Back at work it was more challenging but ultimately not that difficult to go without complaining and I’ve discovered that I can still make wisecracks that are legitimately not complaints in disguise. Yay.
I keep telling people that I’m doing this because I think there’s a reasonable chance that when I slip up I may not even notice it, so independent verification will be handy.
While I won’t say it’s been easy so far, I really do think that recognizing “complaint mode” has helped a lot. A couple of times I would think about saying something but silently ask myself first (as you tend to look a bit loco when you ask yourself questions out loud), “Is this actually a complaint?” and realize it was and then I’d just let it go. I wouldn’t think of another way to rephrase the statement, I’d just move on.
For example, the queue at work is very big right now, probably the largest it’s ever been. I could easily complain about it, but instead I don’t. I think about it, but when it comes to actually speaking, I’ll make suggestions on how to address it, propose solutions. You know, the opposite of complaining. It seems very Pollyanna-ish, but to heck with it. Who didn’t like Pollyanna? (Note: I’ve never seen the movie, so I have no idea if a major plot point turned on everyone secretly hating her or something.)
There’s 17 more days to go. It seems improbable that I will get there without interruption, but much like my quest to make 2018 donut-free, sometimes you just gotta believe (2018 has so far been donut-free).
