It doesn't happen all at once.... You become. It takes a long time. —Margery Williams
Our spiritual awakening is partly a process of becoming real. We're moving from the external controls of image and others' opinions to the internal controls of honesty, listening to our inner voice, and having true relationships. We are shedding the games that maintained our old style of life - "macho" or "hero" or "poor me."
In place of the old phony surface, we are developing a real relationship with ourselves. We are becoming more aware - of emotions, of need for rest, of violations of our values. Sometimes change comes in a flash of insight or a moment of sudden, piercing awareness, but more often it comes a little bit at a time. As we work the on ourselves, as we are true to our inner voice, as we keep returning to conscious contact with our Higher Power, as we get closer to our friends, we become more real to ourselves.
As I grow, I see that I was always real. I was just looking at the outside.
From Touchstones: A Book of Daily Meditations for Men©
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Twenty-Four Hours a Day
Keep It Simple
Failure is impossible. ---Susan B. Anthony
Failure is an attitude. Having an attitude of failure can't help us. It can only hurt us. If we're not careful, it can grow into a way of life. So, when we feel like failures, we better look at our attitudes.
An attitude of failure often comes from making mistakes. But we can learn to see our mistakes as lessons. This turns mistakes into gains, not failures. Sometimes, we try to do things that just can't be done.
When we act like we know everything, we're going to fail. if we try to act like God, we're going to fail.
We can't control others. We can't know everything. We're not God. We're human. If we act human, we've already won.
Prayer for the Day: Higher power, help me to learn from my attitudes. Whatever the outcome, help me learn.
Action for the Day: Facing our past "failures" is the first step to learning from them. I'll talk to my sponsor about a past "failure" and the good that came from it.
Humility
Where humility formerly stood for forced feeding on humble pie,
it now begins to mean the nourishing ingredient
that can give us serenity.
- As Bill Sees It, p. 36
Thought to Ponder . . .
Learning is the very essence of humility; the two walk hand in hand.
AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
C H A N G E = Choosing Humility Allows New Gifts and Energy
Everything can move you forward
Failure is a result of what has already been done, not an indication of what you can now move forward and do. Each failure, in fact, can move you closer to success.
Don’t let disappointing results reduce your confidence. It’s more realistic, and much more effective, to let each failure strengthen your confidence.
The more experience you have with what doesn’t work, the more you’ll move in the direction of what does work. With persistence and a clear sense of purpose, failure can lead you steadily toward success.
Failure is not the worst thing that can happen. The worst thing that can happen is to do nothing.
Each and every result, whether it’s the intended result or not, means that you’re making an effort. Learn each time, from the desirable results and the undesirable ones, and boost your confidence with each step.
Rather than being ashamed of failure or dismayed by it, make good and positive use of it. Quickly get back up, keep going, and know that everything can move you forward.
— Ralph Marston
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