Thursday, February 16, 2012

Daily Motivation 2-16-2012

Thursday, February 16, 2012
Today's Gift

In life, the difficult periods are the best periods to gain experience and shore up determination. As a result, my mental status is much improved because of them. --The Dalai Lama

Life is a process of meeting and solving problems. Solving problems is a way that we test and develop our spiritual muscle. Think of outstanding people such as Abraham Lincoln, Mahatma Gandhi, and Helen Keller. Lincoln faced the problem of a divided country; Gandhi, an oppressed India; Keller, her personal handicaps. In rising to meet their vision, courage, fortitude, and compassion, they became great - not in spite of, but because of their problems.

Problems often come to us in the form of crisis. The Chinese glyph for the word crisis contains two symbols; one means danger and the other opportunity. When an obstacle is before you, use it to create a beneficial result. As with Lincoln, Gandhi, and Keller, let your problems bring out your greatness.

Rather than pray for a life that is problem-free, ask for one that is solution-full. Instead of requesting that your Higher Power remove the mountain before you, seek the strength to climb it. Remember that the best students always get the toughest problems. Love the problems you have, and their priceless gifts will be yours.

From the book Listening to Your Inner Voice by Douglas Bloch

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Twenty-Four Hours a Day

Keep It Simple

Within our dreams and aspirations we find our opportunities. --Sue Atchley Ebaugh

Our dreams beckon us to new heights. All that we may need is the courage to move toward them, taking the necessary steps to realize those dreams. Trusting that we will be shown the steps, one at a time, patiently waiting for the right step and right time is all we need to do, today.

Our dreams, when they are for the good of ourselves and others, are invitations from our Higher Power to spread our wings, to attempt new heights. Those dreams are part of the destiny designed for us. They are not happenstance. Our gifts are unique. Our contributions are ours alone. Our dreams reflect the contributions we are called on to make in this life.

Our opportunities for fulfillment are varied and not always recognized as for our good. Again and again we need to turn to our Higher Power, be patient, and trust that we are being called to offer something very special to those around us. No one of us has escaped a special plan. And everyone of us is inspired in particular ways, with particular talents. Our recovery is clearing the way for us to burst forth with our talents.

Action for the Day: I will be grateful for all that I am, for all that I have. And I will remember, what I give today to friends around me is mine only to give.

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One Day At A Time

Fear
At heart we had all been abnormally fearful.
It mattered little whether we had sat on the shore of life
drinking or druging ourselves into forgetfulness
or had plunged in recklessly and willfully
beyond our depth and ability. The result was the same --
all of us had nearly perished in a sea of alcohol and drugs.
- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, pp. 123-24

Thought to Ponder . . .
Situations I fear are rarely as bad as the fear itself.

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
F E A R =
Forgetting Everything's All Right.

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Daily Motivation

Look forward

Don’t base your attitude on what you’ve already experienced in the past. Choose your attitude based on what you would most like to experience in the future.

The way you decide to see the world determines what kind of world you see. Decide to see, and to live in, the very best world you can imagine.

Don’t waste a lot of time complaining about what has already happened. Put your time and energy into envisioning and planning and acting to create the life you truly wish to live.

Look forward with eager anticipation, see life at its best, and smile about what you see. What’s ahead is what counts, because that’s what you have the opportunity to choose right now.

There’s never any reason to be discouraged. No matter where you are or where you’ve been, you can choose a positive future for yourself.

Look forward, and see the positive possibilities. Look forward, and step decisively toward the best of them.

— Ralph Marston

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