So, what is this challenge that can make you happier in just 7 days?
NO complaining for 7 days!
Of course the goal is to keep it up after 7 days. :-)
I’m not talking about just the big complaints… like “oh my gosh, the dog had another accident on the rug!” but also the little complaints like, “traffic is so slow this morning,” “it’s so cold outside, winter stinks, why won’t the kids pick up their toys, I hate these shoes, my co-worker is a jerk,” etc. We all do it, often without even realizing that we’re complaining. I’ve even tried the reasoning… “I’m not complaining, it’s just a fact – my computer is running really slow today.” But for seven days, I challenge you to get rid of the reasoning, the excuses, the little nagging complaints that can fill our day! Can you do it? Are you willing to try?
I repeat the challenge to myself regularly and am excited to catch myself when I start to complain. Sometimes I make it intor a game if anyone catches me complaining, they can stop me and I will change the complaint into a compliment for them! You can do something similar at home, at the office, or just for yourself. So, maybe at home, when anyone catches another complaining, the have to say a compliment, or mark it on a chart and at the end of the week there is a prize for whoever has the least marks, or each person pays a quarter for each mark to donate to a charity .
Create a fun challenge at work and notice the improvement in attitude . People may also begin to work together better, towards a goal of supporting each other, rather than workload complaints, water cooler gossip, complaining about customers, etc. If you never hear complaints at work or home… congratulations, you don’t need this challenge. But, if like most of us, even if we have a happy home and positive work environment, there are probably little complaints that after building up, sometimes create unpleasant experiences. What has also worked for me is wearing a rubber band on my wrist, then lightly snapping it each time I complain!
The goal of the challenge is to raise our awareness about the power of our thoughts and words, even in the smallest detail of saying “ughh, I hate winter.” It’s to remind us that there are things beyond our control, but those things don’t have to lead to a negative response from us. We can choose something different. I could change the “I hate winter” to “I’m going to stay warm this winter, maybe a warm cup of cocoa, tea, coffee will be perfect on this winter day” or even “mmm, can’t wait until my vacation next month to the beach” or “spring is my favorite season and it’s coming soon!” The idea is to change our thought about the circumstance and if we can do it with all the little things that come up, we’ll be developing habits that help us better handle the big things that happen.
Tina Nies of BeHappierToday.com is an Entrepreneurial Coach and Speaker inspiring local success. Her passion is empowering entrepreneurs to develop their vision to know what is really important to them and create action strategies for success as they grow and explore their happiness in business and life.
Even more important, Tina’s focus is on raising awareness of the power of our choices. In each moment, the choices we make impact our success and determine whether or not we reach our goals in business or personal life. “Encouraging people to say yes to choices that lead them to their deepest desires and true happiness and no to choices that do not serve their best interests is extremely powerful”
Tina’s experience includes 16 years as a consultant, college instructor, corporate trainer, and community trainer. She completed her undergraduate studies in Business Administration at the University of Michigan and earned her MBA in Business Leadership from Windsor University. She has worked with clients around the world and across the United States. She divides her time between the San Francisco Bay area and Lower Michigan.