Hello and welcome to the Gratitude Breakfast Club,
A quick morning meet-up to help you jump-start or maintain your gratitude practice.
We'll make it quick because we know you have things to do on this beautiful day.
Hello,
Beautiful ones.
We human beings are social animals,
So we are always striving to connect with each other.
And one of the default ways we do that is to complain.
Whether it's about the weather,
Which is either too hot or too cold,
Too wet or too dry,
Or about how much we slept,
Which is usually too little,
Or the duration of the weekend,
Which is usually too short or too fast,
Or even about our health,
Complaining is often how we greet and bond with each other.
When we see each other,
We open the door for complaints by asking,
How are you?
If we don't get a rote response,
Fine,
Thanks.
How are you?
We often get a complaint.
Why is that?
According to Pastor Will Bowen,
Who created the 21-Day Complaint-Free Challenge,
It's because complaining is safe.
It's not threatening to the person listening because you're not calling them to higher levels of expression or vulnerability.
But it is damaging to them and to you.
Complaining drains your energy and the energy of the person listening to you.
And complaining is the opposite of gratitude.
It's talking about what we don't want rather than what we do want or what we appreciate.
So it short-circuits the benefits of our gratitude practice.
Most of us notice when others complain,
But not when we do so.
So how can you tell if you're complaining?
One,
Notice the intention and energy behind your words.
It's one thing to state that it's raining outside.
It's another to say the same thing with the intention of expressing that you're not pleased about it.
Because,
As you can imagine,
There are some people who love the rain.
Number two,
It's a complaint if you want a person or a situation changed,
And you're not speaking to the person responsible for making those changes.
And number three,
If you have to ask,
It probably was a complaint.
So today,
When you do notice yourself complaining,
See if you can turn it around.
You can do that simply by adding the word,
But.
I'm feeling so sick today,
But I'm going to get some medicine and make sure I take care of myself.
It's so hot and muggy today,
But I'll be in the air conditioning soon enough.
If you're able to do that even once today,
Take the time to appreciate yourself for your mindfulness and for shifting your energy.
With love,
Appreciation,
And gratitude,
This is Karen.
