Daily Motivation 3-7-2012

Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Today's Gift

Parents can only give good advice or put them on the right paths, but the final forming of a person's character lies in their own hands. —Anne Frank

We must take responsibility for ourselves, for who we become, for how we live each day. The temptation to blame others may be ever present. And much of our past adds up to wasted days or years, perhaps, because we did blame someone else for the unhappiness in our lives.

We may have blamed our own parents for not loving us enough. We may have labeled our partners the villains. Other people did affect us. That's true. However, we chose, you and I, to let them control us, overwhelm us, shame us. We always had other options, but we didn't choose them.

Today is a new day. Life has opened up our options. We are learning who we are and how we want to live our lives. How exhilarating to know that you and I can take today and put our own special flavor in it. We can meet our personal needs. We can, with anticipation, chart our course. The days of passivity are over, if we choose to move ahead with this day.

I will look to this day. Every day is a new beginning.

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

To make the world a friendly place One must show it a friendly face.---James Whitcomb Riley

 

We are beginning to learn that we get what we expect. Why? If we believe that people are out to get us, we'll not treat them well. We will think it's okay to "get them" before they "get us." Then, they'll be angry and want to get even. And on it goes. It's great when we can meet the world with a balance. We are honest people. We can expect others to be fair with us. We get the faith, strength, and courage to do this because of our trust in our Higher Power.

Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, I put my life in Your care. Use me to spread Your love to others.

Action for the Day: Today, I'll spread friendliness. I will greet people with a smile.

 

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One Day At A Time

 

Growth
The essence of all growth is a willingness to change for the better
and then an unremitting willingness
to shoulder whatever responsibility this entails.
- As Bill Sees It, p. 115

Thought to Ponder . . .
Change is inevitable, growth is optional.

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
C H A N G E D = Choosing Honesty Allows New Growth Each Day.

 

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Daily Motivation

Grab the opportunity

The problems will only get bigger if you run from them or hide from them. The way to truly make a problem go away is to work through it.

By acknowledging that there’s a problem, you express an initial degree of confidence in your ability to handle it. By digging in and going to work on the problem, you set success in motion.

You don’t want to obsess over the problems, but you don’t want to ignore them either. The best approach is a realistic, confident, active approach.

In each problem there is real opportunity for the creation of meaningful value. So it just makes sense to be eager and enthusiastic and positive about bringing that value to life.

When you deal with difficult problems you must make difficult and painful choices. Yet as painful as those choices may be, ignoring the problem will eventually lead to much, much more pain.

When you spot a problem, get quickly, confidently and effectively out in front of it, and do what you do best. Grab the opportunity that’s in the problem, and be the one who brings that opportunity to life.

— Ralph Marston