Muscle for Life with Mike Matthews - There Are Those Who Complain and Those Who Do

Episode Date: February 7, 2022

This episode is part of a series that I have dubbed “Motivation Monday.” (Yes, I know, very creative of me. What can I say, I’m a genius…) Seriously though, the idea here is simple: Post a short and punchy episode that I hope gets you fired up to tackle the workouts, work, and everything else that you have planned for the week ahead. As we all know, it’s one thing to know what you want to do, but it’s something else altogether to actually make yourself do it, and I hope that this series gives you a jolt of inspiration, energy, and encouragement to get at it. So, if you like what you hear, then make sure to check back for the latest and greatest installment. Timestamps: 0:00 - Try our new and improved protein bar! Go to https://buylegion.com/bar and use coupon code MUSCLE to save 20% or get double reward points! 3:30 - Please leave a review and subscribe to the podcast! Mentioned on the Show: Try our new and improved protein bar! Go to https://buylegion.com/bar and use coupon code MUSCLE to save 20% or get double reward points!

There are two types of people in the world, those who complain and those who do something about it. And the people complaining the most are always the ones doing the least. Why, though? Do people win more because they complain less, or vice versa? Is this relationship causative, or is it correlative? Well, research shows that complaining produces three negative reactions that directly impair our decision-making, performance, and progress. First, complaining sours mood because often the saying is experiencing, and that in turn discourages effective action. Studies show that complaining can be contagious too, stirring the agita in those we complain to, who then feel compelled to not only complain as well, but possibly even one-up our complaints with more forceful grousing. And then we can respond with more of the same behavior, and so a negative feedback loop can develop.

Second, complaining produces feelings of purposelessness and it blunts motivation. And these are formidable emotional barriers to positive assessment and action. And third, complaining encourages us to perceive ourselves as victims of unavoidable and unchangeable circumstances. And that then orients our thinking away from solutions and toward dead-end conclusions like nothing can be done and nothing works. Therefore, we shouldn't be surprised that the less inclined someone is to make excuses and to complain, the more successful they generally are. are. And we also shouldn't be surprised that the people who are going nowhere, they almost always have a wheelbarrow of excuses to explain why. So then what should we do when we are not getting the outcomes we want? Well, we should use these experiences to get better, not bitter. Instead of complaining, we should hold ourselves exclusively accountable for the

failures. And then we can figure out why we are floundering and what it'll take to win. And that process begins with asking ourselves two questions. One, what did I do to contribute to this situation? And two, what could I have done differently to avoid it? And then we need to discard answers that merely preserve our precious justifications and rationalizations. We have to seek answers that state specifically what we did to help create the problem. Saying, oh, well, I just shouldn't have listened to that person's bad advice. No, that is a cop-out. But saying, well, I should have stopped chasing shortcuts and I should have done more research and been willing to hear the hard truths, hear the things I didn't want to hear. That is a buy-in. And so the crucial realization is this, nearly every problem has a

solution, including the ones we have failed to solve in the past. They all had a solution. And sometimes the solution is not the one we want, but it is a solution nonetheless. No matter how difficult, no matter how daunting a situation is, there is a way forward, always. And it also helps me because it increases the rankings of the show a little bit, which of course then makes it a little bit more easily found by other people who may like it just as much as you. And if you didn't like something about this episode or about the show in general, or if you have ideas or suggestions or just feedback to share, shoot me an email, mike at muscleforlife.com,

muscleforlife.com, and let me know what I could do better or just what your thoughts are about maybe what you'd like to see me do in the future. I read everything myself. I'm always looking for new ideas and constructive feedback. So thanks again for listening to this episode, and I hope to hear from you soon.