How to Stop Complaining

 

Why Complaining Is The Thief Of Joy

Ever wondered what life would be like if you stopped complaining? It’s actually a lot harder than you may think. On the other hand, gossiping, complaining and criticizing causes unhappiness. for you and others in ways that may not be immediately obvious.

Words create beliefs and beliefs create behaviour patterns; both good and bad. Everybody wants to be a positive person; but if you removed bitching, complaining and unconstructive criticism from your conversations, what exactly would be left? Not much, it seems.

We spend an enormous amount of energy engaging in this activity, mostly to pass the time and relieve our own boredom. So how exactly do you stop complaining when it’s such a huge part of our culture?

 

A Little Experiment

Many years ago, a minister by the name of Will Bowen realized that what we say influences our thought patterns in profound ways, and this dictates how we feel and what we do. He also realized that it’s not just enough to say: ‘I’m going to stop complaining from now on.’ It actually takes about 21 to 28 days to create a habit, so it takes real commitment to change.

To help people change their negative conditioning, Bowen proposed that people consciously choose to go 21 days without complaining. Here’s how it works: You wear a little purple bracelet on your left wrist. Each time you complain, gossip or criticize, you have to move the bracelet to the other wrist and start again at day zero. You keep on doing this until you have gone a full 21 days without complaining.

You can read more about the experiment here, but basically you don’t need a fancy bracelet to do this. In fact I used an old stretched hair tie. Try it for yourself! It’s definitely not easy but I promise you, the results will be worth it.

 

Take Care Of Your Energy And Happiness Will Follow

Will Bowen isn’t the first to talk about how what you focus on affects your thoughts and your energy, and he won’t be the last. In fact, Esther and Jerry Hicks have been teaching this stuff for decades.

You can learn to be a more positive person by consciously choosing to use words that are in alignment with who you want to be.

Try the 21 day experiment today, or use self-hypnosis to get even faster results and you will be well on your way to practising mindful speech.