Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Today's Gift
When I hear somebody sigh "Life is hard," I am always tempted to ask, compared to what? --Sydney J. Harris
We've probably heard all the negative quotations about life. There was also probably a time when we believed them all. Based on the state of our lives at the time, it was probably no surprise that life was difficult and brutal.
Certainly there are many things in life that are harsh and cruel; we see such things in the paper every day. But there are some very wonderful things, too. It's just that we've been conditioned to believe the horrors instead of the wonders.
Today may have been a long, tiring, boring day. But that doesn't mean all days are long, tiring, and boring. There's much good in life that we can see if we let ourselves. We can get off our life-is-difficult soapbox and hear the humor, see the smiles, and feel the caring. Life may be difficult at times, but it is also quite fulfilling.
I need to feel that life is good. Tonight I will consider what event happened today that I can feel good about.
We've probably heard all the negative quotations about life. There was also probably a time when we believed them all. Based on the state of our lives at the time, it was probably no surprise that life was difficult and brutal.
Certainly there are many things in life that are harsh and cruel; we see such things in the paper every day. But there are some very wonderful things, too. It's just that we've been conditioned to believe the horrors instead of the wonders.
Today may have been a long, tiring, boring day. But that doesn't mean all days are long, tiring, and boring. There's much good in life that we can see if we let ourselves. We can get off our life-is-difficult soapbox and hear the humor, see the smiles, and feel the caring. Life may be difficult at times, but it is also quite fulfilling.
I need to feel that life is good. Tonight I will consider what event happened today that I can feel good about.
You are reading from the book:
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Twenty-Four Hours A Day
Keep It Simple
Love is the reward of love.---Johann von Schiller
Love is the reward of love.---Johann von Schiller
When we used alcohol and other drugs, we shared little as possible. There was little love in our hearts. We had become selfish. This caused us to be lonely.
Then something happened to change all of that. Remember the first time you walked into a meeting? You were met by people who shared. Maybe they shared a smile, their story, or just a cup of coffee with you. The sharing that goes on in a Twelve Step program is great. We learn that the more we give, the more we get. We get well by giving to others. Helping others is a great way to hold on to sobriety. Love is the reward of love.
Prayer for the Day: I pray that I will be there when others need me. I pray that service will become a big part of my program.
Action for the Day: Today, I’ll think of friends who could use my help. I’ll talk to them and offer to be there for them.
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One Day At A Time
Selfishness
Selfishness -- self-centeredness! That, we think, is the root of our troubles.
Driven by a hundred forms of fear, self-delusion, self-seeking, and self-pity,
we step on the toes of our fellows and they retaliate. . .
So our troubles, we think, are basically of our own making.
They arise out of ourselves, and the alcoholic is an extreme example
of self-will run riot, though he usually doesn't think so.
Above everything, we alcoholics must be rid of this selfishness.
We must, or it kills us! God makes that possible.
- Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 62
Thought to Ponder . . .
The smallest package in the world is an alcoholic all wrapped up in himself.
AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
B A T H = Behavior, Attitude, Thinking, Habits.
Driven by a hundred forms of fear, self-delusion, self-seeking, and self-pity,
we step on the toes of our fellows and they retaliate. . .
So our troubles, we think, are basically of our own making.
They arise out of ourselves, and the alcoholic is an extreme example
of self-will run riot, though he usually doesn't think so.
Above everything, we alcoholics must be rid of this selfishness.
We must, or it kills us! God makes that possible.
- Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 62
Thought to Ponder . . .
The smallest package in the world is an alcoholic all wrapped up in himself.
AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
B A T H = Behavior, Attitude, Thinking, Habits.
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Daily Motivation
Laugh at every excuse
The easiest thing in the world is to come up with an excuse for not taking action. No matter what the situation, there's always an excuse that sounds perfectly reasonable and that can provide you with permission to do nothing.
Rarely does it help to fight against the excuses, because that just leads to even stronger and more compelling excuses. So how do you get around them?
Connect with a dream that is bigger than any excuse could possibly be. Grab hold of a dream that's so compelling it makes you laugh at every possible excuse.
If your goal is to do what you don't really want to do anyway, even the weakest excuse can stop you cold. If, however, your goal is tied to an authentic, personally meaningful dream, that's a completely different situation.
And that makes perfect sense. Because if it doesn't really matter to you anyway, there's not much point in spending your precious time on it.
Choose instead to live the beautiful, meaningful dreams that you truly desire to live. And no setback, no challenge, no excuse will have the power to even slow you down.
-- Ralph Marston
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