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Put Your Ass Where Your Heart wants to Be
July 25, 2022
Are you having fun yet?
August 8, 2022
This is the 36th in a series of posts in which I share thoughts on a book that has inspired me over the years.
Will Bowen encourages people to wear a purple wristband and shift it from one wrist to the other each time they complained until they achieve 21 consecutive complaint-free days. You can buy wristbands at www.acomplaintfreeworld.com.
With The Pickle Challenge for Charity, we challenge people to raise money for a charity chosen by their colleagues by turning complaints into contributions. I’ve seen thousands of fabulously decorated pickle jars, including some incredible creations at the inaugural Culture of Ownership Leadership Academy (COLAcademy) last week (Grand Prize winner pictured below).
This is the message on my all-time favorite pickle jar:
Be brave enough to start a conversation that matters.
No one ever solves a problem by complaining about it. It takes courage to stop whining and actually take initiative, but that’s the only way problems are ever solved.
No one ever enhanced a relationship by talking about another person behind their back. It takes courage to stop talking about someone and actually go talk to that person, but that’s the only way great relationships can be cultivated.
No one ever helped another person improve their performance by criticizing. It takes courage to stop criticizing and offer constructive suggestions, but that’s the only way to help another person become better at what they do.
No one ever made their own life better by feeling sorry for themselves. It takes courage to stop blaming the world for your problems and take personal responsibility for your health and happiness, but that’s the only way to make your life, and your corner of the world, better.
In the book, Man’s Search for Meaning, Viktor Frankl wrote that the one thing that can never be taken from you is your choice of attitude.
When something bad happens to you, when someone says something that hurts your feelings, your attitude shapes how you respond.
And attitude is a choice. The most important choice you can make. A choice you make many times a day. Every single day.
Our next Culture of Ownership Leadership Academy (COLAcademy) — including the pickle jar decorating contest — will be September 7-9. Let me know if you would like to learn more about it.
