Friday, December 3, 2010

Daily Motivations 12-3-2010

Friday, December 3, 2010
Today's Gift
 
Give to the world the best you have and the best will come back to you. --Madeline Bridges

Sometimes we feel lazy or bored, and then we don't do our best work. Perhaps we are daydreaming instead of listening closely to what a friend is trying to tell us. When we are not really paying attention to our activities or the people around us, we'll likely miss out on something important because we do receive in equal measure what we give. And this truth works in every aspect of our lives.

When we treat our friends, our families, even people we don't know well with kindness, we'll experience kindness in return. Our own actions and attitudes toward others are what we can expect from others as well. 

You are reading from the book:

Today's Gift by Anonymous

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Twenty-Four Hours A Day
 
Walk In Dry Places
 
Gratitude
The Lure of Greener Pastures
One of our old-timers spent a great deal of time trying to find a new job but never succeeding.  When he finally retired, on a good pension, it became clear that the job he had kept was probably better and provided more benefits than any job he had been seeking.  He was fortunate that none of his proposed job searches ever worked out.


The fantasy of finding "greener pastures" is something many of us face, in both drinking and sobriety. We may be very well off where we are, yet feel that something rich and exciting is over in the next meadow.  We can feel this way about our jobs, our lifestyles, and our locations.
 
The answer to this greener-pastures obsession is to feel more gratitude for what we have here and now. We might also focus more upon today's activities and less upon impossible dreams of other places.
 
Action for the Day: There may be greener pastures somewhere, but I'll first look for the opportunities and benefits of my own life and surroundings.  I may be richly blessed without knowing it.
 


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One Day At A Time
 
The "If" Trap
Alcoholism respects no ifs. It does not go away, not for a week, for a day,
or even for an hour, leaving us nonalcoholic and able to drink again
on some special occasion or for some extraordinary reason --
even if it is a once-in-a-lifetime celebration, or if a big sorrow hits us,
or if it rains in Spain or the stars fall on Alabama.
Alcoholism is for us unconditional, with no dispensations available at any price.
- Living Sober, p. 63

Thought to Ponder . . .
If we want to quit drinking, we are going to have to quit drinking.

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
A A =
Absolute Abstinence.
 

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Daily Motivation
 
The courage of fulfillment
 
When you make a habit of expecting the best, you will occasionally be disappointed. Though it is a risk, it's a risk that's well worth taking.
 
The alternative to being occasionally disappointed as a result of your high expectations is to be continually unfulfilled. Which would you rather have?
 
Everyone has the ability to live a fulfilling life. Unfortunately, many people fail to summon the courage to do so.
 
Working to fulfill your most profound desires is a risky thing because it opens you up to the possibility of disappointment. Sometimes it might seem attractive to simply lower your expectations and avoid the disappointment, but it doesn't work that way.
 
Sure, when you choose to expect the best, you risk being disappointed from time to time. However, when you expect nothing good from life, you put yourself in a state of continual disappointment that can eventually lead to intractable regret.
 
Go ahead, acknowledge and accept the fact that your high expectations will sometimes result in disappointment. Remind yourself that when those disappointments come, you can raise your expectations even higher, moving forward with more energy and determination than ever before.
 
-- Ralph Marston

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