Thursday, January 26, 2012
Today's Gift
Nothing is more difficult than competing with a myth.— Francoise Giroud
Sometimes we think we need to try and be something we're not. Maybe we feel pressure from friends to behave or dress like someone else. All we need to do is remember when we were younger and dressed in our parents' clothes and shoes. We pretended to be grownups, and it was fun for a while. Then the huge shoes on our feet grew clumsy and uncomfortable and the mountain of rolled-up sleeves kept falling down and getting in the way. Soon we grew tired of the game and stopped pretending. Today when we start feeling the pressure to be someone else, let's remember how hard it is to play a role that doesn't fit us.
What can I do today that is most like me?
From Today's Gift: Daily Meditations for Families ©
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Twenty-Four Hours a Day
Keep It Simple
You've got to get up every morning with a smile on your face,
And show the world all the love in your heart,
Then people gonna treat you better.
You're gonna find, yes, you will,
That you're beautiful as you feel.
--Carole King
"Act as if." There's magic in behaving the way we want to be, even though we don't yet feel it. The behavior seems to lead the way. The attitude, the mental state, follows. Many days we may not get up with love in our hearts for our family, our friends, our co-workers. We may, in fact, want them to show their love for us first. But if we reach out, give love unconditionally; focus on another's needs, love will return tenfold. And the act of loving them will lift our own spirits. We will know love; we will feel love for ourselves and the many other persons close to us.
The attitude we cultivate, whether one of love or selfishness, inferiority or superiority, will determine how the events of our lives affect us. The principle is so simple. If we meet life with love, with a smile, we'll find love and something to smile about.
Action for the Day: My attitude will make this day what it becomes. Meeting it head-on, with love, will assure me of a lovely day.
Decision
Clear away the wreckage of your past.
Give freely of what you find and join us.
We shall be with you in the Fellowship of the Spirit,
and you will surely meet some of us as you trudge the Road of Happy Destiny.
- Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 164
Thought to Ponder . . .
Life will take on new meaning.
AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
A A = Always Alive.
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Daily Motivation
Magnificent consequences
What you do, matters. The words you speak, the things you feel, the thoughts you hold, and the actions you take all have an influence on the quality of your life.
You cannot escape the consequences of the way you choose to live. So your best strategy is to make those consequences magnificent.
Instead of having to pay a price for your actions, you can be reaping the rewards of your actions. The choices you make in each moment are what make the difference.
If you carry around negative thoughts and feelings, and then express that negativity in your actions, you make your whole world a darker, more dismal place. Choose instead to adopt a positive perspective, seeing the best in other people and in the situations you encounter, and you’ll be adding new, meaningful value to your world.
In every little moment, the way you choose to be truly matters. Make a little positive difference, again and again, and it all soon adds to a life of real fulfillment and joy.
You have a very powerful influence on the world in which you live, and on the life you experience. Live as though everything matters, because it does, and bring your own magnificent consequences to life.
— Ralph Marston
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