This Week’s Challenge: Turn your complaints into thanks
It’s easy to get stuck in a funk when we focus entirely on what’s going wrong. Growing up, I was a master at negative thinking and worst-case scenarios. If I’m honest, I still can be.
My poor mother was always trying to help me see the bright side. Before I left the house, she would make me repeat multiple times: “I feel healthy, I feel happy, I feel terrific.” Boy, did I hate that!
Another classic? Whenever I complained about doing the dishes, she’d say, “Thank you for these dirty dishes; they have a story to tell. While some people go hungry, we are eating pretty well.” It drove me crazy, but looking back, it genuinely helped change my mindset. I can now look at most situations and find something, albeit very small, that is a positive. Here are a few examples, not necessarily mine:
I have a crappy car… I have a car
My job is stressful… I have a job
I have so many health issues… I’m still breathing
My kids drive me crazy… at least I don’t have that other person’s kids (LOL)
“Happiness comes when we stop complaining about the troubles we have and offer thanks for all the troubles we don’t have.” —Thomas S. Monson