Quiz: Are You a Complainer?

Find out how negative your attitude has gotten and what you should do about it

By Liz Wolgemuth

Posted: July 30, 2008

Are you a complainer? Find out with this quiz from Jon Gordon's The No Complaining Rule: Positive Ways to Deal With Negativity at Work :

Below are five statements that you may agree or disagree with. Read each one, and then select the response that best describes how strongly you agree or disagree:

  1. I usually share my problems with others.
  2. I regularly express my negative feelings to others.
  3. I focus more on the causes of problems than on their solutions.
  4. If my life was made into a movie, I would characterize it as a drama instead of a love story, comedy, or inspirational tale.
  5. I complain a lot.

Tally your score for the five questions.

35-30: You are a major complainer. Complaining has become a habit for you, and it's time to do a No Complaining Fast and action plan.

29-24: You are a complainer. You spend too much time on the Complain Train. Get on the Energy Bus instead.

23-18: You're in the middle of the road. Shift gears, focus on the positive, and spend more time on the positive road.

17-12: Complaining isn't much of an issue for you. Stay positive.

11-6: You almost never complain. Keep cultivating and sharing the positive energy.

Complaining

I never thought of a solution but now I am going to!

Sandy @ May 15, 2009 09:42:44 AM

My being a complainer:)

Well, I don't think that I am really a complainer.

When I am upset about something, I 'd like to air it out off my chest to people

that I know and cared about...people whom I trust that will understand what I am going through and would like to sort out why I feel that way.

We all need someone to guide and counsel us.But then we stop to think and ponder what they told us. And pray about it.

But I do not like people who complain because babies are noisy or the did not get the correct change in the store when it is only one or two pennies short. Why don;t you just politely tell the cashier of the short with a smile??

Len of FL @ May 07, 2009 11:58:27 AM

Solutions

When someone likes to complain to me I always like to ask the one question....'Do you know of any solutions to the problem that you are complaining about.' So before I complain I like to have a solution in mind that might change the the situation in a positive way of course.

I guess I'm saying become part of the solution instead of the problem.

Mel D @ Apr 28, 2009 16:58:16 PM

Add Your Thoughts
About You

advertisement

U.S. News Rankings & Research

Best Places

Search for the perfect place for you and your family.

Best Careers

Careers that offer strong outlooks and high job satisfaction.

Car Rankings & Reviews

Make an informed choice when shopping for your next car.

advertisement

Slide Shows

The 10 Best Places to Find a Tech Job

IT service jobs—in engineering and in software services—have fared well in this economy.

advertisement

Subscribe

U.S. News Digital Weekly

A weekly insider's guide to politics and policy — in a multimedia, digital format. 52 issues for $19.95!

U.S. News & World Report

6 months of U.S. News & World Report's print edition for only $15. Save up to 67% off the cover price!