What would life be like if we didn’t complain? According to Will Bowen in his book A Complaint Free World: How to Stop Complaining and Start Enjoying the Life You Always Wanted, we would feel happier, and the transformation to the experience of a happier life takes place when a person completes the Complaint Free challenge and becomes complaint free.
He says that even during the process of becoming Complaint Free, people often report that they feel happier long before they reach twenty-one consecutive days of being complaint free.
Once you start feeling happier, Bowen explains, “happiness compounds on itself because happy people tend to attract more positive people, joyful experiences, and opportunities than do unhappy people. As a result, they feel even happier, which draws more good things, and this wonderful cycle continues and expands.”
The Complaint Free challenge is simple in theory however not so easy when practiced. The process: commit to 21 days of being complaint free. Hold yourself accountable by wearing a Complaint Free bracelet, or a rubber band, on your wrist and change it from one wrist to the other every time you complain. As simple as it sounds, it can take many months to complete 21 days of being complaint free.
Bowen does a good job explaining the challenge process, how we are changed by it, and how to get through it. Inspirational quotes, and testimonials from those who completed the challenge, appear throughout the book to provide motivation to keep the challenge going.
Me? I’m wearing the bracelet and still on day one but remain inspired by the good feeling I get each time I change the bracelet from one wrist to the other knowing that I am growing in the direction of a happy and more fulfilling life. How about you?