Do you complain a lot? You just might be surprised.
- For instance, have you complained today about the weather? The traffic? Or your spouse doing this or not doing that?
- Have you complained today about your job, commute, co-workers or boss?
- Have you complained about your kids? Customer service? Or a recent purchase that didn’t meet expectations?
Even many who would say they don’t complain much actually do when they try to go a day without complaining at all.
Here’s your mini mission
Go one day without complaining. That means no expressing dissatisfaction or annoyance of any kind about anything for 24 hours.
No grumbling, griping, whining, carping, or finding fault.
Here’s what I think you’ll find: You complain more than you think.
And mostly about petty irritations, not grand injustices.
After all, it’s one thing to complain about equal wages for women, child labor laws, or voting rights. It’s quite another to complain Starbucks didn’t get your chai latte just the right temperature.
If you’re like most, your complaining is on autopilot. You do it without thinking.
Which means to stop complaining requires you to shine the light of awareness. Trying to go cold turkey for 24 hours means you’ll start noticing your tendency to complain and what triggers it.
Here are 2 more things you’ll find if you go a day without complaining.
- Your complaining does nothing to enhance your day. It’s like looking at the world through a pair of dirty glasses. It obscures your view of all that’s good and right. It puts your focus only on the gunk and refuses to let you look away. Don’t do this to yourself.
- Your complaining doesn’t contribute to those around you. Just as you’re not enhancing your own day when you complain, you’re also doing nothing to enhance the lives of those around you. No one walks away from your rant about your lazy spouse or incompetent boss feeling enriched. Don’t do this to others.
Will you take this challenge and spend the next 24 hours kvetch-free?
