The Complaint-free May Challenge

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I have been inspired by the April issue of Cleo in more ways than 1. To start with, this particular month featured the Cleo Bachelor of the Year special. Countless pages of 50 eligible bachelors, most of which are shirtless to get lost in. And I particularly love the mini interviews they do, as it makes the guys sound so down to earth and like they would be likely to choose an ordinary (though sometimes strange) girl like me.

But to get back to the point of this challenge, there was also an article in which one of their young journalists embarked on a 21-day complaint free challenge. She had to make it through the full 21 days without so much as a complaint that her coffee was too hot or her friend cancelled on her again.

I began to think about what a great idea this challenge would be. I like to think that I am a pretty level headed person, and try not to be too whiny. But, unfortunately I am human. So along with never being able to grow wings and fly, I do have my periods of feeling sorry for myself, where I will whinge to my little hearts content. I have gone through one of these periods this week. So I thought that the beginning of the month would be the perfect time to start my challenge. I am doing it for a bit longer than the girl in the article, but I'm hoping that it will be easier the longer that I'm doing it, and I won't notice.

To start the challenge, here is 2 definitions of the term complaint:

1. A statement that a situation is unsatisfactory or unacceptable.

2. An expression of pain, dissatisfaction or resentment.

The article states that when embarking on this challenge, you need to recognise the feeling of when you're about to complain, and stop it in it's tracks, ignoring it (or shrugging off whatever is causing the complaint) or turning it into a positive. Upon doing some research, I have found that when doing this challenge, some people like to wear a rubber bracelet, and switch it from wrist to wrist, every time they find themselves complaining. The idea being, that you physically catch yourself in the act. You could even try flicking a rubber band on your wrist if you think that the pain association would work.

I will keep you updated on my progress with the challenge, with a post every Sunday to let you know how I coped with the week, and any failures! Is there anyone that would like to join in this challenge? If so, comment below and I can try to work out a system that is easy for everyone to join in and share their challenge success!

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