21 DAYS WITHOUT COMPLAINS

Yes, I am warming up for this challenge initiated by Rev. Will Bowen. At first it sounds like a silly exercise (every time you complain you switch a bracelet to the other wrist until you had the bracelet on one wrist for 21 days).

So today I just tried to watch my complaining and catch it just before I would express it, to see if I could turn it into something else than just a complain. See, you already complain a lot less by getting in the "witness" mode, where you state to yourself: "Aha...Mmm...I see".

What I observed so far is that complaining takes a lot of energy, it's tiring! I could use this energy to focus on things I appreciate, and that's exactly what Will Bowen is aiming for.

I think some people are actually addicted to complaining, I come from a country (Holland) where people love to complain for hours about anything. When you ask a Dutchman "how are you doing?" he or she will likely answer: "Oh, I can't complain" which is actually a complaint by itself! Complaining in the Netherlands is an art.

This psychology professor Barbara Held said in an interview (as a response to this initiative) that people "need" to complain in order to deal with the world because: "life is hard". I think some people just look at life as the glass being half empty and others as half full, it's a choice.

We all know that what you focus on will become reality and/or grow. When you complain about something or someone you provide it with energy and so you'll get more of what you don't want. That's why it's smarter to pay attention to what you a: already have that you appreciate and what you b: would like to see manifest itself.

What it comes down to is that it just feels much better! Fact: positive people live longer!