I finished reading a book by Jon Gordon called The No Complaining Rule. In the book the lead character takes a No Complaining Fast, so yesterday I challenged myself to do the same. Yesterday, I hit on some of the cost of negativity. Yes, complaining is negative. The book explains it like this...negative people are like skin cancer you can see it, your aware of it and can handle it appropriately. Complaining is like is like a cancer within the body, you can't see it right away and it slows spreads from person to person. Affecting every aspect of of our lives.
Back to the challenge. I challenged myself to go the whole day without complaining, and I did okay. I did my best to use the tools the book provided, I included them from their website below.
I had one slip when I ran an errand this afternoon and the briskly cold misty air hit me, so I added a but at the end of my complaint and added that without the moisture the grass and trees wouldn't turn back to green. Without the drop in temperature the ground would probably thaw to quickly and I would end up with water in my basement. Another, and much bigger slip during a conversation this afternoon. My complaints, the weather and the actions of other people. What I realized was that the bulk of my complaining consisted of things I can't control. I mean if we could control the weather we would custom order our perfect conditions everyday. Then again, if we could control the actions of others who knows what the world be be like.
What I found today was that not complaining I felt lighter, less stressed, and not as quick to take every mistake as a negative remark to my abilities. I was more open to opportunities to learn and take better notice of where I needed to improve. I didn't leave work feeling like all the muscles in my shoulders and neck were in a huge knot. In continuing forward I will try to keep incorporating the tool above and using the additional tools below, like letting go the things I can't control. I would also like to get my family on board.
If your up for a challenge try a one day No Complaining Fast and see how you feel, take note of your complaints, and make them into something positive.
"It’s easy to be positive when everything in life is going great. The hard part is staying positive when you get knocked down and kicked around. The fact is, no one goes through life untested. If you study history, sports, and business, you will find that every great leader and team had to overcome adversity and challenges to define themselves and their success." - Jon Gordon The No Complaining Rule
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