No Complaining Challenge

It all started with this image coming across my Facebook news feed.

Challenge accepted I proudly proclaimed to all my FB peeps.  Challenge promptly ended.  Perhaps starting this challenge while at work was not the wisest choice.

OK, next day, new day, challenge begun again. Damn it, I didn't even make it an hour?!?!?

I was not about to give this up - I wanted to see how my life changed - I was determined!  How hard can it be to not complain?

INCREDIBLY HARD!

We love to complain!  We are creatures of habit and we use complaining as a commiseration tool.  We use it to fit in with our peers.  It helps us to connect with perfect strangers when we are in the same frustrating situation.  It's a good thing...or is it?

Complaining brings a heavy dose of negativity, an energy shift in our environment, our spirit, our soul.  It's not healthy, it's not useful and it  doesn't bring the best out of us.  Face it; do you really like being around Debbie Downer; the person who constantly complains about everything?  Of course not, she rips through your good mood and leaves you physically and mentally drained.  Don't be a Debbie Downer!

But how do you stop?

Instead of chucking the challenge every time, I lost it, I became mindful of my complaining.  This challenge was forcing me to own my complaining, to be responsible for the vibe I was generating in myself and putting out into the universe.  I began catching myself, sometimes in mid-sentence and saying to myself, you're complaining, stop & reset (a Ctrl-Alt-Del for the mind).  And eventually the challenge turned into a practice.  I didn't beat myself up about it, I mean; I've been a seasoned complainer the majority of my life.  But, by being aware of it, I was slowly turning my my Debbie Downer ways into Little Miss Sunshine ways!

So the challenge is over, this is now a daily practice.  I strive to eliminate my complaining every single day - it's a struggle, but one worth fighting. 

Will you accept the challenge?