It all started when we surveyed a group of young ladies ages 12 – 20. We asked, "How many of you wish that at times you were a guy... so you wouldn't have to deal with so much DRAMA?" The response was overwhelming! Almost 97% responded that they wished that they wouldn't have to deal with the DRAMA in their lives (whether it was self-created or not).
So I began to think... how can we deal with DRAMA?
We invited three young ladies to a community project... painting the inside of a church. It was so hard to keep them on task because all they did was whisper secrets and comment on recent text messages they had received. The comments ranged from, "I can't believe he said that," to "What was she thinking? Can you believe she did that?"
Every fifteen to twenty minutes when we checked on the progress of the three painters, we encountered it over and over again... DRAMA. I had it! I said, "Enough! What are you guys doing?! Can you please work without talking about someone else? Can you guys please stop the DRAMA! You know, that's what you guys need to do... you need to be DramaStoppers."
They looked at me like I was speaking some crazy, foreign language. Life without DRAMA? Not possible. Besides, it's kind of cool to talk about other people and all the DRAMA in their lives.
So we began to think... how can we deal with DRAMA?
Inside the room, where painting was supposed to be going on, was a white board. I grabbed a dry-erase marker and asked, "How can you become a DramaStopper? Give me some ideas." Again, blank looks. "Come on guys... let's make a list of how a DramaStopper would live. For example, a DramaStopper treats other people the way they want to be treated. A DramaStopper doesn't talk behind their friend's back."
The light bulb above their heads lit up. "Don't date your friend's ex-boyfriend... Support your friends at all times... Don't use your friends to get something that you want..." And the ideas continued. We filled up the white board and still more and more ideas kept coming.
So we began to think... how can we help other people deal with DRAMA?
What if we started a website? What if young people could read about how a DramaStopper lives? What if there was a place for them to sign-up and tell us their stories? What if we made t-shirts to make a statement? What if we let other people know that they could live DRAMA-FREE lives? It made sense. Let's do it.
So we began to think... how can I deal with DRAMA?
What would happen if each of us started following some guidelines or a 'code' that would help us live 'Drama-Free?' What if we thought about other people instead of ourselves all the time? DramaStoppers is more than just a word... it's a lifestyle. It's about shutting down the gossip going on around you. It's about apologizing to someone for hurting their feelings. It's about forgiving that person who hurt you. It's about being a better friend, a better person. It's about choosing to make better decisions. It's about making things RIGHT. It starts with you. Become a DramaStopper today.