No-Complain-November + The Gratitude Journal
Nov 1
A couple of weeks ago there was a conversation at work about “Movember” or No-Shave-November. As I am the only girl in the office I wondered to myself what activity I might give up for the month of November. As soon as I asked myself I was struck with a definitive answer. Stop complaining.
I tend to think of myself as a fairly positive, glass-half-full, kind of person, so I felt a certain resistance to the answer in my head. Stop complaining? Really?… In all honesty, though, my positivity isn’t something I’ve always embraced. In fact, thick chapters of my past seem to be dedicated to the negativity instead. I imagine I was a very difficult person to deal with back then. To me these times are cloudy and dark, hardly memorable. However I vividly recall the moment I became aware. It was the voice in my head greeting me each morning after the harsh buzz of my alarm clock, saying, “I hate my life.” One morning I actually listened. No longer an internal drone, I heard the words and I realized I was in trouble. I needed to change my story.
It wasn’t easy. In fact it was an incredibly trying experiment but considering the tone of my inner monologue I didn’t have much to lose. I made a very conscious effort to change the story I was telling myself. It didn’t happen right away but slowly, as I carefully chose the words I used to describe my experience, my experience began to improve. The cloud I had lived under for so long seemed to gradually evaporate. One day I realized I was no longer convincing myself I was happy. I truly was. And because I was happy and healthy I had opened myself up to amazing opportunities that otherwise would have passed me by.
So, here I am several years later, with an internal request to cease complaint. As I thought about it I realized that I have been complaining more than usual. A few negative phrases thrown around here or there might not seem so hideous but I believe that type of energy actually does more damage than we give it credit for. Complaints sneak up on us. They multiply and they’re contagious. Suddenly they become a regular dialogue and a way of connecting with others. So I have officially challenged myself to find positive responses when I am otherwise inspired to complain. As a personal project I’ve invented “No-Complain-November.” Truly this is for my own well being but I hope it will impact the lives of those around me as well. In the spirit of positivity I plan to talk about what I am grateful for instead of complaining about things that are not “going my way.” I will be using this blog as a Gratitude Journal for the month of November and I plan to celebrate Thanksgiving all month.
If you’d like to join me in celebrating No-Complain-November or keeping a Gratitude Journal – let me know! We can share this experience together. Connect with me and tell me what YOU are thankful for:
Now, for my first journal entry…
GRATITUDE JOURNAL // Love
I have to start with LOVE because without it I don’t think anything else matters. I believe it’s the reason we’re here and I’m so grateful for all the people in my life who make me feel loved every single day. I am also grateful because as a wedding photographer, love is the reason I have a business.
Happy Thanksgiving!
