O P R A H  
update
How's Reggie doing? Watch The Oprah Winfrey Show Wednesday April, 11th and find out how Oprah's personal makeup artist Reggie is doing on becoming "Complaint Free!"

Check your local listings for channels and times
For more information, visit Oprah.com

Will Bowen, his wife Gail and
their daughter Lia in front of
the Oprah Winfrey studios

Click here to Watch the "Today Show" story

Coming This weekend:

• The BBC national radio broadcast in the United Kingdom

• "People Radio" - national radio broadcast in the United States created by "People Magazine"

      A  lot of people ask, “How can you handle all of the requests?”  Beyond a growing group of excited volunteers who come to pack bracelets twice each week, there are volunteer teams who answer phone calls and e-mails, print labels, prepare letters and envelopes, attach stamps, and order supplies.  We have millions of purple bracelets arriving in the coming 6-9 weeks and do a lot of “prep” work ahead of time so that when the bracelets arrive we package and ship them pretty fast.

     As the word spreads and bracelet requests continue to come in, we are still hoping to meet the 4-6 week turnaround time.  Undoubtedly there may be some events out of our control that may extend this period by a week or two, but the volunteers are excited and thousands of purple bracelets are being sent out the door on almost a daily basis.

     I'm often asked "Why did you send me an envelope with my purple bracelet(s), I made a donation when I placed my request."  As you know, we're not a big company, just a modest community church and with the shear volume of packages we send out, we can't customize each package removing or including certain things.

      The envelope is there to invite you to share your "Complaint Free" story with us.  If you choose to donate, that's fine.  If you choose not to donate, that is also fine.

     Lastly, keep an eye out on this newsletter and our web site in the coming weeks for our cool, newly designed t-shirts and a few other items.  Due to the wonderfully large number of requests for bracelets recently, we decided to temporarily remove the t-shirt order option to focus on bracelets, but they will be back soon!
 

                                                   Complaint Free Blessings,
                      Tom
                                                   Tom Alyea
                                                   Coordinator
                                                   A Complaint Free World
 

 :: Tell us How You're Doing

 :: Resources

     To help support you in your efforts to become complaint free, Will Bowen is writing a book which answers a lot of Frequently Asked Questions and provides a better understanding of why people complain and how doing so is damaging to our lives.    A major book publisher has just agreed to publish the book with a target date of October 2007.  We'll keep you updated as things progress.
 

      To help you stay more connected to spirit and be a more positive person, we also recommend:

The opposite of complaining is gratitude.  In the United States, we celebrate our collective gratitude once a year on Thanksgiving.
 

      In preparation for this day of thanks, we are proposing that the day before Thanksgiving be officially declared "Complaint Free Wednesday!"
 

     What better way to help us prepare for a day of gratitude than a day free from talking about the "bad" things around us. 
 

      If you live in the U.S., email your Congressional and Senate Representatives today.  Ask them to introduce a bill and support the bill's passing officially declaring the day before Thanksgiving "Complaint Free Wednesday!"

• Click HERE to contact your representative in the House
   

• Click HERE to contact your Senator.

      You requested purple "Complaint Free^tm" bracelets from Christ Church Unity and we want to support you in your attempt to become a happier person by eradicating complaining from your life.  Periodically, we will send you an e-newsletter like this one to:

• Inspire you to stay the course in your transformation

• Educate you with answers to Frequently Asked Questions

• Provide you with resources to support you on your way

      If you know someone who would benefit from this e-newsletter, please invite them to click here.
 

Of Course you can complain.  Complaining is a choice and we honor whatever you choose--our goal is not to change you.  However, if you do want to become a happier person by learning not to complain, we are here to support you in your efforts.
 

      We've found through our own experience that when we complain--talk about things we wish were NOT in our lives-- rather than making things better, we make them worse.  When we complain we are giving energy to things we wish were different and, in so doing, attracting more of what we DON'T want.  So, if there are things in your life you wish were different, rather than talking about them, talk about what your life will be  like when they no longer are present in your experience.

      When you become a Complaint Free person, you  learn to ask for what we want in a healthy way.  Here's a recent, personal example:

     A couple of days ago, my cell phone rang and the caller ID read, "Unknown Caller."  I was busy, did not answer and whomever called did not leave a message.  Nearly every hour after that I received calls from the same "Unknown Caller" with no message left.  Finally, I answered "Unknown Caller's" call and heard a recorded message from my cell phone company , "This is an important message for Mary Johnson [not her real name]....If you are Mary, press "1".  If you are not this person, press "3".

     I pressed "3" thinking the company would realize they'd called the wrong number and the calls would stop.  They didn't stop.  Almost every hour the phone rang.  When I answered, I got the same friendly, computerized message.  Repeatedly, I pressed "3" but they calls continued.
 

     People make mistakes.  I know I do.  And companies are just large groups of people doing the best they can.  So, after a couple of days of hourly calls from them I dialed the cell phone company, explained the situation, and was assured the calls would stop.  But the calls continued.

     Prior to my making the 21 consecutive days Complaint Free, I would have then called the company again, asked for a supervisor and ripped into that poor soul. Further, I would have told everyone I came in contact with what a terrible injustice this was and how greatly I had been inconvenienced.

       Instead, I called again and said to the customer service person, "I know mistakes happen, and I know this isn't your fault.  I'm committed to not getting these calls from your company any more and am willing to work with you until we find the challenge and fix it together."
 

      Within ten minutes, she found the issue (they had input the other person's number in their computer as my own) and the calls ceased. 
 

     I was able to get the result I wanted without having to raise my blood pressure and get angry both of which just puts stress on my body.  I also did not involve my friends, coworkers and family in this issue by griping to them about it.  Instead, I went to someone who could help me, explained what I wanted and held that focus.

     You have a right to get what you deserve.  Focus on only talking about what you desire and only to someone who can provide it.  You will shorten your wait time for what you wish and be happier in the process.

 :: Where are my bracelets?

     Because of the demand, right now, it's taking us at least 4-6 weeks to ship.   Thank you for your patience (and for not complaining).
 

     To order purple complaint-free purple bracelets please click the "order" button below... 

     If you’d like to make a donation to support this world-changing program, you can click here or send a check payable to “Christ Church Unity” to:
 

Christ Church Unity

1000 NE Barry Rd.

Kansas City, MO  64155
 

This is about raising consciousness; not raising money.
 

 :: A Complaint Free World is: