The Little Bracelet That Could

Last year the documentary “What the BLEEP do we know?” presented a new way of thinking about life and the universe. More recently “The Secret” has stirred awareness in millions. Now a simple exercise that combines the two is gaining notice by millions. You may have seen one. It’s the Purple Bracelet.

Rev. Will Bowen, minister of the Christ Church Unity in Kansas City, came up with the idea of the bracelet as a part of a 21-day process of replacing negative thinking with positive – stop complaining. The bracelet is a simple reminder for the wearer to pay attention to his/her thinking. Slip into gossip, complaining, or whining, and the bracelet reminds them to think differently. Oh, and place the rubber bracelet on the other hand and start over. It takes about 21 days to create a habit.

Even folks who don’t grasp the creative power of thinking will usually concede that thinking happy thoughts is better than grousing. And that, really, is all the exercise is about. And it’s catching on. The Kansas City church supplies the bracelets at no cost to anyone who asks. As of this writing, nearly 6,000,000 bracelets have been requested from around the world. It’s a quest for a Complaint Free World. Well, why not? Beats a “Bitchin’ all the time world” any day. Why stop complaining?

What is complaining? It’s observing something that displeases us and throwing energy (attention) at it. For most people, complaining is a way of expressing concern about something. Ironically, like worry, the activity of complaining (or whining) actually increases the disagreeable situation/condition rather than reducing it. How can that be?

When we complain we focus attention on something we do not like. The more we complain, the more focused the attention – which reveals even more of what we don’t like, leading to more complaints, and so on. The power to change is within, not without. That’s a principle sometimes difficult to understand and practice. That’s where the purple bracelet comes in.

The bracelet is a tool to assist awareness of personal thinking. The beautiful aspect of thinking is the ability of consciousness to select thoughts. It’s easy to wander into the jungle of old habits of thinking – the preserve of complaints, gossip, and whines. If we catch ourselves (or someone calls to our attention) griping then, voila! Choose to think differently. Oh, and move the bracelet to the other hand.

Caution: As many people working with the Law of Attraction quickly learn, the principle is neutral and works regardless of what is presented by thinking/attention. Example: If I’m complaining about a disagreeable co-worker, and I’m practicing thinking about what I desire rather than what I dislike, I can change the thought. It might go like this: “You are a disagreeable person. I don’t like working with disagreeable people.” Changed to this: “I’ll like it better when you are no longer disagreeable.” Uh-oh.

Got it?

Complaint: Dislike being around disagreeable people. Desire: Disagreeable people should change. What is the FOCUS of those two thoughts - Disagreeable People! Desiring other people to change only reinforces what disturbs you about other people. The change comes from you, not others. George’s Axiom of Life: People are going to do what they’re going to do. Get over it.

What’s the nature of the law? To attract more of (increase) that which is given energy (thought about.) The workplace just opened for more grumpy people. Or, certainly you’d notice more. Put another way, the problem is not the solution.

In a complaint free world, I would desire to appreciate everyone and every thing around me. It’s possible to latch onto a better-feeling thought in every situation. The changed thought might not soar with joy (that’s a stretch) but it can rise a notch above the previous thought. Feeling angry is much better than feeling despair and so on.

“You are a disagreeable person. I don’t like working with disagreeable people.” An improved thought might be: “I appreciate my job…(find something agreeable about your job – paycheck counts!)” What will happen the more you practice thinking a better-feeling thought is that you will be more aware of, and see, of agreeable people and situations around you. They’ve always been there - you weren’t aware of them.

It is a remarkable concept – a complaint free world. It would be populated with agreeable folks. My kind of place. Yours too.

The Problem with Belief

There are no problems. Seriously. I have that on good authority. There are no forces at work scheming to complicate our lives by throwing mischief and mayhem in our daily trek. That’s not to say that while trekking along we don’t create all manner of pot-holes, stumbling rocks, and slippery slopes. We create our troubles. We also create trouble-free and joyous conditions. Which do you prefer?

You’d be surprised how many folks choose the former. Now, why on earth would anyone continue to create disharmonious, uncomfortable, limiting and aggravating experiences? It’s what they believe. Therein lies the source of most, if not all, of our “problems”.

A belief is anything that is accepted as true, such as a creed, doctrine or tenet. The key word is accepted. If something is true, then that’s what you do. If it’s true that all human beings are born in sin, then we act like that. If it’s true that women were formed from a man’s rib, then we act like that. If it’s true that our days on earth are numbered, then the countdown is underway. If it’s true that we spend eternity in hell for an accident of birth except for a Divine intervention, then we act like that. If you believe it’s true that Global Warming will inundate New York City, then make no long-term investments in that city. You know how belief works.

You know people who seem and act “old” when they are in their thirties or forties. And, of course you know folks who are delightfully youthful having lived a long time. You know people who are chronically ill because they believe they must suffer in this life (every magazine and television show has tons of ads to prove it.) You also know people who never seem to catch a cold (hint: They weren’t chasing it!)

A person’s life changes as his/her beliefs change. Beliefs change with thinking. A belief is nothing more than an accepted thought, albeit often an old one held by many people. Back to basics: If you’re unhappy with your life, change your thinking. If you’re happy with your life, keep it up!


From time to time we see a comparison listing of popular “Ins” and “Outs.” One column lists items that are fashionable and IN. The other column lists outdated, no longer fashionable items – the OUT. We are at the tipping point in the most significant upgrade of general and spiritual beliefs in millennia. George’s short list of what Beliefs are coming IN and which are on their way OUT:

IN

Your thinking creates your experience.

There is a universal energy everywhere present which is infinite.

Everything is connected with this energy.

“My thinking invites what comes into my experience.”

God is Good. That’s all there is.

Understanding and using the Law of Attraction.

Life is an “inside” job.

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

There is no scarcity of anything.

There is no such thing as death.

People are allowed to Be (my happiness doesn’t depend on them.)

Nothing happens by coincidence.


OUT

The world is capricious and dangerous.

I am separate from everything; everything is separate from each other.

Victimology (it’s not my fault that my thinking leads to lousy experiences!)

Sh_t Happens!

Resources are finite and must be allocated (someone gets to decide who gets what)

My prayers are to get God to grant me a favor (which is why I go along with the ritual and doctrines.)

Hell is a real place.

Life is eternal is some sort of way.

Force my will upon others (to make me happy.) I’m right, you’re wrong.


The list can be very long, but that’s enough to illustrate just how much fundamental thinking is changing worldwide. Liberating concepts are now loose in the world. The post-boomer generations are tuned in to global communication. Even the most historically dreary realms are stirred with such thinking.

Keep that in mind when you read the news, watch the news, or listen to accounts. The resistence against the IN column is from the OLD column thinking (who know their time is up.) Remember that it wasn’t too long ago that people were killed for having a copy of the Bible. It had some pretty good ideas in it. It is the basis for even better ideas now arriving.

Life, Liberty, and the Persuit of happiness. More and more people are "getting" it. Beliefs are changing. For some, that's a problem...