Thursday, January 12, 2012
Today's Gift
Recovery is civil war, but it is a war that can be won. --Sister Imelda
How often do we hear people say, "Sure, I know it's the right thing to do - but it's easier said than done!'' But "it," whatever "it" is for each of us, is actually easier done than not done. As hard as it is to turn our will and our behavior toward recovery, failing to recover is much harder. Ultimately, any price we pay for recovery is far less than the cost of giving up everything we've gained.
Some of us have a very difficult time making phone calls. Others are scared to death of speaking at meetings, talking to strangers, or admitting that we have feelings. But the alternative has simply been too painful. Whatever we have to do is worth it. The payoff is immense. How many of us, when we did attend that meeting that frightened us, felt an enormous surge of self-confidence and happiness? How often, when we have stood our ground and found it did not kill us, have we felt that we could lick the world? The payoff is that we learn to like ourselves more, and that is as good as it gets.
I will make sure today that I am not forgetting the benefits of recovery and only considering the price of recovery.
From the book: Days of Healing, Days of Joy by Earnie Larsen and Carol Larsen Hegarty
********************************
Twenty-Four Hours a Day
Keep It Simple
I want, by understanding myself, to understand others. I want to be all that I am capable of becoming . . . This all sounds very strenuous and serious. But now that I have wrestled with it, it's no longer so. I feel happy--deep down. All is well.--Katherine Mansfield
All is well. In the midst of turmoil, let us remember, all is well; in the midst of the pain of self-awareness, all is well. The struggle of the turmoil, the pain that accompanies the lessons of self-awareness, are preparing us for becoming all we are meant to become. We each have a special gift to offer in this life. We will come to understand those gifts and be able to give them as we grow with the pain of self-understanding. All is well. Deep down happiness ripples, it's rippling to the surface of our lives.
Action for the Day: My lesson for today is understanding, of myself and others. Happiness is the grade I earn each day of my "becoming."
There was always that mysterious barrier
we could neither surmount nor understand. It was if we were actors on a stage,
suddenly realizing that we did not know a single line of our parts.
That's one reason we loved alcohol so well. It did let us act extemporaneously.
But even Bacchus boomeranged on us; we were finally struck down
and left in terrified loneliness.
- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 57
Thought to Ponder . . .
I'm not alone anymore.
AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
Y A N A = You Are Not Alone.
Daily Motivation
Before you complain
Whenever you complain about something negative in your world, you reinforce your connection with that negativity. Your complaint can actually focus your energy toward perpetuating and empowering whatever you’re complaining about.
A much better strategy is to come up with a positive alternative, and then to act on it. Instead of merely reinforcing what is wrong, you have an opportunity to change the situation for the better.
Complaints, because of their negative nature, are usually met with some degree of defensiveness. Positive alternatives, on the other hand, will naturally be met with cooperation and appreciation.
The next time you have the urge to complain, stop and ask yourself what it is you really want. Do you simply want to complain or do you want to do something that will improve the situation?
Somewhere within each complaint is a genuine desire to improve the situation, but the complaint itself is never enough to do that. So skip beyond the complaint and use your efforts and resources to truly make a positive difference.
Make the choice not to aggravate a bad situation with your complaints. Choose instead to transform it with your positive thoughts, ideas and actions.
— Ralph Marston
No comments:
Post a Comment