Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Daily Motivations 6-15-11

Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Today's Gift
 
Taking Care of Ourselves
 
It's healthy, wise, and loving to be considerate and responsive to the feelings and needs of others. That's different from caretaking. Caretaking is a self-defeating and, certainly, a relationship defeating behavior - a behavior that backfires and can cause us to feel resentful and victimized - because ultimately, what we feel, want, and need will come to the surface.
 
Some people seem to invite emotional caretaking. We can learn to refuse the invitation. We can be concerned; we can be loving, when possible; but we can place value on our own needs and feelings too. Part of recovery means learning to pay attention to, and place importance on, what we feel, want, and need, because we begin to see that there are clear, predictable, and usually undesirable consequences when we don't.
 
Be patient and gentle with yourself as you learn to do this. Be understanding with yourself when you slip back into the old behavior of emotional caretaking and self-neglect. But stop the cycle today. We do not have to feel responsible for others. We do not have to feel guilty about not feeling responsible for others. We can even learn to let ourselves feel good about taking responsibility for our needs and feelings.
 
Today, I will evaluate whether I've slipped into my old behavior of taking responsibility for another's feelings and needs, while neglecting my own. I will own my power, right, and responsibility to place value on myself.
 
You are reading from the book:

The Language of Letting Go by Melody Beattie

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Twenty-Four Hours A Day


Keep It Simple

He who laughs, last.---Mary Pettibone Poole
It feels good to laugh again! Our disease took away our sense of humor. Recovery gives it back. That's why there's so much laughter at our meetings. By seeing the funny side of things, we ease up.
 
A person in treatment was talking about the Higher Power he had come to believe in. The counselor asked, “Does God have a sense of humor?" The group had fun talking about this idea for a while. The next day, the counselor came to work and found a note on her door. It read: “Of course God has a sense of humor. He made you, didn't He? Laughter helps us heal.

 
Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, help me ease up today. Let me see the funny side of things.

Action for the Day: I'll let myself laugh today.

 
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One Day At A Time


Making Amends
In making amends, we should be sensible, tactful, considerate,
and humble without being servile or scraping.
As God's people, we stand on our feet; we don't crawl before anyone.
- As Bill Sees It, p.277

Thought to Ponder . . .
It is the highest form of self-respect to admit mistakes
and to make amends for them.

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
A A =
Accountable Actions.
 

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Daily Motivation

Decide with your heart

Decide with your heart, and then do. Decide with your heart, and then stay decided until the job is done.

Decide to do what you know is right for you. Then don’t let anything stop you from getting it finished.

Feel the doubts and fears, and then move forward anyway. Each time anyone tells you why you can’t, remind yourself again of why you must.

If circumstances are less than ideal, so be it. You can deal with the challenges as they come, and move steadily toward the achievement of what you’ve decided.

Decide with your heart, and you’ll naturally be committed to that decision. Whatever may come, you’ll know you have what it takes to get the job done.

From the depth of your being, from the truth in your heart, decide what you will do. Then delight in the process and in the fulfillment of getting it done.

— Ralph Marston

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