Cheri wrote this article about having a complaint-free month. Well, let’s stretch that into all the 40 days of Lent! (Don’t take off Sundays….it needs to be a Day of Rest from complaining, too!)
Then, by the time Lent is over, we will be more aware of our complaining habit…not just with our husbands, but with everyone we come in contact with.
with permission by Cheri Gregory on Happy Wives Daily Blog
Every January for the last seven years, I’ve taken the Complaint-Free Challenge: one whole month without complaining.
Of course, this has not meant ignoring legitimate problems. Will Bowen, author of A Complaint-Free World, makes a clear distinction between complaining and problem-solving. Complaining is making energetic statements focused on the problem at hand rather than the resolution, while problem–solving is speaking directly and only to the person who can resolve the issue.
Complaint-Free: Who Me?
The first time I tried the Complaint-Free Challenge, I discovered how rarely I used true problem-solving techniques. My mouth seemed set on negative auto-pilot. I griped endlessly out of habit rather than choosing my words with care.
To become more aware of my complaining tendencies, I started each day with a purple “Complaint-Free World” bracelet on my left wrist. Each time I caught myself complaining, I changed the band to my other wrist.
I soon became conscious of one specific complaining habit involving my husband.
Every time Daniel came into my home office, I’d stop working and start complaining. This habit was so automatic that the moment I’d hear him walking downstairs, I’d feel irritated and find something wrong to report the moment he walked in.
This is ridiculous! I thought. What’s going on here? Why do I drop what I’m doing and fabricate a complaint whenever Daniel appears?
Finally, after some soul-searching and a good laugh at my own expense, I realized what I was doing:
I was trying to reconnect with my husband.
We’d been apart for a while, and I was trying to re-engage with him. Of course, the method I was using was counterproductive; my complaints often resulted in disagreements or Daniel retreating in haste.
Once I recognized my true desire, I tried a new approach. I replaced all my complaints with one simple word:
“Hi!”
It worked like a charm.
3 Reasons I Aim to be Complaint-Free Wife
1. I am more pleasant to be with. Daniel stops by to see me far more frequently, and with far less trepidation!
2. I am happier. I’ve found that what I hear, I take to heart. And since I hear myself 24/7, complaining words and thoughts cause a cacophony of “baditude” in my heart. Less complaining has created space for peace, quiet, and contentment.
3. I’m more grateful. I used to think that I’d get around to gratitude when I didn’t have so much to complain about. When I intentionally quit complaining, I suddenly had time to notice and point out all the good. The more appreciation I expressed, the more I noticed things for which I was grateful. As gratitude became my new default, complaining naturally died off.
I recognize that going complaint-free isn’t for everyone. But I’ll tell you from experience that each time I take the Complaint-Free Challenge, I become more the happy woman–and happy wife–I most want to be.
Valuable lessons are learned when a family works together. A child learns to respect authority. He becomes independent, does not expect others to pave the way before him, but learns that working is part of earning his way. The discipline he develops will be invaluable to him all through his life. -Finer Femininity
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EEK! I think this one is especially for me. Thank you Leanne. I will take the challenge.
That is really interesting….like when he calls or comes home and says, How is your day?” Its like everything bad small or big is the first thing to mind. Yes A very good challenge, thank you. 🙂
I always learn so much from your posts but like the other gals I feel that this one was written especially for me! THANK YOU!!!!
Just what I’d planned on for Lent! Now for the courage to stick it out.. 💪🙏😬😇
Oh, a very timely and worthwhile challenge… Truly.
I want to do this but am hard wired to complain. My dear husband asked me after he got home from work this evening, “how are you?” I wrestled with myself not to whine,”I feel soooo sick.” Instead I said,”since I feel sick all the time, I guess I’m great!” Fail! Anybody have any tricks to stop a really bad complaining habit?
BenAnna, I hear you. I’m a chronic complainer too. The tool I found most helpful (and I’ve needed lots of supernatural help on this one!!) is to spend more time listening. Ask other people how they are, and really listen. Ask questions. Find out about their lives and problems. Not only will it keep me from complaining (I’m too busy listening!), but it helps me put my own small problems into perspective. Suddenly, I found myself honestly being able to answer, “You know what, I’m really good!” when people ask me, because my own complaints seem so minor after all.
Wonderful!