What can we do about it?

Since it’s already happening – and I doubt that you or I can really stop it – why not learn from it? What can we learn from our complaints and the complaints of others? If you’ve been following The Weekly WOW! Challenges and watching the videos, then you know we can listen to complaining as a way to discover two very important things about ourselves and others:

1. What we care about
2. What we are committed to

In other words, when you hear a complaint, there is a good possibility that beneath that complaint is something the person cares about. For example, I was late for an appointment this morning. Fifteen minutes late. And I was complaining to myself about it. While complaining, I asked myself: What is it that I care about and am committed to? My discovery? I care about being on time and honoring the time of the person I was meeting. I am committed to managing my energy and time effectively and using it efficiently. Once I realized that, I noticed my complaining stopped and I started asking a much better question: How can I be on time next time? What can I do more effectively next time?

It is interesting to note that sometimes the intensity of our complaint indicates the intensity of our passion BENEATH the complaint. You may be real passionate about spending quality time with your family each evening, and yet you are constantly being asked – or told – to work late. Your complaining may get rather intense, and that is true because of the intensity of your desire to be present with your family in the evening.

Have you ever felt bad about yourself or about others because of complaining? I know I have! And yet, when you shift your focus of mind and energy from complaining to appreciating what you care about and are committed to, you realize you’re pretty awesome person after all! And that really is the challenge – to shift our focus of attention to what we truly care about and are committed to in life and being an active stand for that – instead of wasting our time and energy complaining.

Of course, there are several other reasons that people complain: to get attention, to avoid responsibility, to excuse themselves from work, and so on. But for now, see if you can discover what your complaining is revealing to you about yourself and others. What is it that you REALLY care about and are committed to in your life, and how can you be a more effective stand for that TODAY?

Thanks for being a part of The WOW! Movement. Many great things ahead…so stay tuned and engaged!

- Denver

Welcome to The WOW! Movement! It’s great to have you as part of the humble beginnings of something I believe and feel will become a nationwide – if not worldwide – phenomenon. That can happen with YOUR help! Please spread the word and let your friends, family, and social networks know about The WOW! Movement, and invite them to become Fans on Facebook!

In The WOW! Movement, we will be talking about four different “states of living” that you can find yourself in. Let’s take a look at these four states (starting with unpleasant ones and moving to the more pleasant ones), and as we do, please be RADICALLY HONEST with yourself about where you are in your life right now. (Radical Honesty is essential if you are create WOW! in your life.)

1. Feeling stuck or stagnated, frustrated with each passing day.

If you find yourself in this state of living, you find yourself experiencing a great deal of BOREDOM in your relationships, work, and life in general. The “juice” of life is leaking out, and in this stagnated state, things are beginning to “stink” – including your attitude and emotional state. You still have a desire to get out of stuckness, but you’re not sure how to do it. Overtime, if you don’t get out of this, you will experience a great deal of REGRET. Passion and Intimacy will die in your intimate relationships. Your health will suffer… Not a great place to live. This state will definitely create what I call “The World of Woe.” The WOW! Movement and Relationship Fitness Coaching can help you get unstuck, and support you in injecting more energy and vitality into your life!

2. In decline and disengaging from life, sliding backwards

In this state, you’re not stuck, your MOVING, but just backwards, towards “Woe” – towards more hardship, suffering, dissatisfaction. Here you may find yourself feeling resigned and anxious, and not sure how to stop the backwards slide. In this state, you may find yourself withdrawing from your intimate relationship, disengaging from your work, and grasping for “lifelines” or coping strategies to reverse or stop the slide.

Intentional and courageous participation in The WOW! Movement as well as personal coaching can support you in reversing the slide toward Woe to creating a new direction toward WOW!

3. Resting in an easy, safe, comfortable, and predictable life.

In this state, all seems well. You’ve got everything you need, plus a little more. You’re comfortable, life is easy, and predictable. You may find yourself concerned about being able to maintain this state of comfort and ease, especially as you notice the world changing around you.

Eventually, from this place of comfort and ease, you may notice a part of you experiencing a growing dissatisfaction. Questions such as “Is this all there is?” “Why do I have so much, my life is so good, and yet I feel like something is missing?” start appearing in your mind. You may find yourself seeking greater meaning, but are afraid to take risks as that would be uncomfortable and could threaten the status quo you have grown accustomed to. Often, the world of consumerism plays a big part here, as you find yourself looking for more things to buy that will make life more comfortable and easy. And some may find themselves consuming in order to deal with the uncomfortableness of those emerging questions of meaning.

The WOW! Movement as well as personal coaching are great experiences for those who are ready to create beyond the status quo, who KNOW there is more to life than comfort and ease.

4. Taking a stand, committing yourself to learning, growing, creating, and contributing to the evolution of yourself, others, and the world.

In this state of living, you’re ready to go courageously to the next level. You’re OK with getting uncomfortable because your purpose in life is more important than being comfortable. You’re eager to grow and evolve as a person, and are a commitment to letting go of any obstacle that might get in your way. You recognize that you’re here for something more, and you’re ready to make a unique contribution by creating your own World of WOW! – and from there being active in creating and contributing to a World of WOW! for all of us! The WOW! Movement and my personal coaching services can certainly help you in this area!

OK, now that you’ve been briefly introduced to each state of living, where you do find yourself right now? (Remember, be RADICALLY HONEST with yourself.) Of the four states, which is most appealing to you, and which will give you the type of life that you really want for yourself and those you deeply care about?

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