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&lt;p&gt;It&#39;s funny how something as small as a malfunctioning copy machine can ruin your day at work.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We all whine about silly stuff like technology fails--but are we setting a pattern for ourselves when we mindlessly complain?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Wall Street Journal thinks so--and according to their article today (hilariously sub-titled &quot;How to Stop Whining&quot;), even therapists are starting to rail against our constant moaning and groaning.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;It&#39;s hard to know if you&#39;re being whiny in your daily interactions (try taping yourself during a normal workday if you&#39;re unsure), but it&#39;s something worth guarding against on the job, at all costs.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Three reasons to consider keeping your inner negative nancy quiet:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;1. You&#39;re excusing yourself from responsibility&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Too much whining is death to your productivity. Your assignment is too hard—it&#39;s too much! No normal person could be expected to do this, right? When you complain about your work, it&#39;s a way of convincing yourself it&#39;s not really your problem.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Of course, it is &lt;em&gt;your&lt;/em&gt; problem. And once you&#39;ve convinced yourself that you&#39;re off the hook to do a good job, it will show in &lt;em&gt;your&lt;/em&gt; work. Not good.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;2. You&#39;re irritating everyone &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Judging by the how-to guide for deflecting whiners in WSJ, it&#39;s safe to assume nobody likes a crybaby. But at work, where people are actively trying to stay motivated and productive, complaining won&#39;t just make you annoying--it will earn you liability status .&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;3. You&#39;re wasting time&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If time is money, the precious minutes you use to cry and moan about the difficulties of your job or life are the equivalent of setting a dollar bill on fire. That half hour you used to whine to your coworker about a client could have been used to break down your issues with that person and taking steps toward solutions. Rookie mistake.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Ready to change?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Here&#39;s what you can do right now to kick-start a more positive way of thinking:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;1. Stop, drop, and roll with the punches&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;When talking through issues with others, ask yourself—do I &lt;em&gt;want&lt;/em&gt; to find a solution here, or am I just blowing off steam? If you find you&#39;re just talking in circles, stop talking and regroup. While a certain amount of frustration-airing is good, more than a minute or two of no-holds barred whining&#160; can create more permanent thought patterns for yourself.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;2. Stop asking &quot;why me?&quot; and starting asking &quot;why not fix it?&quot;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Often times complaining—without intent for problem solving—is an expression of feeling helpless. So next time you find yourself mid-moan, ask, why don&#39;t I feel I can do anything about this?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Try making a list of what&#39;s holding you back: fear of confrontation? Fear of rejection? Once you&#39;ve identified your invisible fences, it will be easier to see a way to hop over them.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;3. Practice being proactive&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Feel the urge to complain? Take a positive step, first thing. Start with the little annoyances-- something as simple as speaking up at Starbucks when you get the wrong order, or letting the office manager know the printer&#39;s out of paper will quickly curtail an afternoon&#39;s worth of complaining.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Facilitating the little improvments can serve as training for handling the big stuff--and remind you of your own incredible power to change your environment. Without a baseball bat.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;--Cathy Vandewater, Vault.com&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Read More: &lt;/strong&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304192704577404083592261456.html?mod=WSJ_hp_MIDDLENexttoWhatsNewsSecond&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;For a Nation of Whiners, Therapists Try Tough Love&lt;/a&gt; (WSJ) &lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/blog/workplace-issues/drink-the-darn-kool-aid-in-defense-of-enthusiasm-at-work/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Drink the Darn Kool-Aid: In Defense of Enthusiasm at Work&lt;/a&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/blog/job-search/dear-class-of-2012/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Dear Class of 2012&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Cathy Vandewater

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