First off:
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
We here at Afropologe look forward to raging, griping, poking fun and having a generally great time with all of you in 2008. :)
Now to my blog..
Have you ever started your day with something really shitty or annoying happen? Like you wake up, brush your teeth, get in the shower and as you shave you either cut yourself or like bang your elbow? Or on the way to work somebody cuts you off and then the rest of the day seem to just go right down the crapper? I’m assuming you said “yes” and if you didn’t – not because you haven’t experienced these exact occurrences but because you, for some reason, lead a completely happy and worry free life – then you are a weirdo. Well, what if I told you that there are lots of people out there that believe that you’re kinda at fault for the day you’re having, and that if you put a smile on your face all you want (and more!) is right there for you?
Yeah, it sounds pretty crazy stupid to me, too, which is why when my Mom gave me the book “A Complaint Free World: The 21 Day challenge” I rolled my eyes and was pretty annoyed. Ever since that “The Secret” shizz came out a few months ago this whole “power of thought” idea has been picking up steam (and a hell of a lot of revenue) all over the country and world. People are trying to change their thoughts according to the “law of attraction” that says that your thoughts send out some sort of vibrations into the world that attract to you exactly what you’re thinking about; So if you worry about fixing your debt, concentrating on that debt will attract more to you, but if you look forward to and think about being financially stable and successful, you will attract this sort of success to you.
I’m sure that if you read this blog that you know me by know, and you know that I’m gonna have a couple things to say about this idea. First let me start with what’s problematic about it- I mean... can we say hegemonic? If this isn’t hegemony at work then I don’t know what is. Convince a bunch of people that they reap what they sow in their thoughts so if they are unsuccessful or experience injustice they feel that it is, somehow, partially their own fault and are discouraged from action. I mean, in regards to the whole financial standpoint of this- we live in a Capitalist society, and in such a society it’s pretty much impossible for everyone to have financial security and stability. I mean, that’s just how it is, so saying to people that if they think positively they’ll get it isn’t really effective since it’s all a numbers game and you just can’t beat some odds. I mean, there are some situations where getting angry and complaining is absolutely necessary in order to change things or to bring notice to a situation that needs action.
On the other hand, I can see a potential benefit in this. I mean, I don’t think it’s very easy to argue that the world does not need a little less negativity. There’s a lot to be said for taking a conscious step toward bettering the way you approach the world around you, and even if the benefit is only felt by you, it’s still something worth trying. I’m a big believer in kindness having major effects on people without major efforts and I feel like putting less negativity in the world (via being “complaint free”) could possibly help.
So what is the challenge, you ask? It involves tracking your complaining (complaints, criticisms or negative judgments- oh and gossip, too) by using a physical marker- so if you have one of the complaint-free sponsored bracelets then every time you complain you must switch the bracelet from one wrist to the next. The goal, and challenge, is to go 21 consecutive days without switching your bracelet. Each time you switch your bracelet, no matter how far along in the 21 days you’ve gone, you must start over again. In the book (which I read, it was pretty easy and quick to get through) they say that it takes the average person 4-8 months to go the 21 days.
Where does that leave me? Well, I’ve decided to give it a go, and ever since the 26th of December I’ve been making a modest attempt to track my own negativity. I’ll let you know how it goes. Hopefully it won’t take me TOO long. And I’m experiencing a few of the benefits now.
So- what do you think? Does this seem like a nice idea or just a fleeting fad for Oprah addicted Moms?
If you take up the challenge, let me know. We can be strong together!
P.S. The complaints only count for spoken words- not thoughts or written things, so this blog is FREEEE RANGE! Yes! Excellent.
Have you ever started your day with something really shitty or annoying happen? Like you wake up, brush your teeth, get in the shower and as you shave you either cut yourself or like bang your elbow? Or on the way to work somebody cuts you off and then the rest of the day seem to just go right down the crapper? I’m assuming you said “yes” and if you didn’t – not because you haven’t experienced these exact occurrences but because you, for some reason, lead a completely happy and worry free life – then you are a weirdo. Well, what if I told you that there are lots of people out there that believe that you’re kinda at fault for the day you’re having, and that if you put a smile on your face all you want (and more!) is right there for you?
Yeah, it sounds pretty crazy stupid to me, too, which is why when my Mom gave me the book “A Complaint Free World: The 21 Day challenge” I rolled my eyes and was pretty annoyed. Ever since that “The Secret” shizz came out a few months ago this whole “power of thought” idea has been picking up steam (and a hell of a lot of revenue) all over the country and world. People are trying to change their thoughts according to the “law of attraction” that says that your thoughts send out some sort of vibrations into the world that attract to you exactly what you’re thinking about; So if you worry about fixing your debt, concentrating on that debt will attract more to you, but if you look forward to and think about being financially stable and successful, you will attract this sort of success to you.I’m sure that if you read this blog that you know me by know, and you know that I’m gonna have a couple things to say about this idea. First let me start with what’s problematic about it- I mean... can we say hegemonic? If this isn’t hegemony at work then I don’t know what is. Convince a bunch of people that they reap what they sow in their thoughts so if they are unsuccessful or experience injustice they feel that it is, somehow, partially their own fault and are discouraged from action. I mean, in regards to the whole financial standpoint of this- we live in a Capitalist society, and in such a society it’s pretty much impossible for everyone to have financial security and stability. I mean, that’s just how it is, so saying to people that if they think positively they’ll get it isn’t really effective since it’s all a numbers game and you just can’t beat some odds. I mean, there are some situations where getting angry and complaining is absolutely necessary in order to change things or to bring notice to a situation that needs action.
On the other hand, I can see a potential benefit in this. I mean, I don’t think it’s very easy to argue that the world does not need a little less negativity. There’s a lot to be said for taking a conscious step toward bettering the way you approach the world around you, and even if the benefit is only felt by you, it’s still something worth trying. I’m a big believer in kindness having major effects on people without major efforts and I feel like putting less negativity in the world (via being “complaint free”) could possibly help.
So what is the challenge, you ask? It involves tracking your complaining (complaints, criticisms or negative judgments- oh and gossip, too) by using a physical marker- so if you have one of the complaint-free sponsored bracelets then every time you complain you must switch the bracelet from one wrist to the next. The goal, and challenge, is to go 21 consecutive days without switching your bracelet. Each time you switch your bracelet, no matter how far along in the 21 days you’ve gone, you must start over again. In the book (which I read, it was pretty easy and quick to get through) they say that it takes the average person 4-8 months to go the 21 days.
Where does that leave me? Well, I’ve decided to give it a go, and ever since the 26th of December I’ve been making a modest attempt to track my own negativity. I’ll let you know how it goes. Hopefully it won’t take me TOO long. And I’m experiencing a few of the benefits now.
So- what do you think? Does this seem like a nice idea or just a fleeting fad for Oprah addicted Moms?
If you take up the challenge, let me know. We can be strong together!
P.S. The complaints only count for spoken words- not thoughts or written things, so this blog is FREEEE RANGE! Yes! Excellent.
