A friend of mine was watching a movie. From start to finish, all he did was complain, “What a horrible movie! How boring!” Yet, he watched the entire film without changing the channel or turning off the TV.

If you find yourself watching a boring movie, what can you do? Change the channel, switch off the TV, or if you’re watching with someone else, suggest stopping it. If they insist on watching, you can simply walk away. But to keep watching while complaining, getting a headache, and wasting your energy? That’s just a lose-lose situation.

How often do we do the same in life? We complain endlessly—“This isn’t good, this is horrible, nothing is going right, life is taking a toll on me.” Yet, we don’t take steps to change our situation. We just try to endure it, and when that becomes unbearable, we get frustrated and upset.

When life gets tough, stop the whining and start doing what you can.

What’s one area in your life where you’ve been complaining instead of taking action? What’s one step you can take today to stop whining and start improving?