How to Make Life Better Instantly

Are you annoyed about something?

Angry? Maybe just a little pissed off?

We all are.

There's nobody breathing among us who has not had their heart broken, their toes stepped on, and their wallet cheated.

The difference between all of us is what we DO about these things.

In our online society, the burgeoning first instinct seems to be to post something before doing something. (Or, sometimes, instead of doing something.) And that's not very bright.

Think about it.

You're upset about something, so first you're going to tell the world.  You complain. Essentially, instead of trying to change the situation to something acceptable, you prolong it.

In essence, you willingly continue with non-productive pain. How smart is that? Is sympathy from a bunch of online friends more valuable than resolution? No. We've just become a little confused and somewhat entranced with our online instant sympathy dose. We're addicted. Then we want more sympathy. Commiseration often becomes a substitute for action.

Try this instead.

It's one step. ONE. (Stay with me here.)

ACT.

Maybe that means you call someone who can make a change and talk calmly to him or her.

• Email with a polite request.

• Get up off your chair and talk to someone face-to-face.

• Ask to speak to a supervisor.

• Communicate with a loved one.

Vent after the fact if you need to, but act first. Gather information before, if you need to. But don't squander your time. There's far less of it than you realize.

So, the next time you find yourself grabbing your phone to vent or drifting over to social media to complain, maybe you should just try getting off your ass and making your life better right now. (And if that doesn't work, at least the story you tell later will have more details!)