Daily Motivations 4-28-11

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Today's Gift

 

Listening well

Learning to really listen to another human being - beyond just his or her words - is critical to good communication. Valuable exchanges between human beings can occur only when each listens carefully to the other and tries sincerely to understand the other person's meaning. Much anger and frustration with others could be avoided if we truly understood one another.

Constant thoughts running through our minds is a form of talking, and we can't listen to another (including our Higher Power) if we are still talking.

Do I really listen?

Higher Power, help me be quiet enough within to listen to others today. By trying to understand another, let me learn something about myself.

You are reading from the book:

Day by Day - Second Edition by Anonymous

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Twenty-Four Hours A Day

 

Keep It Simple

Unless I accept my faults I will most certainly doubt my virtues. --- Hugh Prather
Before recovery, we saw only a blurry picture of ourselves, like we were looking through an out-of-focus camera lens. We couldn't see the good in ourselves because we wouldn't look close enough.

 

Step Four helps us look more closely. We see a picture of ourselves, with our good points and our faults. We don't like everything we see. But we can't change until we accept ourselves as we are.
Then we can start getting ready to change.

 

Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, help me see the good in me and love myself.

Action for the Day: Today, I'll make a list of four of my good points and four of my faults. Am I getting to have my Higher Power remove these defects of character?

 

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One Day At A Time

 

Going to Any Length
If you have decided you want what we have
and are willing to go to any length to get it --
then you are ready to take certain steps. At some of these we balked.
We thought we could find an easier, softer way. But we could not.
- Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 58

Thought to Ponder . . .
The distance is nothing; it is only the first step toward it that is difficult.

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

 

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Daily Motivation

Begin the beauty

If you consider it to be impossible, you won’t do it. In fact, you won’t even make the attempt.

So, don’t consider it to be impossible. Instead of thinking about why you can’t, just get busy working on how you can.

Instead of thinking about why you can’t, feel the empowering passion of why you must. Let go of the scolding, limiting voice of your ego and follow the limitless yearning of your spirit.

Stop analyzing and anticipating how difficult it will be. Focus your heart on how wonderful it will be.

Start feeling, moving and celebrating the good fortune you have of being able to make things happen. Go beyond merely considering the possibilities and jump into the beautiful reality of living the best of those possibilities.

Begin the beauty of your dream right now. Show life how amazingly good it can be.

— Ralph Marston