Daily Motivations 1-13-11

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Today's Gift

I want, by understanding myself, to understand others. I want to be all that I am capable of becoming . . . This all sounds very strenuous and serious. But now that I have wrestled with it, it's no longer so. I feel happy - deep down. All is well. —Katherine Mansfield

All is well. In the midst of turmoil, let us remember, all is well; in the midst of the pain of self-awareness, all is well. The struggle of the turmoil, the pain that accompanies the lessons of self-awareness, are preparing us for becoming all we are meant to become. We each have a special gift to offer in this life. We will come to understand those gifts and be able to give them as we grow with the pain of self-understanding. All is well. Deep down happiness ripples, it's rippling to the surface of our lives.

My lesson for today is understanding, of myself and others. Happiness is the grade I earn each day of my "becoming."

From Each Day a New Beginning: Daily Meditations for Women by Karen Casey ©

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

Twenty-Four Hours A Day

 

Walk In Dry Places
 
Raising self-esteem.

 

The need for approval.
Although drinking behavior may have been defiant and antisocial, most of us wanted others to think well of us.  If we are not watchful, this need for approval can tyrannize us in sobriety.

A fierce need for approval can drives us to do more than our share of talking at discussion meetings.  On the other hand, the fear of disapproval may cause us to "pass" when we really do have something to say. Outside of the fellowship, a strong desire for others' approval can make us anxious and unsure of ourselves. In the same way, a strong fear of being rejected or criticized can make us afraid to act.

 

In sobriety, we can free ourselves from an unreasonable desire for approval.  When we learn to like ourselves more, we do not need constant reassurance and applause from others.  We may also discover that we have been doing certain things against our will simply because we wanted somebody's approval.  This is our fault, not theirs, and we can get such practices out of our lives when we no longer need them.

 

Action for the Day: I will accept myself as I am today.  I will give others the approval that I desire for myself. I will not try to win approval by being a people-pleaser.

 

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

One Day At A Time

Prayer
Lord, make me a channel of thy peace
-- that where there is hatred, I may bring love --
that where there is discord, I may bring harmony
-- that where there is error, I may bring truth --
that where there is doubt, I may bring faith
-- that where there is despair, I may bring hope --
that where there are shadows, I may bring light
-- that where there is sadness, I may bring joy.
Lord, grant that I may seek rather to comfort than to be comforted
-- to understand, than to be understood -- to love, than be loved.
For it is by self-forgetting that one finds.
It is by forgiving that one is forgiven.
It is by dying that one awakens to Eternal Life. Amen.
- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 99

Thought to Ponder . . .
Life is fragile, handle with prayer.

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
A S A P = Always Say A Prayer.

 

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

Daily Motivation

 

With just a thought

 

You are free in this moment to think whatever thoughts you choose to think. And even one small thought has the power to change your life.

Your current thoughts determine your present perspective. Your perspective controls which possibilities are the most prominent in your awareness.

 

With nothing more than a positive thought, you can bring possibilities to light that may have been hidden for years. With just a thought, you can alter the reality of the world you see.

 

If you so choose, your thoughts can empower and inspire you. They can motivate you to get going and push you to persist.

 

With just a thought, you can move from self-pity to self-empowerment. With just a thought, you can evict the fear from your future and replace it with positive determination.

 

What positive, empowering thought will get you moving right now in the direction of your dreams? Think that thought, and suddenly you're on your way.

 

-- Ralph Marston