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“Complaining is talking about things you do not want rather than what you do want.” – Will Bowen. What if we all bit our tongues the next time we were going to complain? I don’t mean we can’t describe something factually that needs to be put right. That could be dangerous. But what if we refrained from speaking our complaints? The kind of comment that is colored by a tone of disgust, irritation, even anger. That’s Will Bowen’s idea. The lead minister at Christ Church Unity in Kansas City, Missouri, Bowen came up with the silly idea of passing out to his congregation purple bands – like the WWJD bracelets and the Lance Armstrong bracelets, but purple and with these words engraved in the rubber: A Complaint Free World. His idea was this. Wear it. And every time you complain, shift the band to the other wrist, so that you start becoming aware of just how much you do complain every day. And then try, try and try again to see how seldom you can move that band from one wrist to the other. The goal is to see if you can bite back those complaints for 21 days straight. (That’s how long scientists say it takes to form a new habit.) Bowen warns it may take at least 4-10 months before you get 21 on a row! But it’s worth it he says because even before you go 21 days in a row (and maybe you never will!) But think of it – even during those months when you are “failing” you’ll still be articulating fewer complaints than you might otherwise and at least modifying the habit. And then there is this. It appears that when you can’t articulate your complaints aloud, your brain stops producing negative complaining thoughts. And when you have less negative thoughts – guess what –you tend to smile more, see life more positively. Still sound silly? Well, let me add this. As of 2007 (when the book A Complaint Free World came out) Christ Church had received requests for 6 million purple bracelets from people in more than 80 countries and requests for almost 1,000 bracelets every day! That means there may be 6 million (probably more than that now) less complaints every day! Wouldn’t the world be a little better place in which to live with 6 million plus less complaints? I’m trying it. Or rather I did and I’ve lapsed and intend to try again. Writing this review reminded me I had intended to order bracelets for every member of my family and to give them one along with the book for Christmas. Seems like the kind of gift that could keep on giving. So I just did – through their website. Check it out at http://www.acomplaintfreeworld.org <back to list |
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