Daily Motivation 11-30-10

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Today's Gift

A man cannot be comfortable without his own approval. —Mark Twain

It is hard for many of us to learn to admit the wrongs we do. We have followed lifestyles that led us away from recognizing our true feelings. Remnants of this blindness continue into our recovery. In this quiet time we can deepen and nourish a relationship with ourselves. Facing our disapproval and admitting it lead us to comfort and self-respect. Right now we can ask ourselves, "What messages do 1 receive from myself? What is my Higher Power telling me? Do I sense some gut feeling? Am I true to my relationships with loved ones? Have I been open to the feelings of my spouse. Of my friends? Of my boss? Do I owe anyone an apology which I can promptly make?"

Some of us indulge in worry, fear, and anger beyond a useful or meaningful point. What can we do about these excesses of feeling? First, we admit them to ourselves and to others. Then, we trust our Higher Power for the outcome, and they will fall away.

Today, I will nourish a relationship with myself by facing my own disapproval and growing toward greater comfort.

From Touchstones: A Book of Daily Meditations for Men ©

 

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Twenty-Four Hours a Day

 

Walk In Dry Places
 
Seeking humility

 

Spiritual pride
Those of us who have found a Higher Power in our lives can feel truly blessed. We know we're on the right path by witnessing the wonderful changes that continue to come into our lives. One pitfall in this, however, is the risk of becoming "spiritually proud."  We sometimes feel that our beliefs are so superior that others should accept them as well.  We even become critical of the beliefs of others. If this happens, we actually will be severing our own conscious contact with our higher power. False pride is a new form will be back in charge. Others will sense this too, and may withdraw from us.

Our best safeguard against this trap of spiritual pride is a reminder that we don't have all the answers. We can share our understanding with others, but we should never imply that we know what's best for them.  Spiritual growth should being humility, not more of the pride that was destroying us.

 

Action for the Day: I can leave all outcomes in my Higher Power's hands today, knowing that everything is being controlled in a spiritual way.

 

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One Day At A Time

 

Contact
Almost any experienced AA will tell how his affairs have taken remarkable
and unexpected turns for the better
as he tried to improve his conscious contact with God.
He will also report that out of every season of grief or suffering,
when the hand of God seemed heavy or unjust,
new lessons for living were learned, new resources for courage were uncovered,
and that finally, inescapably, the conviction
that God does "move in a mysterious way His wonders to perform."
- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, pp. 104-105

Thought to Ponder . . .
God enters us through our wounds.

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
G I F T = God Is Forever There.

 

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Daily Motivation

 

Difficult is not impossible

 

Difficult is not the same as impossible. Indeed, the very fact that something is difficult confirms that it is possible.

 

Whatever is difficult to achieve, can be achieved. Whatever is difficult to reach, can be reached with effort, with time, with commitment and persistence.

 

Difficulty does not stand in the way of achievement. Difficulty in fact provides a path to that achievement.

 

In addition, difficulty gives real value to achievement. Those goals that are the most difficult and time-consuming to reach are also the most desirable and rewarding to reach.

 

Giving up because the task is too difficult is like quitting a job because you're being paid too much. When you're on to something that's difficult and demanding, you're on to something with great potential.

 

Be willing to embrace what is difficult. And you'll open your life to the best of what is possible.

 

-- Ralph Marston