I was in a hospital gift shop where the two volunteer clerks were engrossed in conversation about the sparseness of the vending machine outside the store. “We should be in charge of that,” said one. “It’s terrible that there is nothing for visitors to eat when the cafeteria is closed,” said another.
They were both right: the vending machine had a meager selection of non-nutritious offerings, and if it were to be the source of your only “meal,” it would be seriously lacking. But in their attempt to provide better service to the hypothetical customers, they completely ignored the one in-person customer they had. Moreover, the conversation did not include any hint of action steps, and I got the sense that they were complaining, rather than improving.
Think about your response the last time something irked you. It’s easy to post a grievance on social media, complain to a confidante, or curse to yourself, but taking steps to resolve it takes some work. Your response may be as simple as using a city’s portal to report a need or sending an email to someone who can address the issue, or it could be more involved, such as preparing a proposal for the action you recommend. But the key is to do something to make things better, rather than just grumble about it.
