The other day I was reading Student Doctor Network… that site where students panic after reading the horror stories on future of pharmacy. You’ll read the same things time and time again…
Gloom and doom of pharmacy
And then the comments start rolling in… saying “You need to stop complaining”. And the keyboard wars begin and people start complaining more. But let’s play a game.
What if complaining was useful? What would be the benefits for complaining? Here are four benefits for complaining.
Keyboard warriors
1. Complaining makes us feel good.
I remember one time in the pharmacy, one of my patients was complaining that she was waiting for five minutes. You heard me right. I’m not going to go into detail about what really goes on when filling a prescription, but go into any CVS on a Monday at 5 PM. Your ass is going to wait at least an hour.
Complaining about ridiculous people feels good and lets that mudda boolshit out. It’s a great emotional release for anger, frustration, and dumbass-ness. Most of all it makes it easier to move on with the rest our lives.
Story of my life
2. Complaining brings people closer together.
GTFO
I deal with a lot of crazy people at the pharmacy… including this crazy bitch. At the time, I couldn’t believe that selfish ass people existed and would actually act this way. It felt great sharing this story on Facebook, reading the comments, and realizing I wasn’t the only one who felt this way. At the end of the day, complaining can help others relate to our experiences and bring us closer together.
3. Complaining turns us into problem finding machines.
Not too long ago I was going wondering if escaping pharmacy was possible. I let myself have free reign about why I couldn’t do it and what was holding me back. Things like this were popping up in my notebook.
I feel so tired after my pharmacy shift. My brain is fried listening to people’s mudda boolshit!
I’m a pharmacist. I don’t know how to do video, setup a website, or write articles. FUCK.
It takes so damn long to do ANYTHING with a 40 hour job.
There’s too much to do…
Then I STFU and wrote down questions that a “perfect” version of me would ask.
I started asking myself things like…
How do top performing people set up their schedules?
What are the resources I have access to that I’m not taking advantage of?
What are the most important things I should focus on right now and what should I ignore?
Complaining can make us aware to problems that we’re having. If we don’t know what’s wrong, how can make things better?
4. Complaining can make us motivated.
TRUTH
Oh boy. Class of 2013. Graduation happened. We were ready to change the healthcare profession. Opportunities seemed limitless.
Then one year later I heard those dreaded words from one of my pharmacy friends…
“Kevin… I hate pharmacy. I guess I’m just meant to do this for the rest of my life”
Fuck. Somewhere along the way, my friends lost hope. My friends were complaining to me and just settling. I wanted to do something to help. This is one of the reasons why I pursued Refugee Hustle with Joe. I wanted to inspire, motivate, and help people get not only what they wanted… but what they deserved.
Complaining helps us connect emotionally and can motivate us for change.
Refugee Hustle
Complaining is not entirely bad.
Complaining is a human evolutionary trait and has its purpose. The problem is that feel good feeling from venting can become addicting and can make us into chronic pessimists. The most important thing about complaining is not to stay stuck complaining. We need to use it as motivation and actually change.
I want to ask you this… what are somethings that you currently complain about? Leave a comment below.
Kevin
PS… At the end of the day, no one likes a nagger.
Naggers.
I’m complaining about my own personality. I mean I’m totally fine with how things go in University and I love my friends, but I’m just way to shy when it comes to new people, like talking to a random girl because she’s cute or something like that. My self consciousness is like not even there, just at level 0. I recognized this problem at the beginning of the year when my girlfriend broke up with me because she said I would be to shy and she wouldn’t feel like I would love her because I never showed her. So yeah, I’m in the mood to change my problem, but every time I try, I bail out like a little bitch, like I see this girl and I think ‘c’mon just say hi or something’ but I still don’t / can’t do it. That’s it, thanks for your blog and motivating words!
greetings from germany
Believe it or not Timo, I was once that shy guy. Sometimes it comes out every once and awhile. But anyways try breaking things down even further. So maybe “Hi” is too much… just make eye contact. Eventually that’ll be SUPER easy and then you can add on the smaller things.
Sometimes we can get caught up with the actual result and is something we don’t have direct control over. What we do have control over is our actions. Redefine “success”. Maybe its not getting the number, but you actually taking initiative.
Keep working on it man. We’ve all be through it before.
I always try to not complain too much, but the last time I did complain it got me out of the job I hated and into one that I know I can like for a couple of years! I whined on Facebook about the job I was in and mentioned that I needed to go back to school because the BA I currently have was useless to me and then a friend told me about a research clinic in our university medical center looking for a coordinator with a BA, and a couple of weeks later I got the job! So you’re right Kevin, complaining sometimes does help 🙂 Now I just need to figure out how to start my own business in lame ol Tucson, AZ! Lol. I love reading your posts, they are always motivating me to strive for greatness and to know that I am smart and can achieve anything I set my mind to 🙂
Congrats with the new job Mari!
Rome wasn’t built over night. When Joe and I were coming up with Refugee Hustle, it took a LONG ass time. Eventually you’ll figure things out and if you don’t MAKE it work out. Keep learning and never give up.
Love to see that things that are moving in the right direction 🙂
I just saw your reply Kevin! Sadly, I got laid off on Thursday… Grant funding ran out and they couldn’t afford to keep me :'(
I want to complain about how I’ve finished a year at a University for a degree that I was pushed into because it was “promising” and a logical choice. I have all of these secret dreams and goals that I don’t just want to achieve, but need to and no one to tell. I know they are “unrealistic”. I don’t have a very supportive family and the few friends I do have don’t understand my complicated situation. I’m constantly hiding a part of myself and it’s making me miserable. I feel trapped and unfulfilled. Not only that, university costs about $30k a year and I feel horrible about it. I avoid going out because I feel guilty like I don’t deserve to spend money on a movie or deserve to enjoy myself. The program I’m trying to get into is very difficult and selective, it’s taking me longer than expected to get there. I’m sick of being depressed.
I have taken steps to achieve my dreams as well, but I wish I had the nerve to quit school and focus on them. I’m basically living a double life.
Hey Bobbi,
I can relate to your post and I feel like reading books and writing my accomplishments/goals in a journal has personally, really helped me out. If you’re ever looking for a good book, I’d highly recommend listening to the audio book, “outwitting the devil” on youtube (or really any book by Napoleon Hill). At first, I thought it was sorta weird, but the information you get out of it is priceless.
All the best.
-Hannah
Funny thing Hannah… that’s one of Joe’s FAVORITE books.
You know what Bobbi? I feel the same way as you… living a double life. I’m doing this Refugee Hustle thing and working my pharmacy job. The debt keeps me here… for now.
The fact is sometimes we fuck up and make the wrong choice. That’s life and it’s perfectly fine. What really matters is that you make the most of it. You say your scared to leave school… it’s for a good reason though. Our instincts tell us that it’s too risky to just pack up and bounce.
It’s our job to make our dreams happen and mitigate that risk.
Keep grinding man. You’ll get there.
I complain about tooooo much, that I never went to Univeristy because I married at 19, had two kids and got divorced, that I am in a job that I have no interest in but is too reliable and relatively well paying to quit, that I have just turned 30 and really still have no idea what I want to/can do with my life. Anyway…. now to stop complaining and STFU and ask myself questions the ‘perfect’ version of me would ask. 🙂
Love your articles, thanks and G’day from Australia!
Glad to see you’re taking a step in the right direction. Sometimes pain and failing is the best way to become motivated. It’s like rappers. Trap or die mentality and never going back to their old life again.
Anyways take care!
I usually complain about mediocre things like the weather and school being too damn boring.. But I do complain about things like politics and that madda bullshit aswell, given how fucked up the world is at the moment. Things like people not doing anything about climate change, ignoring millions of starving people in Africa and all that. I just complain and complain and end up thinking to myself; “But what have I done myself that gives me the right to complain about it?” I wish I could solve all these problems single-handedly, but I’m afraid that’s just impossible.
Im a 19year old male serving the army. I graduated from Pastry and Baking. But i am not sure is it my passion and would like to do for my life. Im lost and stressed about thinking about this. I am unsure what my interest is in. Please help joe
I complain about things are tough. Why cant i find my interest. Im lost and want help. No one around me can help.
I always complain about my financial situation and not being able to help my family and get the things I want for myself. I find myself stuck in this loop help. I do have the solution but lack the motivation to do it…
Yo Kevin, I have a pretty good GPA and about to finish pharmacy pre reqs. It took me 6 years to get it done but Im finishing this year. However I stole 3 pills at Walgreens as an employee and got caught 4 years ago. I have no conviction but was arrested. They didn’t send any complaints and I was able to renew my pharm tech license. Do you think there’s no chance of my getting into pharmacy school because they can see that arrest? I’d rather just know now and save a year of school.
Hey , I complain about way too many things , mostly things about myself . I complain about things that could be changed by me , but dont’ because i’m way too deep into them. I complain about how bad I organize myself , trying to give an image of myself of what i’m trying to become . I basically complain about my choices , about my lack of effort . I feel bad , because i think that God gave me a pretty reasonable amount of intelligence (for myself ) and my lack of effort and my position as a World Procrastinator Champion could destroy the chances that are given to me.
Thank you Kevin and Joe for this blog , kind of shows how much of a refugee hustlers and hard workers are some people , certainly inspiring me to become one.