Daily Motivation 6-16-11

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Today's Gift

Being alive is being creative. You need do nothing but affirm your aliveness. —Gay Bonner

What does it mean to be alive? Does it mean merely breathing, eating, and moving around, or is there more to it? Being alive can mean different things to different people. To some, it's sewing a baby quilt for a new life about to be born. To others, it's singing, or walking, or running. Still others find it in the exhilaration of skiing, or the tropical splendor they find when scuba diving.

Each of us has our own favorite activity that lets us feel our creativity and vitality, that lets us feel a part of the larger world. Two gifts these activities leave us with are joy and energy. Joy is one of the most creative forces we can call on, and energy gives us the power to do it well.

What will my creative activity be today?

From Today's Gift: Daily Meditations for Families ©

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Twenty-Four Hours A Day

Keep It Simple

Make yourself an honest [person], and then you may be sure that there is one rascal less in the world. ---Thomas Carlyle

Honesty does not mean saying all we think or feel. Many of our thoughts and feelings are only with us for a minute. They are not always the truth. For example, saying to someone you love, "I hate you!" in the middle of an argument can destroy things.

 

Honesty means living by what is true to us. Then we choose when and how to say things to others. Think of honesty as the air we breathe; it's what keeps us alive, but it can get polluted and kill. It must be treated with respect and care.

Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, help me know the power of honesty. Help me speak it with care and respect.

 

Action for the Day: Before I speak today I'll ask myself: "Is this true? Am I speaking because this needs to be said?"

 

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One Day At A Time

 

Open-mindedness
Faced with alcoholic destruction,
we became as open minded on spiritual matters
as we had tried to be on other questions.
In this respect alcohol was the great persuader.
It finally beat us into a state of reasonableness.
Sometimes this was a tedious process;
we hope no one else will be prejudiced for as long as some of us were.
- Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 48

Thought to Ponder . . .
Minds are like parachutes -- they won't work unless they're open.

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

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Daily Motivation

Disruptions

Sooner rather than later, your plans will be disrupted. Something will break down, someone will forget, or the weather will turn nasty.

Life rarely proceeds exactly as planned. Even so, you can find a way to proceed, and to succeed, in fulfilling your intentions.

Don’t make the disruptions worse by complaining, second-guessing, or feeling sorry for yourself. Quickly accept that whatever has happened, has happened, and do what you must do to deal with it.

Yes, you’d much rather be doing what you originally planned. So remind yourself that the fastest way to get back to what you planned is by accepting and addressing the disruption.

Instead of worrying about finding fault, put your energy into finding a way forward. Instead of envisioning all sorts of negative scenarios that might result, focus on the positive, effective actions you can take.

Your life will never be completely free of disruptions. Yet you are always free to move quickly, decisively and positively past each one.

— Ralph Marston