Tenner Week: Day 2: Grit to Pearls

How’s your Tenner Week going? Spent all your £10 budget yet? Hope not! Today we’re going to break with tradition and say ‘screw positive thinking’ to get some interesting results.

Okay, taking a positive attitude can be helpful in many situations, but it’s not always healthy to pretend that we’re feeling upbeat and chipper when we aren’t feeling that way at all. When I say pretend, that could be pretending to everyone or simply pretending to yourself.

While it probably isn’t healthy to dwell over and over on the same negative thing, it can actually be quite helpful to acknowledge the occasional flash of anger or niggle of annoyance. Done the right way, admitting to the irritation can become a springboard for action or an attitude change. You might also like to read my recent review of The Antidote: Happiness for people who can’t stand positive thinking by Oliver Burkeman, which has partly inspired today’s activity.

So, let’s get pissed off! Think of at least three things that are making you feel narky this week, and then pick one to take action on.

For example:

• Unpleasant job > time to improve CV, talk to boss or HR, look for a new job?

• Dislike a political situation > sign a petition, go on a march, vote in European elections?

• Health problems > visit GP, get fit, request a second opinion, take better care of own health?

• Debt worries > contact debt help charity, contact creditors, make debt action plan?

• Dislike home environment > do some decluttering, finish that DIY, plan to redecorate?

• Bored and grumpy > revive hobbies & interests, learn something new, get creative?

Not everything has a simple, or cheap, or possible solution, but there’s probably something you can do this week to help improve matters, even if it’s something small.

What’s happening here?

I’ve had a virus for the last three weeks. You probably didn’t know that, because I didn’t want to be all negative and moany about it, and besides Beau has been much more poorly than myself so it seemed a bit churlish to complain. But I am complaining now, because three weeks and counting is waaay too long to have a head cold and cough.

So there’s a plan from today – rest, eat healthily, and get better. I’ll even be good and take my vitamins, and from tomorrow I’ll start back with some regular gentle exercise and build it back up.

What else is annoying me? Spam, that’s what. I know we all get some from time to time, but when you write about personal finance, holy moly. Hundreds of spams per hour, mostly money-off scam emails from the States. Rather than moan about it or swear at the screen when there’s nobody else in the room (yes, temporarily very satisfying but not all that practical in the long run) I’ll find myself a new spam filter today and KABLAMMMM those little suckers. It’ll be a great help to my everyday productivity.

Oh yeah, and Little Cat has been jumping on my head again in the middle of the night, the attention-seeking little beast. Four times last night, as I blearily recall, and it stops being funny after three. She’s going to be unceremoniously plonked back into her basket tonight if she tries it again. Must. Be. Stricter!  Better sleep equals better everything.

See, it’s easy to take that annoying bit of grit and turn it into something good. Oysters only make pearls when they’re irritated.

I managed a no-spend day yesterday, so I’m starting today with my £10 note intact. We’re running out of milk though…

What’s getting on your wick today, and how are you going to fix it?