Daily Motivations 6-30-2010

Wednesday, Jun 30, 2010

Today's Gift

There is nothing as easy as denouncing. It don't take much to see that something is wrong, but it takes some eyesight to see what will put it right again. —Will Rogers

We come to this day with a choice of whether to be for something or against it. Shall we put energy into what we seek and admire or shall we give our energy to opposition and resistance of what we dislike? If someone asks a favor, we have a choice to resent and resist the intrusion or to engage with the person and see where it might lead. If a project we are working on is frustrating, we can wallow in criticizing it or try to get a clearer picture of what will work and what we want.

Criticizing may be a helpful first stage in learning, but it is seductive because it holds little risk and we feel safe doing it. In that comfort we forget to go forward to create what we really want. Our negative energy, when we are seduced by it, creates negative results. When we look back upon today, we will admire those choices that risked creating something positive.

Today, I will not give my energy to denouncing but to creating what I believe is worthwhile.

From Touchstones: A Book of Daily Meditations for Men ©

Touchstones

********************************

Twenty-Four Hours A Day

Keep It Simple

If you don't know where you are going, You'll probably end up somewhere else.--Lawrence J. Peter

The Twelve Steps are our plan of living. We must have a plan. Without one, we waste our energy.We react instead of think. This is what we did as an addict. We lived our lives as out-of-control people. This caused a lot of pain for us and those around us.

Recovery brings us the Twelve Steps, and each Step gives us direction and wisdom. Each Step builds on the progress we made from the Step before it. Sometimes we follow the plan well. Sometimes we think we can do better on our own. Do I believe the Twelve Steps are a good plan of living?

Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, You have shown me a new way of life, a plan for living. Thank you for leading me to the Twelve Steps. Help me follow them.

Action for the Day: Today, I'll take time out to read the Twelve Steps. Then I'll list three reasons why the Steps are a good plan for living.

************************

One Day At A Time

Change
~ Scroll down for share ~

In order for me to enjoy a happy, peaceful, sober existence, I had to change --
change my attitudes, my way of thinking, my habits.
As a matter of fact, I had to change everything about me. . .
However, to my amazement, after some time, I was able to notice changes in me
and I liked the changes.
What's even more miraculous is that the changing is still going on.
- The Best of the Grapevine [Vol 3], p. 231

Thought to ponder . . .
Courage is the ability to change the familiar.

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
A B C = Acceptance, Belief, Change.

A MEMBER SHARES:
Hi, I'm Carol, an alcoholic. I don't know if I've changed or not, or if it's because I still have an “alkie” brain or what, but I'm still not real fond of change. I find some comfort in things being relatively predictable. Yet lately I have had to change the way I look at things. God has removed the obsession and the desire to escape with a bottle, yet I need to change the way I look at life and my relationship with God. It is time to open the door some more to His love and guidance, and I am willing to do that. But that takes courage and willingness to change. That is big for me! I am not one to get all excited about change. It’s also growth, and I know I am not the one who does the changing, but I do need courage. My sponsor says, “Act as if …” Thanks for letting me share.

*********************
Daily Motivation

Achieving excellence

You're not here to just get by. You're here to live life with excellence.

Excellence requires your focused effort and devotion. Excellence comes from your commitment to getting it right.

Excellence is well worth all that effort and commitment. When you live with excellence, you live at life's highest level.

If you're going to do something, do what's necessary to do it with excellence. If you're going to spend the time and make the effort, make enough effort to make it great.

You are absolutely capable of achieving excellence in your own unique ways. Why would you settle for anything less?

Instead of merely getting by, get excited about your best possibilities. And then get going on fulfilling them with excellence.

The whole world is lifted higher by those who choose to create excellence. Be a source of relentless excellence and truly make a difference.

-- Ralph Marston