Carrie Wisehart February 10, 2016 Gratitude, Inspiration, Lifestyle

The 30 day no complaining challenge

It is so easy to complain.

All the time.

The food is too hot, the line is too long, the weather is too cold.

What is complaining?

Merriam Webster says to complain is to express dissatisfaction, pain, uneasiness, censure, resentment, or grief; find fault. I would venture to add that “complain” is a negative word. To me, to complain means I’m just going to jaw on and on about it and I’m not going to do anything to change it.

Instead of merely choosing joy in the daily adventures, we look to find what’s wrong with them. We love to spout about the things we hate and we love to do it with other people. It’s a strange, ugly camaraderie.

When we are tempted to complain, here are some things to consider:

Think through that “complaint”. Is it something that can be controlled?
If yes, then take measures to change it.
If no, then determine how you can make the best of the situation.

It always amazes me how people want to live in a sad, critical, pessimistic bubble. Complaining merely makes us look at our lives through a dark glass. And it’s a CHOICE. We choose to live that way. Complaining means we’re just going to whine about it.

What does complaining do?

It steals our joy.
It lassos others onto our complain train.
It creates a toxic environment.
It solves nothing.

“What you’re supposed to do when you don’t like a thing is change it. If you can’t change it, change the way you think about it. Don’t complain.”
― Maya Angelou

Well, my dear friends, I have a solution.

Let’s start a revolution.

Let’s stop complaining.

Just like that.

Complaining points a finger at everyone else to fix the problem and it places no responsibility on ME.

Complaining makes me depressed. Sad. Makes life look bleak.

It’s time for us to rise up and change this complaining thing.

Some of you are thinking, “Um, how are we supposed to do this?”

Well, I’ve always believed that one can always do something for 30 days. It’s a good start. And it develops a habit.

So my challenge to you is this:

Pledge to stop complaining for 30 days. Just try it. Take a stab at it. Make an intentional choice to stop complaining.

“I have found that if you love life, life will love you back.”
– Arthur Rubenstein

If you’re ready to join me, here’s what you need to do:

Subscribe to my blog. I will be writing some posts about joy and choosing and getting off the complain train during the next 30 days. You can subscribe by putting your e-mail address in the little black box up to the right and top of this post.
Print and sign The 30 Day Challenge pledge. Post it somewhere visible so you can see it clearly and have a visual representation of your pledge.
Take a sharpie and write an “X” on your pointer finger. It will serve to remind you of your challenge AND to stop pointing your finger at everyone else. It’s YOUR turn to change stuff.
Post the picture of you, your pointer finger, and your pledge on social media. Make sure to tag me! (@carriewisehart, Twitter; @carrielane, Instagram; Carrie Wisehart, Facebook) That way, we can hold you accountable for your 30 day challenge!
Finally, comment below and let me know you are IN! I’m excited to see how many of us are READY to start this revolution!