We’ve all seen the colored wristbands with a message, right? Lance Armstrong started the trend with his yellow “Live Strong” wrist band to support cancer research. Other organizations soon followed suit, as it turned out to be a highly effective way to spread a message.

Well, a couple of weeks ago the minister of my church at Unity of Yucaipa handed out a wristband that I had not yet seen, nor heard of. It was purple, with the words “Spirit” and “AComplaintFreeWorld.org” printed on it. We were to wear the bracelets as a reminder to live complaint free, and focus on attaining 21 days of complaint free living. As a reminder, each time we complained, we were to switch the bracelet to the other wrist and start our 21 day cycle again.

Now I’m always up for trying something new and exciting, and I thought this was a perfect way to continue to strengthen my already positive attitude, and at the same time spread the message of positive thinking by wearing a simple wristband. I’m pretty optimistic, so this next 21 days was going to be not only fun, but easy-peasy too!

Boy did I get a wake up call! The first day I wore the bracelet I had to switch it five times! And that was only in a nine hour period.

Now there are many folk who don’t really understand the truth behind complaining – and I was one of them. It’s not a way to get something to change, and it’s not a very good way to get your point across. It’s not a way to point out mistakes, and it’s not a way to get out of doing something we don’t want to do. Complaining is honestly just a way to get attention. I found that every time I complained it was really to get someone’s sympathy or to make them feel guilty.

Living a life free of complaining doesn’t mean that we have to put up with something we’d rather not, and it doesn’t mean we aren’t allowed to point out a mistake. It simply means that we need to learn to honestly speak our truth (kindly of course) and it means that we have to learn where our boundaries are. It means facing up to our issues, and taking responsibility for our lives. It means sticking to the facts. If we order waffles for breakfast, and receive pancakes instead, we don’t have to whine to our waiter or waitress about it. We simply request our waffles. If someone asks you to volunteer to plant a tree, and you don’t feel up to it because your back hurts, again, it’s not necessary to go into how hard your life is because your back hurts so much. Just inform them that you aren’t really up to it, and maybe they can catch you next time.

Complaint free living helps us to cultivate a positive attitude and it helps us to focus on gratitude. This type of thinking will inspire those around us, and improve our relationships and our health! And by taking our focus off the negative, we are opening up to a whole new world of blessings and abundance.

I found out the 21 day challenge takes an average or 4 to 8 months to complete. I’m up for it! How about you?


Will Bowen, a Unity minister in Kansas, is the founder of the campaign for A Complaint Free World (acomplaintfreeworld.org).