Will my bracelet EVER get here??

Oh, wait...that's a complaint, isn't it.

This is going to be hard.

A few weeks ago I checked out a book on CD when I made a long distance car trip. The book was "A Complaint Free World," by Will Bowen. I knew nothing about the author or the book...it just looked interesting on the shelf, so off we went.

I was transfixed. What WOULD the world be like if everyone stopped complaining? Can we even envision such a thing?

This topic might have subliminally attracted me because I had begun to hear my own whining. I have been a generally positive, upbeat person...until the past year or so. Life has taken some difficult turns for me, and 2010 has been...well, a nightmare so far.

But we all have our burdens, and mine are no bigger or more important than yours. I just had taken to complaining A LOT about mine. I was depressing myself and I'm sure those around me haven't been having any fun, either.

So, I thought, why not? COULD I go 21 days without complaining? Could YOU?

The program rests on the bracelet you put on your wrist for the next 21 days. If you do a whole day without complaining, you leave it on that wrist. BUT, if you complain about something...OOPS! The bracelet is moved to the other wrist and you start all over again. Even if you made it to day 20 and slip...back it goes to the other wrist and back to day 1.

Will Bowen discusses what complaining is and what it isn't. Yes, you stand up for yourself, but only to the person or people who can fix the problem and you only state the facts.

Example:

"My soup is cold. Could you bring me another dish that is hot?" No ugly tone, no personal attack, and you are asking the server who can do this for you.

"My soup is ice cold! Does everyone want to taste this horrible concoction?! Waiter, you idiot! Take this back and throw it out the back door and then bring me something decent to eat! NOW!!" THAT'S complaining.

I think you get the drift.

I ordered my bracelet and will take you along on my journey as soon as it arrives. (Apologies to Mr. Bowen, but you could do this without THEIR bracelet, I'm sure. Those rubber wrist bands are for sale everywhere. I just want to support their effort...I think it's a worthy one.)

Visit www.acomplaintfreeworld.org for more information. I'll share some of it as we walk this road together.

Stay tuned!