This post is going to be much different than most that I share. This one is personal and close to my heart. It’s where I open up my own shortcomings and share how I’ve worked to change them.
I am not a naturally optimistic person. I tend to see the negative side of things first. I get easily frustrated and have a tendency to lapse into a complaining rant.
This got so bad several years ago, that I decided I needed to change. I heard about a challenge that some people had taken to stop complaining at all for 21 straight days. I decided to make that commitment for myself. My personal rules were no complaining out loud or in my own head for 28 days. (I felt like I needed the extra week to seal the new habit!)
I wore a simple bracelet on my wrist and each time I complained, I would move the bracelet to my other wrist and start my count of days over.
This was hard! I was so entrenched in my complaining habit that it took a lot of effort to stop. It was just one small change, but what a difficult change it was!
It took me about 4 months to make 28 straight complaint-free days. At first, I couldn’t even go a day. But soon, I’d go a few days before slipping. Then a week. At one point, I got about 20 days in and then complained and had to start over.
But, it was such a good exercise. It really did change my outlook on life. Things in my life became easier. I was less frustrated with situations that arose. I was happier with myself.
And the change has mostly stuck. I haven’t gone back to the complaint-ridden person that I was. However, I do need to brush up sometimes.
Every once in a while, I feel the negative creeping back in. When that happens, it’s time for me to focus anew on ending the complaining.
Puritan’s Pride is challenging us to make one small change to improve our health. I’ll be focusing on setting a more positive frame of mind, starting with dropping my complaining habit. I’ll be posting again on how that has gone. I’ll also share a few other things I’m doing to set a more optimistic frame of mind.
I’d love for you to join me, either in my no-complaining challenge or with a healthy challenge of your own. Making one small change can have a huge impact on your life! And not just on you, but on the lives of those who are closest to you as well. Whether you want to start taking a walk each day, or improve your eating habits, or spend daily time in prayer or some other new habit, I encourage you to join in and make one small change.
Make one small change and you can improve your health. Start today. Puritan’s Pride wants to help. Pledge your change and enter to win $2,000, plus products to support your healthy lifestyle.
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Puritan’s Pride. The opinions and text are all mine.
I want to stop thinking about pain. I ahve a disease that causes me daily pain, but focusing on it just makes it seem worse! I am going to keep my mind and thoughts focused outwardly to have a better outlook and hopefully make sure I don’t make others suffer WITH me!
🙂
Good for you! I’ll be smiling with you!
You don’t know how much I needed this post to remind me of GRATITUDE! I’m going to join you! Each year at Lent I express gratitude each day or perform a Random Act of Kindness (I have Celiacs and a raft of other food allergies so I figure I’ve already given up enough & want to still observe Lent) and just the positiveness for 6 weeks changes my life. Thank you for the reminder!
Yes!! I am all over this..=) bellesbazaar-heather.blogspot.com I have started writing five minutes a day and this is on my list as well. I also stopped drinking soda forever! This is my time!