Whinge – verb - Australian informal – to complain, whine, cry in a fretful way.
We’re barely four weeks into 2012, and the whinging is already in full swing. Any gratitude for the birth of Christ, the miracle of Hanukkah or the start of the NBA season seems like a distant memory as people have taken up their favorite past time of bitching about everything that’s wrong with their lives and the world around them.
The year may be new but the sea of steady complaints hasn’t changed – vacation went too fast, my relationship is off, work sucks, life is hard . . . cue soundtrack: wah, wa wah, wa wah. Well, stop your bellyaching -- a bit of analysis of “the whinge” can put the proper prospective on everything.
1. The Whinge: “I Need A Vacation From My Vacation”
Whinging Dialogue: I was just starting to relax, and it was time to come home. Spending time with my family was no vacation. The weather was terrible. The hotel was a dump. Both kids were sick and I got no rest. I’m jet lagged. It sucks being back.
The Fantasy Solution: Forget about vacationing only twice a year. I’m going to buck the system, rewrite the rules. I’ll work 10 more years, call it quits and live a paired down life in Kuda Huraa (one of the 1,190 Maldivian islands) (See also ashram in India and gated community in Scottsdale).
Reality Check: Short of winning the lottery, the math doesn’t work with your current life style. Sucking on the tit of materialism and quitting your job to operate a beach bar in Maui are not compatible. If you keep lapping up iPad 2s, Audi A5s and 70-inch HDTVs at the same rate as the Dyson 41, your projected date of retirement will remain somewhere in your mid 80s.
Stop Whinging: The West Memphis Three spent 18 years in prison for a crime they didn’t commit. Sure, they got “three square a day” and exercise in the yard, but it was hardly the St. Barth’s crowd at Christmas time so enjoy your freedom, your good fortune and your 2-3 weeks off a year.
2. The Whinge: “Work Sucks”
Whinging Dialogue: I don’t like what I’m doing day in and day out. The politics are a nightmare. I didn’t get the promotion I deserve. My boss is an asshole. Nobody appreciates what I contribute. I’m underpaid and overworked. I want to be creative. I want to be an entrepreneur. I’m not realizing my full potential.
The Fantasy Solution: I’m going to find my passion. I’ll just pursue what I love doing, and the universe will take care of the rest.
Reality Check: Passion sounds wonderful but so do gingerbread houses and gumdrop trees. There’s maybe .0001% of the population that’s found their passion and can actually make money at it. This group includes all those self-help gurus who manage to sell you books, DVDs and seminars about finding your passion.
