“Complaining is a complete waste of one’s energy. Those who complain the most accomplish the least.” – Robert Tew
This week’s message is a Call to Action. A challenge I invite everybody to take on! If you are willing to put in the work and complete this challenge, you will likely experience less overwhelm, less anger, and you’ll simply feel better. Life will seem easier.
The Challenge: No complaining for 7 days in a row.
Sounds simple, right? I encourage you to recruit a friend, family member or colleague that you interact with daily so that you both hold each other accountable!
Rules: If you voice a complaint or get caught voicing a complaint, you must start back at 0 (out of 7 days). Complaining in a nutshell involves describing an event or person negatively without indicating next steps to fix the problem.
Example of a complaint: “ During quarantine, I’ve noticed Karen doe never gets any of her work done on time and its really starting to tick me off.”
Example of a non-complaint: “During quarantine, I’ve noticed Karen doe never gets any of her work done on time. I am going to pull her aside and ask her if everything is okay and offer up tips to increase her efficiency at work.”
4 letter words and other uses of profanity are also complaint qualifiers. If you find someone else who is complaining and they are a part of the challenge, inform them of their complaining, as they will have to start back at 0. If you take this challenge seriously, you will be forcing upon yourself increased self-awareness and more precise & positive thinking. Oftentimes, we complain so much, we aren’t even aware we are complaining.
Some positive benefits of completing this challenge include:
- Increased personal peace. You will find yourself starting to consciously respond to situations, rather than unconsciously reacting.
- Increased resiliency. You will be able to give negative events the Heisman (“stiff arm”) because the solution to those negative events will be offered up. This can result in better sleep and more positive conversations.
- Increased popularity. People want to hang around action-oriented problem solvers.
If you successfully go 7 days in a row without complaining, increase your goal to 21 straight days! Grab a friend and let’s get this party started!
*The inspiration for this message came after I read the book: A Complaint Free World, by Will Bowen*
