Weathering the Broken Links

…then are you against fixing it?

I admit it sort of feels good to grumble about stuff, in an if-I-don’t-bitch-about-it-my-head-will-explode sort of way.  But besides acting as a sort of pressure dump valve, what good does it do?

I’ve struggled a lot of my life being a rant-aholic.  My wife will corroborate that.  And I only recently realized a good technique for managing my frustrations.

I recently decided to adopt a new personal policy:

If I’m unwilling to take action to correct something that’s wrong, then I really shouldn’t be griping about it…at least not aloud.

Interestingly, this policy gets me thinking, a lot, about how to fix problems, and not just that there is a problem.  Instead of watching my blood pressure rise, I start thinking (not necessarily in this order):

“Is my situation, my own damn fault?”

“If not why is it the way that it is?”

“Is it something correctable?”

“Who might I talk to to get my concern addressed?”

“What would I tell them to get them to see things my way?”

“What will said person be able to do to correct things?”

“Can they use discretionary powers to make me happier…now…in the future?”

“Can they influence policy to make things better for me…for others in my situation?”

and so on.  Before I know it, I’ve done a cost-benefit analysis of sorts and, more importantly, channeled much of my energy away from being frustrated while figuring out if there’s anything constructive to be done instead.

Perhaps this concept is painfully obvious to some.  But I’ve only recently latched onto it.  And thankfully, it seems to be a technique that’s helping me cope.

So next time you are cursing at your computer, stop and think about trying to contact the hardware or software vendor in order to report the issue express your opinions of their product.  Next time you’re stuck in traffic and think you know why it’s so bad and how to make it better, consider what government council/board you might join and lobby for your solutions.  Next time you have a poor customer service experience, consider talking to a manager or supervisor about it.

You’ll very likely find that either:

a) it’s not worth it; that it makes sense to just let it go

or

b) you really can make a difference by being constructive instead of self-destructive

With that in mind, I don’t plan to post anything on this blog that I don’t plan to at least try and follow though on resolving.  I’ve got something in the works concerning my recent Security Theater at Space Center Houston post.  Stay tuned.