So, who's complaining?
Well, nobody at Kansas City Christ Church Unity of the Rev. William Bowen.
At least now anyway (well, mostly).
Rev. Bowen went on a mission of sorts back in July of 2006.
What started as a sermon in his church regarding complaining, and how you ought not to, has turned into a worldwide message that has reached millions.
You see, Rev. Bowen was encouraging his congregation of 250 to go for 21 days without complaining, believing it takes that period of time to break a habit.
He handed out purple silicone bracelets stamped with the word "Spirit" to use as reinforcement, telling all that each time they complained, they should switch the bracelet to the other wrist.
Anyone who could go 21 straight days without complaining would receive a "certificate of happiness" for their achievement.
"Countless positive thinking techniques and self-help programs have come and gone in the decades since Norman Vincent Peale launched a cottage industry in the 1950s. Maybe it was the purple bracelet, which was Bowen's own twist, that attracted millions around the world. "
"The real magic of the idea is the switching – taking it off, going back and forth," says Bowen. "Complaining is like bad breath. You notice it when it comes out of somebody else's mouth, but not when it comes out of your own."
"The no-complaining idea struck a chord. Word of the initiative spread and the church began getting requests for bracelets from around the world. Bowen set up a nonprofit group, A Complaint Free World, separate from the church, and recruited volunteers to fill orders. He started giving dozens of media interviews, appearing in People magazine, and hobnobbing with Matt Lauer on national TV. One day after Bowen appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show last March, he received orders for more than 2 million bracelets. Today, requests are holding steady at about 25,000 wristbands a week. "
"Bowen was the first of his congregation to go 21 days without complaining (gossiping and sarcasm are no-nos, too). It took him about 10 weeks, which is pretty fast. He says it takes most people four to 10 months to make it for three straight weeks. "The average person complains 20 to 30 times a day and I was at the high end of that," he says. "Now I may complain two or three times a month. But I catch myself."
Read the entire article from the Christian Science Monitor
One Man's Crusade to Stop the World from Complaining à here
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Now, I’m not complaining…
I’m just not much for this kind of thing.
If you read the article, you saw a psychologist say life is hard and it’s alright if people are not happy all the time.
I believe that.
But I’m also not knocking people making an effort to be more positive either.
I just wouldn’t want to see a bunch of fake, happy robots walking around, telling everyone to “smile” all of the time.
Nothing wrong with realizing how often we complain, though.
And, that most everyone does it.
