in life and what I can do. When I think of all the things I can do or have done, I gain more energy to complete the things that maybe are not the easiest for me. With the right attitude though, even the hardest tasks can be overcome.
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Kassidy Cragg
5/7/2012 10:21:39 pm
I dont think of complaining as a strategy. When im around someone who complains all the time it gets rather annoying. it makes people think that they are negative and just want what they want. people should just be satisfied with what they have and not upset or wanting more.
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maci scates
5/8/2012 12:30:59 am
I think that i can be both. sometimes i have a negative view of things and sometimes i can have a very positive view of the world.
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Claire Jordan
5/8/2012 01:20:48 am
I do agree with Randy on this. I think that if someone spends their time complaining, they can just as easily use that time to work hard. Complaining doesn't get you anywhere in life, so why do it in the first place? A strategy is something that plainly helps you go farther in life. Complaining does not do that one bit. Yes, you may get sympathy from others if you age good at it, but that's just letting other do your work for you, which doesn't benefit you in any way possible. So, rather than complaining, just work hard. You;ll achieve much more.
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Avery Pietrowiak
5/8/2012 04:15:41 am
I think that complaining is not a good way to handle a tough situation. When you complain a lot then a person will see you as the kind that doesn't do anything or work hard. On the other hand, complaining could be used to repair or change an experience for the better. If you are complaining for the better it needs to be minimal or it gets annoying
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Maddy G
5/8/2012 05:49:13 am
When you're complaining, you're telling someone about a problem you have, but you're not physically DOING some thing about the problem. Complaining is lazy and it is not a strategy for achieving success because you're not taking action or standing up for things you feel strongly about.
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maci scates
5/8/2012 06:06:05 am
When you complain,you are not getting anywhere therefor you are not achieving anything so it can not be used as a stagegy. For instance, if I just complain about something I failed at instead of trying to do something about it, then I would just be wasting my time.
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Neil Bhamoo
5/8/2012 07:48:26 am
I completely agree with Randy. I do whine and complain a lot, and that is why I know that it doesn't work and his strategy is absolutely correct. If you whine, all you do is make yourself feel bad, and that makes you not want to work. It gets you very distracted and causes you to fail if you do work. Complaining brings you down, then you will complain about that, and then it will be a downward spiral, so just don't complain in the first place.
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Yacine Issioui
5/8/2012 08:56:43 am
I agree that complaining would get you nowhere, if anything it will make matters even worse.Instead of doing nothing, it is better to take action go do what you need to do not just whine. Complaining is just a waste of time. You can use the time complaining to actually do something...anything. Everything is more productive than complaining. If you really think about it, complaining is just a thing you do instead of working. It is procrastination. It's easier to get stuff done then complain about it first.
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Lauren Kirkley
5/8/2012 08:57:06 am
Obviously, complaining is a big waste of time. It really doesn't get you anywhere. Sometimes it's just better to accept something and move on, you use a lot less energy that way. The time you spend whining and complaining is just using up the time you could be spending working harder or trying to fix the problem. So I do agree with the saying "complaining is not a strategy," because it's a good way of saying that complaining will limit your chances of success.
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Morgan Glover
5/8/2012 08:59:23 am
I definitely agree that complaining is not a strategy. Sure, there may be a reward from complaining the first few times you use it to get what you want, but then it becomes old and annoying. Nobody will want to be around you any more because you are too difficult to deal with.
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Amy Roh
5/8/2012 09:27:50 am
Complaining is just a way of getting your frustration out there, I think. But no way is it going to help you. It's just going to put you on a mind set not that you can work harder and achieve it. But rather it sets your mind on how terrible this is, how much you don't want to do it, etc. It's just a waste of time and air. Nothing's going to get solved if you sit there and whine about it. So I agree.
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Pratyusha Manthena
5/8/2012 11:01:23 am
I agree because complaining will get you nowhere. Randy is right when he says that you can use that energy to achieve greatness. If you complain, no will listen and you will just get tired of it. If you use that energy, you will be able to learn something new and achieve a dream. It’s not like if you complain, the situation will get any better. You should adapt to that problem rather than go against. You get a better result that way.
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Tyler Smith
5/8/2012 11:15:42 am
Yes, I agree because both Sandy Blatt and Jackie Robinson had challenges they had to face. They didn’t complain. They just went on trying to compete and meet the challenges. They got it done and made a difference in their life and in other people’s lives.
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Rahi Patel
5/8/2012 11:25:53 am
Yes, I completely agree with Randy on this one! He says that if you complain, then you are not going to get anywhere and that is so true! I mean if you mope around then nobody is going to want to even say anything to you. I mean, think about it, if you see a person moping around you ask them what is wrong and they just rain on your parade. No one wants them in their life. Just find a way to fix your problems instead of being a party pooper!
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Ali Ozymy
5/8/2012 11:43:30 am
I absolutely agree with Randy. I think that complaining gets you nowhere. When you complain, it shows how annoyed you are with the task and it gives people a bad impression of you. We have a sign up at our barn that reads, "I'm sorry, the deadline for all complaining was yesterday." I think that sign is a really great, constant reminder that complaining is weak and selfish. Sometimes I find myself complaining, and regretting it later because it may have showed that I didn't take interest in the task at hand when I really did. Complaining really isn't a strategy, and it gets you nowhere.
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Adreesh Roy
5/8/2012 02:24:53 pm
I have to go with Randy on this one. A strategy is supposed to help you achieve a goal; therefore complaining is not a strategy. Complaining earns you the title of being annoying, and nobody wants to be known for being a pest. It’s also the biggest time waster when working. Rather than using all of your energy complaining about how hard the task is, you can use Randy’s advice and use 1/10th of that energy into actually trying to solve the problem.
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Eugene Han
5/8/2012 09:13:47 pm
I completely agree with this statement. Complaining won't help at all, it's just a useless strategy. It only attracts bad attention with a bad reputation. However, if you don't complain and move on, you actually might get more things done. Complaining will only just end up pulling you down. "Complaining is not a strategy" is an amazing quote that everyone should follow with.
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Lauren Rudd
5/9/2012 01:14:26 am
Complaining is just something you have to do sometimes. I know I complain all the time, but after I am done I really do feel better. I just have to rant on occasion! It probably isn't the best strategy but whatever. A lot of people don't really care about the small stuff but it really bothers me sometimes so I just have to get it out so I can let it go.
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5/9/2012 06:34:24 am
I really admire them too, what strong people! Complaining is not the best strategy, if you complain non-stop about the same thing over and over again, people won't want to be around you. If you complain occasionally that's fine, complaining is a part of life, its just in your hands not to take it overboard. Think about it before you say, think have I said this before? If you say the same thing over and over again, it will get tiring.
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Aisha Espinosa
5/9/2012 06:42:01 am
I strongly agree that complaining is not a strategy. If something doesn't go my way, whining about it won't get me anywhere. It won't change the outcome, and will just put me in a bad mood. I'll admit, I have complained in the past, but in retrospect, it did little for me. In fact, complaining made my day worse. Though I'm not a person for complaining, I am one for ranting, however paradoxical that may seem. A good rant often lets out steam, and makes my day just a little bit better.
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Hauwa Oyebanji
5/9/2012 07:20:35 am
I agree with him that complaining isn't a strategy. people complain, but don't complain a lot . people won't want to be around you and it is mostly people that lose or try to find an excuse that complain. complainig won't get you anywhere, it will only make you lose something worse.
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5/9/2012 07:23:33 am
Complaining does nothing for you in the long run. No matter how much you whine and complain, it doesn't make your current sitation any better. In a way, complaining is just a waste of time; and definitely not a good strategy when trying to be successful. I also, like Randy, admire those who didn't complain, who pushed through what they were feeling and ended up being successful.
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Anushka Limaye
5/9/2012 07:52:13 am
Complaining can be a comfort, a way to spread the human misery, and get some sympathy, but it will do nothing. The force of your whine will not break the 'brick wall', but your actions just might do it in. If you contribute to the solution, yyou will find yourself so deeply engrossed in fiding the answer(if you do really care), that you will simply just not have the time or the energy to complain, bt the prolem in your way just might crumble.
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Whitney Bras
5/9/2012 08:10:44 am
I definitely agree. I feel complaining just makes you look harder at all the negative things in the situation when really what your complaining about should just inspire you to work harder. Complaining won't get you very far in life. Put the energy you would put into the complaining into the thing you are complaining about. If everybody quit complaining and had more energy into not complaining then the world would be a whole lot happier, and that is also a good thing to think about!
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Nithin Pingili
5/9/2012 08:18:42 am
To tell the truth, everyone complains. The ones that don’t are worth achieving their goals in life, even if it seems impossible for a normal person. It is truly acceptable how randy had put is as “complaining is not a strategy”. The ones that complain are the people that are not able to more forward in their life of goals. The reason could be is that a strategy is a way to figure out how your destiny for achieving your goals is going to be shaped out. So by complaining, you are only wasting you essence of time, which you never know might end at any point. It is best to spend all the time you got on achieving the goals you desire and being happy at what you are doing. When you think about it, complaining is like being stuck in a maze where you don’t know where you are going and always complaining that you have run into a dead end. But you have never stopped complaining to think of a strategy, so you are able to get to the exit, where your life awaits you. I would say to never use complaining to get yourself through life or you might get lost
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Joy Johnson
5/9/2012 09:00:41 am
I most deffinitly agree with Randy, complaining is not a strategy. If you really think about it, complaining does nothing except for make someone mad or make the situation worse. Complaining doesnt change anything in a positive way. So why do people complain so much? I dont know! Complaining also reflects what type of person you are. Are you happy with others choices or do you have to get into their buisness and complain. I think that most people need to suck it up and deal with it. Stop compaining. No one wants to hear your "sad" story. Every one is dealing with something different that some people dont know about it. So back off and shut up. Randy is a great advocate of this. He doesnt want to complain about the cancer he has but instead live his life to the fullest potential.
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Joshua Chow
5/9/2012 09:50:49 am
I agree when he says “complaining is not a strategy”. I know that complaining gets you nowhere. It just makes a teacher tell you to sit down, or worse, lower your grade. It doesn’t make anyone happy when you have negative things to say about someone or something. I think that we should all try to keep our opinions to ourselves. I have already make certain people mad for stating out my opinions, and I would like to avoid doing something like that again. It’s not fun to make someone mad because you complained to them. They remember it because everyone just pays more attention to the bad stuff. They will keep a sharper eye on you. Little things that you have forgotten to follow will get pointed out by them and you look even worse.
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Sanjuktha Pendyala
5/9/2012 10:15:49 am
I strongly agree with Randy. Complaining is NEVER the strategy. A strategy is where you are supposed to be planning out something or trying to achieve something. Complaining just shows how weak you are or can be. Even though, it is a habit for everyone. It's just natural. Instead of complaining, how about try to do that thing?
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Joseph Overman
5/9/2012 10:16:46 am
I disagree with this completely. Nothings going to get better unless you actually show people that there's a problem. Call of Duty is a fine example of this. Ever year there's a new game with new problems. Every year people complain about these problems. A year later the next game comes out and ta-da, the problems are often gone. Would this happen without complaining? If everyone acts like it's a perfect game every year, it's going to have the same problems every year.
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Sakina Daresalamwala
5/9/2012 10:40:27 am
I do agree that complaining is not a strategy. Many of us find ourselves complaining half the time, instead of doing things, (including myself), and after reading that particular section in The Last Lecture I was struck by how true that was. When he states, “I’ve always believed that if you took one-tenth the energy you put into complaining and applied it to solving the problem, you’d be surprised by how well things can work out”, I realized how right that was. Complaining isn’t going to get you anywhere; it’s not going to help you with anything, so it’s not a strategy at all. Strategies usually get you somewhere, or get you doing something useful and those are two things that complaining definitely does not help you do.
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Lauren Villanueva
5/9/2012 10:48:50 am
I completely agree because you can complain as much as you want but in the end it never helps. For example almost everyone complains in athletics on mile Monday but afterwards we all feel accomplished and proud of ourselves. The complaining just makes everything seem worse and get us down. The people that don’t complain tend to do better because they persevere through something rather than quitting and giving up.
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Marisa Villanueva
5/9/2012 10:49:16 am
Most of the time complaining is pointless. Complaining doesn't make anything better, it usually just makes you more mad and negative.But Joseph makes some REALLY good points. Nowa'days complaining is usually the result of laziness. I agree with Randy when he says complaining isn't a strategy. It takes more energy and breath to sit and complain about something as apposed to just sucking it up and moving along. This fits perfectly for Randy's situation. He could just be sitting around all day complaining about how it's not fair and feeling sorry for himself. But instead, he embraces the short time he has left and does everything he can to make it count.
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christian spiller
5/9/2012 10:57:21 am
I partly agree sometimes complaining on the inside can be the start to an invention but complaining and not doing anything is completely useless nothing is going to get don if YOU don’t do anything about it. So complaining can help but only if you do it once and fix it.
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Alex Berend
5/9/2012 11:14:50 am
When Randy said complaining isnt a strategy, it really got to me, and will be in my mind for the rest of my life. For example, today I woke up from being passed out on the couch at 8 o clock. I still had to do my laundry, clean the pool, finish this assignment, and get a good night's rest for tommorrow. I thought about complaining to my brother about all the stuff I had to do, and then it hit me. Like Randy said, complaining doesnt help things, and it doesnt make you feel better about your situation. Heck, it actually makes you more mad about your situation. I decided that I had those personal assignments to do and complete, and there was nothing I could do about it. So instead of mourning over my heavy task load, I got right to my tasks and am not complaining whatsoever. I completely agree with Randy. Complaining is not a strategy to get things done. To me, it actually is just another form of procrastination.
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Rudy Rampersad
5/9/2012 11:21:34 am
Randy was dead-on when he said “complaining is not a strategy”. Sure we all complain and won’t agree with all the task we are given in life, but the important thing to do is to persevere and never give up. Also, this quote falls directly in place with his other saying about brick walls. Look at his example of Jackie Robinson; Robinson had to endure endless amounts of abuse from fans and players. But what did he do? He stuck in there and played with the best of the greats. So, yes, I completely agree with this statement, because it tears down the idea of complaining. Also, this is a good quote to keep in your mind for those times you feel like quitting. It could help you get through them easier.
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Caden Fernando
5/9/2012 11:24:07 am
I agree in depth with Professor Pausch. My mother always says that the time I spent complaining could have been put to achieving something worth while, and all my life I discarded the whole idea. I now finally took in what she had to say, this book helped me realize it. Humility is not something to take advantage of and I know take that into consideration.
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Nicholas Castorina
5/9/2012 11:50:15 am
I agree with this statement. Everyone complains sometimes and no one can say they haven't. Sometimes when your parents tell you to do your chores or when your teacher assigns lots of homework, some people complain. But if you think about it, how does this benefit you? All whining and complaining do is just make people angry and waste your time you can be sing to do something else. Like for Jackie Robinson, even though things weren't fair for him, he never complained and he eventually became a legend and famous. This shows that nothing good ever comes out of complaining and moping and if you suck it up, good things will happen to you.
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Siddharth Marella
5/9/2012 11:55:18 am
When you complain you are insecure about yourself and giving sympathy to yourself. I think complaining is just wasting your energy on not doing something when instructed to. For example if a teacher asks a student to do long division problem. If you complain you are just wasting your time and not doing what you are told to. By the time you stop complaining you could have finished complaining
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J.C. Humen
5/9/2012 12:15:08 pm
Well to be honest I don't totally agree. While this statement is true toward most things, even complaining requires a balance. After all, sometimes it's a good thing. For example, many companies take people's complaints about them so as to better their services. In this sense complaining can help improve things. Other than that I do agree because most of the time complaining is just our built in defense mechanism that feeds denial so we feel better. Plus, I really could care less what people say. It’s what they do that defines their personality.
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Miika Jarvela
5/9/2012 01:33:35 pm
J.C., you bring an excellent point! I hadn't thought about that AT ALL until I read what you wrote. It, honestly and surprisingly, has never occurred to me that "complaints" were the same thing as "complaining." It may seem obvious that they are the same, but sometimes we don't notice the obvious. Complaints for companies are essential: if nobody is complaining, how do they know what to do? They don't. They wouldn't know what to improve and change for the better. They are, in some cases, necessary.
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Miika Jarvela
5/9/2012 01:14:36 pm
I agree with Randy’s admiration. Although sometimes it isn’t fair what some people have to go through, what does complaining do really? It doesn’t do anything. What many people don’t realize is that they spend more time complaining than changing what they’re complaining about. If they had spent just even a fraction of the energy they spend complaining on change, they would be really surprised with what they can actually accomplish. Complaining gets us nowhere. Sometimes, life is unfair. Referencing to Randy again, (sometimes) we cannot change what is given to us. We can only change how we deal with it and how we fix it.
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Selase Buatsi
5/9/2012 02:02:01 pm
In this section Randy mentions some of his heroes and mentions that they didn’t complain even though they had every right to. Randy also says that ‘complaining is not a strategy’. I disagree. Complaining can totally be used as a strategy, however the strategy is not efficient, and it will come back and bite you. Sometimes you can complain to get what you want, but it won’t always work, and many people would prefer the hard worker to the whiner. It is better to work for something than to sit there complaining about it. In conclusion complaining can be used for a strategy, but it may be inefficient so you should achieve things the right way. That way is hard work, because that is an effective strategy.
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Josh Fink
5/9/2012 11:45:20 pm
I agree that complaining is not a strategy. Complaining is a common problem to not succeeding in what you do. The people randy mentioned didn’t complain, and look where they got. When I try not to complain and think of everything through a positive attitude, I usually exceed my expectations. Complaining almost always never does anything good for the project, idea, whatever it is. Yet, instead if people are positive and encouraging it brings out the best efforts from everybody.
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Sujay Adhikari
5/10/2012 12:16:07 am
I agree with Randy, complaining gets you nowhere. If you spend all your time complaining and whining about a task, instead of actually trying to do it, then you’re not going to get anything done. For example, the last couple of days I’ve been complaining about the last lecture project, and then I realized that instead of focusing all my time on complaining I should actually work on trying to get it done.
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dhathri Bobba
5/10/2012 05:02:54 am
I believe that complaining is not going to fix anything. If you did not get first place in the competition for something you want, complaining will not help you get better at what you are doing, only working hard will help you. There is a famous quote which I read which said that losers complain while the winners just work harder. I believe in this quote and I am sure Randy does too.
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Michelle Zhang
5/10/2012 09:13:31 am
Complaining isn't a strategy. It gets nothing done and usually just annoys people. People see it as a sign of weakness, and then see you as someone who can't get things done without whining to someone else to get them to do it for you. I agree because you should just get the thing done instead of whining and complaining, because in my opinion, that's just energy wasted on doing other things that are probably more important.
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Isabelle Garza
5/10/2012 10:25:18 am
I completly agree with Randy. Complaining is not a strategy. It will get you nowhere in life. Complaining will just waste your time when you could be looking for the positve in the situation or better yet just accepting that whatever you are complaining about has to be done. Yes, there are some things like an illness that could last a while and you just get plain sick and tired of it but sometimes there are things in life you cant change and we have to learn how to accept those things and not complain about them.
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Paige Worthington
5/10/2012 10:40:01 am
I agree. I feel that when you complain your telling the world that you can't do it. Complaining doesn't help you in any way and sometimes can make things harder/ worse.. So why complain when you can look foward and see what is good and how you can put the good things to do something in your favor.
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Belle Tan
5/10/2012 11:14:04 am
Yes, Because if all you do is complaining you get no where, so take chances and always try your best.
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Myles Paschall
5/10/2012 01:08:22 pm
I do agree that complaining is not a strategy because the complaining will not help you. I think shutting your mouth and doing it anyway will help you a lot more. If Jackie Robinson were to complain people would have hated hime even more, but because he used his actions for his words people started to like Jackie.
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Vishnu Kunadharaju
5/10/2012 01:17:41 pm
I feel like complaining is a waste of time. If you keep on whining all the time then what is the point of trying this. I think when you are whining I feel you are like giving up on your self and you are quitting. For ex, " I can not do this it is to hard". I have heard this phrase repeated over and over. What I think if a person does not complain but he actually tries even harder to understand and puts more effort into what ever he might be doing he will be the one to succeed. If you whine you basically you have given up on your self. But if you do not whine but you actually work harder in order to achieve your dream I think that would be a good strategy
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Katy Hensel
5/10/2012 01:45:02 pm
I completely agree that complaining is not a strategy. If you keep on complaining all the time, people are going to stop listening. One of my favorite quotes is from the movie Friends with Benefits, "If you want to be rich, work your butt off. If you want to be skinny, don't eat." As crude as that may be, it's true. if you want something, you can't just gripe and complain to your friends about someone who has what you want. You have to go out there, work hard, and earn it. Nothing in life is free. You can't get anywhere if you don't try. As they say, you miss 100% of shots you don't take. So, you have to go out there and take a shot. The worst thing that can happen is you won't succeed, but then you're just right back where you started. And then, at least you have something to say for yourself, if you gave it your all. Complaining isn't a motto, it's a habit of the lazy.
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Elbio Guedilla
5/10/2012 10:22:44 pm
I agree because if you complain that means you can't be trusted to do it correctly. Complaining to me is a sign of weakness in mind.
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Christina Munnings
5/11/2012 01:31:14 am
I actually agree because I usually make some of the complaints would later be useful because you'll need it for something and they don't make it anymore. Complains are just excuses that makes everything worse than what it already is.
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Zane Erickson
5/13/2012 05:57:55 am
It depends who you are. Complaining helps some people function and get the task done but for others it serves no purpose. Complaining is not a good strategy for MOST people though, usually it just annoys people close to you whom are trying to help.
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