Daily Motivation 10-12-10

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Today's Gift

...there are two entirely opposite attitudes possible in facing the problems of one's life. One, to try and change the external world, the other, to try and change oneself. —Joanna Field

God grant us the courage to change what we can - ourselves. How difficult it is to let go of our struggles to control and change someone else. How frequently we assume that everything would be fine if only someone else would change. All that needs to change is an attitude, our own.

Taking responsibility for improving one's own life is an important step toward emotional health. Blaming another for our circumstances keeps us stuck and offers no hope for improved conditions. Personal power is as available as our decision to use it. And it is bolstered by all the strength we'll ever need. The decision to take our lives in hand will exhilarate us. The decision each day to be thoughtful, prayerful, and wholly responsible for all that we do will nourish our developing selves. Each responsible choice moves us toward our wholeness, strengthening our sense of self, our well-being.

I will change only who I can today: myself.

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

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Twenty-Four Hours A Day

 

Keep It Simple

Trust only movement. Life happens at the level of events, not words.---Alfred Adler
Being sober is an event. Being sober also means movement. We go to meetings. We find and meet with a sponsor. We talk with friends. If we don’t act in these ways were not sober.

Our actions also tell us if we’re leading a spiritual life. What do you do when you see someone in need? Spirituality means helping. It’s not just kind words.

In Step Four and Ten, we check out our action, not our words. Our actions will tell us if we’re on the recovery path.

 

Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, help me to not hide in words. I pray for the strength to take the right action. Help me walk a sober path.

Action for the Day: Today as I work Step Ten, I’ll focus only on my actions How have I acted sober today?

 

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One Day At A Time

Tradition Ten
Tradition Ten is an emphatic warning against public controversy.
This was perhaps the first AA Tradition ever to take shape.
Of course we did reserve the sometimes enjoyable right
to quarrel among ourselves about lesser matters!
But when it came to the awful issues that rock society about us,
such as politics, religion, reform and the like -- well,
the early AA's knew these terrible conflicts were not for them.
- The Language of the Heart, p. 318

Thought to Ponder . . .
The Twelve Steps tell us how it works;
the Twelve Traditions tell us why it works.

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
H E A R T = Healing, Enjoying, And Recovering Together.

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Daily Motivation

Get purposeful

Even the most luxurious conditions can be nearly impossible to endure if there’s no purpose toward which you are moving. Even the most painful, desperate conditions can be relatively easy to endure when there’s an important, meaningful reason to do so.

Purpose makes all the difference. The crucial factor in any undertaking is not what you must do, but why you are doing it in the first place.

Yes, doing the work is absolutely necessary. And what will get the work done is a clear and unambiguous knowing of why you’re doing it.

If you’re having trouble focusing, don’t merely strive to improve your focus. Work on solidly connecting with your authentic purpose.

Anything is possible, but what you seek is not just anything. What’s possible for you is what’s truly meaningful to you.

Knowing what you seek and why, is what will relentlessly drive you to reach it. Get clear, get honest, get purposeful, and you cannot help but get it done.

— Ralph Marston