Grumps giving... Not Thanksgiving!
Everywhere you look there are articles on gratitude. It’s the theme of thanksgiving. Aren’t you tired of all that gratitude and appreciation stuff? Instead, this Thanksgiving, why don’t we just dig in deeply to fully experience the power of complaining, blaming and throwing temper tantrums at others! While we are at it, we can model this for our children, so they can be even better at this than we are.
Why we should complain, blame and tantrum!
Everyone is always heralding the value of being grateful. Especially in today’s climate, it seems time we start to honor the behavioral trends of our leadership and the great values they promote! So here, just in time for GrumpsGiving, are all the great benefits we get from joining the herd.
1. The More We Complain & Blame…The More We Realize We Are Always Right: You need a boost that weak ego? Get on board with the blame and complain game, and soon…you too will have an over-inflated and NEVER-wrong ego. No one else will be correct, and you will truly see that everyone else is an idiot (unless they happen to agree with you!). The weaker you feel your ego is, pick it up a bit. Open your window as you drive and utter some blame upon your neighbor or the drivers around you! Again, very soon, that ego will be feeling large and in-charge!
2. When We Always Blame Others, We Never Have to Be Responsible! It’s a beautiful thing! Why take responsibility for your mistakes? All that responsibility stuff is over-rated, and is built on the premise that we want to grow, evolve and improve. When your ego is adequately inflated, you will have no need for such foolishness. You simply blame others for everything that happens and you are off the hook. Add a nice, full-blown temper tantrum at the end, and even the most skeptical will consider how someone else might have done it.
3. You Always Get to Be the Victim! Here’s another amazing benefit from complaining and blaming. You are always the poor, poor victim of all those other bad people in the world. If someone tries to hold you accountable, you make a fouryear old pout and just start to blame someone else. Dig in deeper on this victim role. For those who are joining this herd, they will see your pain. They will applaud your tantrums, and solidify how terribly victimized you have been. Try to get your best friends on board, so you can all support each other in being the victim. However, you will have to share the mantle at times, as every victim needs the spotlight now and then!
4. You Get to Look and Feel Miserable Often! (That Happiness Things is Overrated.) All that research on happiness, appreciation and love…just ignore it. Who needs that stuff anyway? It’s all for those weaklings, who can’t take the power of being right all the time. They don’t have the stomach for blaming and complaining, and for some odd reason…they want to smile more than frown. Again…simpletons who are weak! Show your strength now over this Grumpsgiving by frowning and snarling at others, just for the heck of it. More misery awaits and you, my friend, have the stomach and strength for it. Test it and find out how pain you can endure. And do so, while frowning on all those happy weaklings!
5. The Greed and Misery May Make Your Rich: I almost forgot. While that appreciation and gratitude stuff can make you happy, it also tends to support the feeling and sense of abundance in life. You don’t want to settle for simply feeling that life is abundant. Those weaklings are focused on the abundance of beauty, kindness, love and cooperation. They are settling into an inner experience of satisfaction, that tends to create an outer life that reflects the state of abundance. Bahhumbug! Sure, they may go to their graves being content and happy, and FEELING full of abundance, but they will not have all the toys and wealth that you can have. Keep it all to yourself, and nurture the wealth that matters: A big, fat bank account that let’s you buy what you want. Then, make sure you show it off to others, and point out how small they are for not having it. All this serves to support that big ego.
Take baby steps if you must!
I know this is a lot to ask for some of you. Yet for others, this will feel just right. But remember, if you find yourself tempted to be grateful or kind, GRUMP-UP a bit. You can always find something to complain about, with your child, your spouse or the food. All those smiles and joyful greetings can be deflected nicely, if you simply hold that inner GRUMP close to you…and let it shine.
Thanksgiving or Grumpsgiving?
Hopefully, this will inspire a completely new perspective, so you can be clear: Where do you stand this Thanksgiving? Hopefully, you can be very strong. Make a decision now, and hold the intent to recognize which herd is yours…and then… be who you want to be. I vote that you reject Grumpsgiving, and see that this destiny is now what you seek for your family. Instead, renew your love for your family, your gratitude for your life and smile…at everyone holding tight to their inner Grump! Happy Thanksgiving! Dr. Randy Cale, a Clifton Park-based parenting expert, author, speaker and licensed psychologist, offers practical guidance for a host of parenting concerns. His website, www.TerrificParenting. com, offers free parenting guidance and an email newsletter. Submit questions to DrRandyCale@gmail.com.