Do Something. New. Today

It’s not that I aspire to be Xena, Warrior Priestess, with my armbands and steel brassiere. (Okay, maybe I do, but that’s beside the point.) It’s a challenge I’m taking.

Some people refer to it as the “Bracelet Challenge,” but I’m not using it in quite the same way as Pastor Will Bowen who started it with the idea that you wear a small purple bracelet on one wrist for a straight 21 days and every time you catch yourself complaining, you switch to the other wrist and start over. There’s nothing new about that but it’s a little different twist on the usual version of “bracelets.”

 For years, people have worn loose rubber bands on one wrist and snapped them (slap your own hand!) whenever they committed some awful habit they wanted to break. Cursing, for example. Or a certain phrase. Or a rude remark about their ex. (snap-snap-snap-ouch!-SNAP!)

The difference, to me, with Pastor Bowen’s technique is the switching the bracelet from one wrist to another. Something about that resonates with me, though I really don’t care for the purple bracelet…maybe because other people are using the purple bracelet and I like something unique to me. 

I’ve used two pieces of jewelry to aid me in similar behavioral modification over the past few years: one ring that says “allow miracles” and a bracelet that says “Wandering but not lost.” The first was one that Shannon wore during a difficult time last November and December and passed on to me during a difficult time in January and February. The second is one that I wore to remind myself that I didn’t have to know exactly where I was going or how to get there and that that was okay. I don’t wear that bracelet anymore because I’m now good with where I am and where I’m going and enjoying the scenery.

But I’m beginning a challenge today. There’s a particular “thing” (for lack of a better word) in my life that I’m usually very strongly positive on but every now and then, doubt hits and hits hard. I remind myself to “allow miracles” and the “the world comes to me” but I still have to deal with the doubt, and that pushes away what I’m trying to manifest in my life. So, beginning today, I’m back to wearing my “allow miracles” ring and anytime I find myself beginning to doubt this “thing” in my life, I switch hands.

There’s also another habit I want to wean myself of. Nothing big but it ties up my thought process with something that can be draining and self-sabotaging. So, I’ve chosen a stretchy silver bracelet to help me train myself not to think so much in that area. It lies flat against my skin and doesn’t irritate me when I’m at my keyboard or mouse. When I catch myself going into that brooding spot that’s sure to claim too much mental energy, I switch wrists, push those debilitating thoughts away, and replace them with some kind of positive activity that will bring me closer to the future I want.

Though I can think of about 8 behaviors I’d like to change over the next few months, I don’t think I’ll wear 8 bracelets at once. I’ll stick to a ring that I can either switch between hands or turn upside down and a bracelet.

And if I should ever wear a wedding band again, maybe I’ll focus on the positive in our relationship by wearing the band right side up for as many 21-day stretches as possible!