A Complaint Free World: How to Stop Complaining and Start Enjoying the Life You Always Wanted

A belief is an absolute but arbitrary mental stance.

Misery not only loves company, it derives validation from it.

Hating people is like burning down your own house to get rid of a rat.

Ralph Waldo Emerson is believed to have said, “Happiness is a perfume which you cannot pour on someone without getting some on yourself.

Invitations not obligations: Our expectations of other people can be a big drain on our emotions. When we ask someone to do something, or, worse, have a belief that someone should do something and insist that he or she comply, it places a great stress on us. And the other person, noting our anxiety and insistence that they conform to our expectations, may actually become less inclined to respond as we like. Instead, consider everything you want someone else to do to be an invitation that the other person may or may not choose to accept. Of course, if you are an employer or a parent who is trying to ensure a child's safety, you must have parameters and ground rules. Everyone else, however, should be released from the obligation of doing, being, living, and acting as you feel they should.

People in Africa have a well-deserved reputation for being happy. This may explain why: there is no word in Swahili for "sarcasm" therefore Africans have no concept of saying something and having it mean a playfully snide version of the opposite.

The four stages to competency are:     1. Unconscious Incompetence     2. Conscious Incompetence     3. Conscious Competence     4. Unconscious Competence

Doctors estimate that 67 percent of illnesses are a result of 'thinking sick.' Our thoughts create our world and our words indicate our thoughts. Complaining about an illness will neither shorten its duration nor lessen its severity.

It is vital that we control our minds in order to re-create our lives.

When you commit that what comes out of your mouth will be positive, your mind will become more aware of positive experiences to

People tend to have a false belief that they would like to never face another challenge, and yet much of our happiness comes in facing and overcoming challenges.

Watch your thoughts, for they become words. Watch your words, for they become actions. Watch your actions, for they become habits. Watch your habits, for they become character. Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.

If you don’t like something change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude. Don’t complain. —MAYA ANGELOU

and negative people I know. For myself, I opted several years ago not to watch, read, or listen to what others call “the news.” What we receive is not news. Bestselling author Esther Hicks recently commented that if the news were an accurate reflection of the day’s events, twenty-nine minutes and fifty-nine seconds of a thirty-minute broadcast would be good things that occurred, and the bad news would be just a one-second blip on the screen. What we call news is actually Bad News. To get the most from your Complaint Free journey, I encourage you stop watching, listening to, and/or reading the Bad News.

The more spiritual a person becomes, the less little things upset him or her. With this altered perspective, things that once seemed upsetting can be seen as humorous and entertaining rather than distressing.

people who have been through tough times are better able to handle problems, whereas others who have lived more sheltered lives can be traumatized by even minor setbacks and challenges.

Everyone who has become a 21-Day Complaint Free Champion has said to me, 'It wasn’t easy, but it was worth it.' Nothing valuable is ever easy. Simple? Yes. But 'easy' is not part of becoming a successful person.

If we want to change the world, it must first come from healing the discord within our own souls.

You can best get what you desire by expressing what you want rather than complaining about the way things are.

The way to inspire change was summed up by Benjamin Franklin: 'The best sermon is a good example.

To be a happy person who has mastered your thoughts and has begun creating your life by design, you need a very, very high threshold of what leads you to express grief, pain, and discontent.

I moved my bracelet so many times that I broke three of them before making it 21 consecutive days.

Complaining should happen infrequenlty; criticism and gossip, never... Most of the complaining we do is just a lot of 'ear pollution' detrimental to our happiness and well-being.

Comparing ourselves to others always leaves us discontented, regardless of how much we have.

If venting our anger made us happier, then wouldn’t the biggest complainers also be the happiest people?

The Complaint Free challenge is not an easy one. It takes time and conscious effort to make it through that first complaint-free day. But once your habits and your thinking start to change, it becomes easier. The key is to keep trying. For me, this challenge was not just about stopping complaining; it’s about turning the complaints into gratitude for the blessings that I have. I see the good instead of only seeing things to complain about.

With money you can buy a house, but not a home. With money you can buy a clock, but not time. With money you can buy a bed, but not sleep. With money you can buy a book, but not knowledge. With money you can buy a doctor, but not good health, With money you can buy a position, but not respect. With money you can buy blood, but not life, With money you can buy sex, but not love.