Overheard this conversation between 2 elderly men at gym:

“How’s work going with you?”

“Same shit, different day.”

The conversation continued along this vein, both parties moaning about their daily work lives.

This isn’t a unique case. It seems to be the norm to bitch and moan about work. Either it is really boring, mundane or painful, or it’s just a social norm, something people say because they’ve heard it said before and it sounds funny.

If it’s the first, why are you in your job in the first place? Why aren’t you rather doing something that you enjoy, something that will make your life interesting?

If it’s the second and you actually enjoy the work you do, you clearly don’t realise how powerful your words are. You’re perpetuating negativity. You might think it’s a funny saying, maybe elicit a small laugh. But you’re not contributing. You’re not inspiring anyone. You’re not uplifting the conversation, you’re bringing it down.

Leaders inspire. They motivate. They bring out the best in others. We should all be leaders.