I’m done complaining. As of last night, I’m not complaining anymore.
Don’t get me wrong, I think of myself as a very positive person but it’s so easy for me to complain about my workload, personal stressors, family dynamics, aches & pains, etc.
But here’s what I was thinking…
It sucks to listen to people complain. It’s boring. It’s pointless. I’ve been one of the people complaining and one of the people listening to others complain. It sucks.
But, on top of being annoying & not interesting, it doesn’t make me happy.
I want to be happy. I can choose to be happy regardless of what is going on in my day or life.
While I drove home last night, I was listening to a podcast that told a story of a woman who declared she was making a radical choice: I choose to be happy.
It really struck me. I choose to be happy, too.
So, I’m done complaining. There’s way more in my life that I can be grateful about than there are things to complain about. And complaining doesn’t solve problems.
I had lots of chances to practice not complaining this morning. In fact, I left myself a note last night in case I forgot about my decision this morning.
“I choose to be happy. I choose to stop complaining”
When I got to the gym about a dozen people commented to me, “Whoa, you’ve got quite a sunburn!!”
I could have easily started complaining about the burn and the fact that sunburn + mosquito bites is a special kind of hell. Sunburn + mosquito bites + a workout that requires tossing around a burlap sandbag = a much darker hell.
Instead, I chose to smile and say “I earned it while enjoying a gorgeous day biking around Martha’s Vineyard.” True story. And a much more pleasant one than bitching about my sunburn and bug bites.
Bitching about the burn & the bites doesn’t make them feel better. It only makes me notice them more and therefore feel more uncomfortable. No thanks. I choose to be happy.
How lucky am I that I got to spend the weekend on Cape Cod, enjoy a party around a fire pit on Saturday night and a day biking around an island on Sunday? There is NOTHING to complain about.
I had opportunities to practice not complaining even before I left for the gym.
I wake up between 4:30 and 5am daily and I usually get to a certain point in my work before leaving for the gym at 6:50am. Today, however, I didn’t get as far in my work as I normally do.
As I noticed a complaining thought arising, I decided against it. It doesn’t make me happy to focus on how much work there is to do as though it’s a burden. Truthfully, I’m lucky to have work. Having a lot of clients is a BLESSING, not a burden. Not even a little. And, it’s early. There’s plenty of day ahead for me to get my work done. For now, I’m grateful for the break to workout.
Does this mean I won’t complain in the next 30 days? No. I’m sure I will. But just in the first 12 hours I’ve been more mindful and that’s progress in itself.
I choose to be happy.
My life reflects my thoughts, words & actions and I choose to be happy. I choose to not complain.
That workout I mentioned? It was a doozy. I feel a great sense of accomplishment with it behind me. That rough sandbag against my sunburn over and over and over was a great reminder to use sun protection next time!!
“Air Bags”
AMRAP 25
Teams of 3:*
10 Wreck Bag Zercher Reverse Lunges (5/side), 70/50
10 Alternating Wreck Bag Shoulders, 70/50
20 Lateral 2-foot Wreck Bag Hops (1 jump = 1 rep)
200m Run*Relay style, Athlete 2 can start once athlete 1 leaves for the run
The workout gave me so many chances to practice not complaining. I was tired on the first round but I chose to focus on the fitness I was improving with each step & rep.
On the food front:
I had a couple cups of cold brew coffee before my workout and another one afterwards. Around 11am I took a break from work to enjoy a cobb salad.
At 2:30 I had this week’s Paleo Power Meals special – shrimp scampi over cauliflower rice. It was so tasty.
When I can, I prefer to have dinner early so at 5:30pm I had some grilled chicken & a smoothie made with cacao powder, frozen cauliflower & strawberries. It was really, really tasty & a yummy way to incorporate carbs at night!
Make it a great day, guys!
PS: If you choose to give Paleo Power Meals a try, be sure to use the coupon code ebprimal20 to save 20% on your first order!
PPS: If you’re new to these posts, listen to this podcast episode to get the scoop on what changes I’m making in my life and you can start back at my first daily post here.