Daily Motivation 3-15-11

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Today's Gift

It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.
—Antoine de Saint Exupery

It has been said that intuition is a talent of women, but in this program we, as men, are learning to listen to our own inner feelings. This is a strength, which has nothing to do with gender. Many times we have a quiet inner knowing of something, but in the past we developed insensitivity to these messages. Our growing self-respect includes the ability to stand up for what simply feels right. We don't have to prove anything to ourselves. If we dismiss our own private feelings, all we have left to go on is someone else's idea of reality.

This realm of inner feeling is the realm of wisdom. It is the creative part, the mysterious part, the spiritual part. It is the foundation of honesty with ourselves. In these quiet moments, we are more able to perceive what we know in our hearts. As we grow, we respect and trust it more.

Help me respect my private messages from within.

From Touchstones: A Book of Daily Meditations for Men ©

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Twenty-Four Hours a Day

 

Keep It Simple

I never loved another person the way I loved myself.---Mae West
This sums up how we used to live. We were in love with ourselves. We had to be on center stage.
Our self-will ran riot. Recovery pulls us out of that world. We learn to focus on others. We learn to reach out to them with love. This is the best way to love ourselves. This doesn't  mean that we live our lives through others. It means we invite others into our lives. It also means we ask to be invited into their lives. Recovery breaks down our self-will. It makes room for others in our lives.

 

Prayer for the Day:  Higher Power, I give You my self-will. I know You'll do better with it than me.

Action for the Day:  I'll list three ways my self-will has messed up my life. How am I doing at turning over these things to my Higher Power?

 

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One Day At A Time

 

Willingness
A beginning, even the smallest, is all that is needed.
Once we have placed the key of willingness in the lock
and have the door ever so slightly open,
we find that we can always open it some more.
Though self-will may slam it shut again, as it frequently does,
it will always respond the moment we again pick up the key of willingness.
- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 35

 

Thought to Ponder . . .
It works -- it really does.

 

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
H O W = Honesty, Open-mindedness, Willingness.

 

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Daily Motivation

 

Let the joy flow

 

You don't need to control others, because you can exercise full control over you. You don't have to gain advantage over others, because you have the unmatched advantage of being you.

You don't have to cajole others into agreeing with you. Because you can live and speak and act with integrity and congruence and in harmony with what you know to be true.

 

On this day you have the great opportunity of expressing the uniqueness of who you are while also playing your part in the wholeness of all that is. With all that going on, absolutely anything is possible.

 

Set yourself free from the negative judgments of others by letting go of the need to worry about what they think. Set yourself free from doubt, fear and anxiety by reminding yourself that every experience can add to the richness of who you are.

 

Stop waiting for the right moment and make this the right moment. Go ahead and live the best of your possibilities by standing up, stepping forward and taking decisive, positive action.

 

Feel fully the miracle of your unique and beautiful existence. And let the joy flow profusely from the center of your being.

 

-- Ralph Marston