Complaint-Free: Who Me?

When I walked into Barnes and Noble and started browsing through a copy of A Complaint-Free World a number of years ago, I considered myself the most optimistic, positive, encouraging person I knew.

In fact, I joked to my husband that we needed to buy two (maybe three) dozen copies to give all the negative people in my life who drag me down with their never-ending complaints, criticism, and gossip.

Than I read a little farther. And the author had the nerve to suggest that of all the negative people in my life, I might be the worst of the worst!

That. Made. Me. Mad. 

So I decided to take the Complaint-Free challenge: 21 days with no complaining. Just to prove how wrong this author was, I even ordered his silly little purple bracelet. (Which took forever–like a full week!–to arrive.)

The instructions were simple:  I was to start each day with the bracelet on my left wrist. As soon as I caught myself complaining, criticizing, or gossiping, I was to move the bracelet to the other wrist.

For accountability, I told my students what I was doing.

Did they ever warm up to the “challenge” of letting me know when I complained. In the first class, my bracelet switched arms five times in just three minutes!

The shocker was that each time took me totally by surprise. I wasn’t even thinking critical thoughts, when suddenly, “Mrs. G? Is that complaining I hear?”

I soon discovered that my optimistic self-image resembled reality the way a chick flick resembles marriage:

Not. At. All.

Sound Familiar?

___“My life would be much easier without the negative people who drag me down.
___“I speak Sarcasm fluently.”
___“When I see a type-o on a sign, I have to point it out to someone.”
___“I’m surrounded by difficult people at work and/or at home.”
___“It’s not really gossip; everything we say about her is true.”
___“There’s an impossible person in my life who will never change.”
___“I struggle with anxiety, fear, and/or depression.”
___“Negative things people have said keep popping back into my mind.”

If two or more sound familiar, you’re invited to take The PURSE-onality Challenge!

What is The PURSE-onality Challenge?

Quite literally, it’s 31 days of replacing “baditude” with God’s word and gratitude.

May 1-31, 2012, over a thousand women took the challenge together (with a warm-up week starting April 22.)  All the original posts are still available, linked below, so you can take the challenge any time.

If you’ve ever tried to stop an old bad habit, you know how important it is to develop new, good habits as replacements.

So for one month, The PURSE-onality Challenge helps you integrate four positive habits:

1. eliminating complaints
2. focusing on scripture
3. journaling gratitude
4. spotlighting Personality strengths

Take The PURSE-onality Challenge if…