One time, I was scheduled on a flight from Europe to Los Angeles. Arriving early at the airport, I asked the check-in staff if I could use my points to upgrade to a flatbed seat in Premier Business Class. The representative assured me that it was possible, but I would need to visit the sales office in another section of the airport. So I went there and was yet again referred to another sales office on the gate side of the terminal.
Being grateful is a way to stop arguing with what is, and remain in a place of inner happiness. When you complain, you poison your state of consciousness with unhappiness. The ego associates victimization with sadness. The subconscious makes the case that “I have the right to be unhappy because I have been wronged.”
The nature of our complaints is often associated with the petty frustrations that we experience every day. For example, if we are at a restaurant and we get served cold pizza with less cheese and toppings than the other guests, the ego may take it as a personal attack.
Sometimes we can get trapped in a complaining pattern, where even the most minuscule issues are judged. For example, you could be reading this post outside in your backyard, and suddenly your neighbor begins to mow their lawn, and you could complain to yourself, “Every time I sit down for some peace and quiet, someone interrupts it. I just knew it would happen. It never fails.”
