Mission V – Can You Go a Week Without Complaining?

I doubt I can. Every day, I find reasons to complain.

Why is it so cold here? I’m sick of winter, and winter hasn’t even started yet.

The train is running late again. Why is it moving so slow?

That jerk. His vehicle just cut me off.

If this person wants to drive at half the speed limit, they should get out the way so I can get by.

Politicians are terrible. When will they ever do what I would like to see them do?

I’m skilled at finding things to complain about. But whether my complaints have validity or not
doesn’t matter. They don’t help the situation. And most of the time the circumstances are out of my control anyways. I can’t do anything about the weather, the train, or the driver that just cut me off.

But I can control my attitude. You can too.

For this month’s mission, try to go one week without complaining. See how long it takes for people to notice your new attitude.

Notes on the mission:

• Give yourself grace when you do catch yourself complaining.
• Try to reframe any complaints with gratitude. For example, instead of saying, “The train never runs on schedule,” you can say, “I’m thankful to have public transit.”
• My thanks to James Altucher for the idea.

Share your experiences and observations in the comments.

###