Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Today's Gift
. . . I was taught that the way of progress is neither swift nor easy. --Marie Curie
We are looking for progress, not perfection; however, we sometimes get lost or confused between the two. Expecting ourselves to be perfect at something we are only now learning is a familiar affliction. As we accept our humanness, we'll allow the mistakes that are a normal part of the process of living and learning - a process we call progress.
Our need to be perfect will lessen with time. And we can help ourselves break the old habits. Perfection and self-worth are not symbiotic, except in our minds. And it's a symbiosis that has done us a grave injustice. Breaking the old thought patterns takes a commitment. We must first decide and believe that we are worthwhile, simply because we are. There is only one of us; we have a particular gift to offer this world. And our being is perfect as is. Affirming this, repeatedly, is our beginning. But with this, too, progress will be slow; perfection need only be worked for, not achieved.
The patterns I am weaving with my life are complex, full of intricate detail and knots. I need to go slow, taking only one stitch at a time. With hindsight I will see that whatever the progress, it was the perfect fit to the overall design.
From the book Each Day a New Beginning by Karen Casey
No other person is exactly like you or me. No one can do exactly what we can, or touch another person in exactly the way we can. Out of all the people who could have been created, we were chosen to be a part of this time and place.
We are needed to fulfill a plan, in our families as well as in our relationships. Knowing we have unique abilities, we will spend less time feeling jealous of what others can do.
Through our dreams and yearnings, our Higher Power shows us who we can be. It is up to us to have the courage to follow that dream with action.
Action for the Day: Today I'll see what unique gift can I offer the world today.
Anger in all its aspects is a universal human problem.
But it poses a special threat to alcoholics and addicts: Our own anger can kill us.
Recovered alcoholics almost unanimously agree
that hostility, grudges, or resentments often make us want to drink,
so we need to be vigilant against such feelings.
- Living Sober, p. 38
Thought to Ponder . . .
Anger is the wind that blows out the light of reason.
AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
H A L T = Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired.
Daily Motivation
Unexpected
Something unexpected will happen today, and tomorrow, and every day. You can worry about what it might be, and fight against it when it comes, or you can accept it and deal with it in a positive way.
You cannot escape from life’s uncertainty, and you really wouldn’t want to. Although that uncertainty can bring pain, it can also bring great joy and powerful new positive possibilities.
What you can do is choose to grow stronger with each twist and turn. What you can do is learn, adapt, create, innovate and successfully adjust to life as it changes from day to day.
Uncertainty can sometimes be very disruptive and inconvenient and challenging. Fortunately, you have the skills to meet those challenges, and to move your life forward no matter what may come.
Though you can’t know for sure what will happen in the future, you can know for sure that there’s always a way to make the best of it. There’s always a way to remain true to your most treasured values, and to live your life according to your highest vision.
Life is not always predictable, but that’s no reason to fret. Because in that unpredictability, you’ll always find valuable and meaningful new positive opportunities.
— Ralph Marston
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