“Complaining is silly. Either act or forget.” -Stefan Sagmeister

It can feel like a productive activity–like you’re solving something by complaining or making yourself feel better about your circumstances. But when you really think about it, does complaining do either of those things? Does it change the way things are or make you feel less angry, frustrated or stressed to dwell on how difficult the situation seems?

Though complaining may allow you to feel bonded to other people–as previously mentioned in the happiness tip Do Happy: Connect Without Complaining–it doesn’t actually serve you in any useful way. The only thing that creates change is action. And positive action starts with positive thought.

If you find yourself dwelling on everything that’s wrong today, realize you have that right–but know it’s a conscious choice to do that instead of making things right.