Any Fool

"Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain, but it takes character and self-control to be understanding and forgiving." This quote, attributed to Dale Carnegie, pretty well sums up my 21-day challenge to curb my complaining.  Those who may have read my blog post from July 11 know that I had read of such a challenge and decided to try it for myself.  The past three weeks have been enlightening to me, for I tried to make the thoughts in my head and the words that came out of my mouth more positive and affirming.  Granted, I did have at least one complaint meltdown during that time, but just paying attention to what I think and say was a great exercise for me.  I learned that such self-control led to better self-understanding and forgiveness and that the attempt at adopting a feeling of contentment and acceptance of what is was worth the effort and then some.  It's all about how we perceive and interpret the events of our lives and how critical or judgmental we are about those events.  Now that three weeks have passed, I think I'll stretch my little experiment for three more weeks.