Facebook Memories reminded me I had engaged in a complaint-free week in 2011. It was an interesting and revealing week. Here’s a recap: Day #1. For the next seven days, I'm committed to living a Complaint-Free life. Zero tolerance for complaining or blaming. [I got the idea from Will Bowen, the founder of an organization called A Complaint Free World. I posted my commitment and invited Facebook friends to join in.]
“When you complain, you make yourself a victim.
Leave the situation, change the situation, or accept it.
All else is madness.”
– Eckhart Tolle
Complaining, griping, kvetching – we all do it, right? Complaining can be a habit and, for most of us, it’s pretty easy to get others to commiserate with us. It can even feel anti-social not to join in someone else’s bitch session. But is complaining really a habit worth continuing?
Facebook Memories reminded me I had engaged in a complaint-free week in 2011. It was an interesting and revealing week. Here’s a recap:
Day #1. For the next seven days, I'm committed to living a Complaint-Free life. Zero tolerance for complaining or blaming.
[I got the idea from Will Bowen, the founder of an organization called A Complaint Free World. I posted my commitment and invited Facebook friends to join in.]
Day #2. It's natural to notice things we don't like. That's the contrast that inspires desire. The contrast also sets up a crossroads. We can complain and attract more of what we don't like OR we can make peace with what-is, focus on what we prefer and attract more of the good stuff.
[I get to choose how I respond and it matters very much what I choose. As A Course in Miracles proclaims, “I could choose love instead!” Or fun . . . or joy . . . or . . . ]
Day #3. I notice my tendency to complain when I have to wait – at the chiropractor's office, checking out at the grocery store, etc. I'm wondering – Is complaining a response to feeling powerless?
[It may feel like I’m taking my power back when I complain, but complaining actually lowers my vibration and exacerbates my feeling of powerlessness.]
Day #4. The weather forecast calls for a high of 108 here in Austin. Rather than complaining about the heat, I intend to appreciate the air conditioning and imagine cool crisp fall weather coming.
[My neighbor was bemoaning the heat wave that day and I responded that I’d love to join in but I had committed to a complaint-free week. We both laughed.]
Day #5. I bet if we REALLY got it that we create our own reality, instead of complaining about a reality we don’t like, we’d get busy creating a reality we prefer.
[Complaining only brings us more to complain about.]
“Instead of cursing the darkness, light a candle.”
– Benjamin Franklin
Day #6. If I say it's too damn hot or this traffic sucks or why did she cut my hair so short, I'm complaining. If I say it's really hot, there's a lot of traffic today, she sure cut my hair short this time, I'm noticing. One is a complaint and one is an observation. And the vibrational difference is huge.
[This was a fun realization. I can notice what-is without complaining about it.]
Day #7. Calls to customer service departments have often been less than a cakewalk for me so I set a strong intention before calling AT&T today. It worked! I sailed through the entire call without complaint and proved that – with the right attitude – I can enjoy every moment of this physical life experience.
[How empowering to know that it’s possible to enjoy any situation. Well, if not enjoy, at least accept.]
Revisiting my Complaint-Free Week reminded me:
*how much easier it is to maintain a high vibration when I refuse to give in to blaming and complaining.
*I can always choose a better feeling response.
*instead of complaining about a reality I don't like, I can focus on the reality I prefer and, thus, create a better feeling experience.
Today I’m recommitting to a complaint-free life and I’m super determined to find something positive about every situation.
Will you join me?
I Want To Be a Blended Being!
“I want to be a Blended Being! I want to be a Blended Being! I want to be a Blended Being!” These are the words and the sentiment that came up from deep inside my life when I first heard Abraham talk about the Blended Being. It was early 2005 and I had just been introduced to Abraham and the Law of Attraction. I was reading Ask & It Is Given [in my opinion, still the best Law of Attraction book] and listening to recordings [in those days, on cassette tape].The Infinite Power of Your Mind
I wrote these words to encourage my sister and, in so doing, I also inspired myself to more consistently focus the Energy that Creates Worlds toward my desires – big and small – and to not settle for less than I desire. Perhaps you will be encouraged and inspired as well!Do You Really Care What Other People Think Of You?
When I first heard Abraham’s guidance to not give a rip what other people think, I was thrilled at the idea but I had no clue where to begin. I had always liked the aphorism “happiness is an inside job” and decided to figure out what that actually means. I finally – halleluiah! – started looking inside to feel good. There were shaky starts and setbacks, but my True Self continued to call me to feel good from the inside out.