's motd Thursday Sept 4, 2008

[Guest guest]

COMPLAINING

Thursday, 04 September 2008

I must have read a couple of hundred E-mails yesterday. Some of the same people write me on a regular basis. And most of them who write me weigh anywhere between 200-350 pounds.

And I have to say that when they write me, a large part of their letters are filled with complaints about their lives. They complain about their spouses. They tell me how unhappy they are in their marriages. They tell me how their spouses treat them and what kinds of things those spouses say to them...in great detail. Some of them write me about their children and how difficult it is to raise them, especially once they reach that rebellious stage.They complain about their jobs. I mean, either they're out of work and looking for a job or...they're stuck in a job they hate that doesn't pay well. They complain about their moms, their dads or their siblings. And they also complain about all of the medical problems they face each day.

Sometimes I'll get four or five letters from the same person and each of their letters sound exactly alike. The complaining continues month after month, year after year. I read all of these E-mails and, honestly, I feel so sad for the people who send them. Because they're all sort of stuck and don't know what to do. And these are the same people who lose the same five pounds and gain them back, over and over again. These are the people who go on vacation and always come back heavier than they were when they left. And these are the people who tell me how unhappy they are about the very tough situations in which they find themselves. I've told you before that complaining is draining. First of all, it drains you to keep complaining. It also drains all of the people around you who have to continuously listen to those complaints. I pick up the phone or write these unhappy back and tell them that they have to take action and do something about their unhappiness.

I tell them that they have to sit down with their husband, their children, family members or friends they're having problems with and make peace with them. That's the first step. And from there comes the second step of making peace with themselves. None of us live in a perfect world. Everything can't go right and many things won't go right, all of the time. Some of the things you have to complain about, well, you'll just have to swallow. And no matter what's happening in your life, you have to stay on program and get some of that weight off. I mean, you may as well admit it, those extra pounds are only helping to make your life more miserable. See? One more thing for you to complain about. So, see if you can fix up some of these parts of your life that need some work. Then get back to taking good care of yourself. You know I want it so bad for you that I can just about taste it. And you have to want just as bad for yourself. So today, try not to complain. Learn to deal with life the best you can as it comes to you, day after day.Love,