A week or so ago a close friend was chatting to me about her attempt to go for an entire day without complaining about anything.  She had been inspired by something she had read in relation to gratitude.  My dear friend succeeded on her first attempt.  She admitted that at one stage in the day she’d had the beginnings of a grumbling thought but had managed to reassess the situation and be grateful for the bigger picture.  A day of no complaints.  Well done her!

I decided to give it a go myself.  In fact, I have decided to give it a go pretty much every day since that discussion with my friend.  My success rate so far?  Zero!  To show you how dismally I have failed in my quest, last night (well, actually this morning) I finally got into bed at 12:11am…  and proceeded to complain about something to my ever-enduring husband.  Then, with horror, I looked at the clock and realised that the next day had already begun.  It was only eleven minutes into a new day and I had already complained.  Epic fail! 

I suspect (embarrassingly) that those who know me well may not be too surprised by this.  But to be honest,  I’m actually a little surprised at myself.  I’ve known for quite a while that I was a wee bit of a complainer.  My husband has from time to time remarked about my ability to find a cloud in every silver lining.  And I’ve also joked with him that, if my time is up before his, he will never be able to truthfully say of me “She never complained about anything”.  Yes indeed, I am a complainer.  I’ve just never realised quite how good I was at it!

I’m also beginning to realise how quickly my self-made complaints train can pick up speed.  Once I start complaining about one thing, I find I can keep that old train increasing in momentum as I notice more and more things to moan about.  And once I’m on that track, it’s pretty easy to keep going.

It’s not that I’m ungrateful.  I truly have so many things in my life to be grateful for.  A zillion things!  I have been blessed beyond measure.  So obviously I need a change of default.  I need to channel some Pollyanna.  Remember Pollyanna?  She’s the sweet orphan girl in the famous book by Eleanor H. Porter, who learnt to play the Glad Game. “Most generally there is something about everything that you can be glad about, if you keep hunting long enough to find it.”  I reckon she was onto a good thing, that Pollyanna.

Besides, complaining people are not particularly nice to be around because they tend to spread their gloom.  Whereas, the Pollyannas of this world seem to splash around their colour and brightness, and make everything seem just that much nicer.  An attitude of gratitude is indeed a beautiful thing.

While discussing these ruminations with my husband and Heir Number One yesterday, I had a shocking thought.  In order to accomplish complete complaint-avoidance, I might actually have to think before I speak.  Like, every time.  Wowsa, that’s a pretty big ask.  When I put this to them as a sincere question, they both burst out laughing.  I wasn’t sure why.  When I continued, in all sincerity, to ask them if most people did actually think before they spoke, they laughed even harder.  Men, who can understand them?

So, into a new week I go, determined to channel a bit of Miss P and her Glad Game.  Determined to make an attitude of gratitude my new default.  And determined to think before I speak – yep, like actually.  Wish me luck!