Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Today's Gift
I have one request: may I never use my reason against truth. --Elie Wiesel
Honesty with ourselves is a great asset in every situation we confront. The skill to look reality square in the face and call it what it is takes us a good distance toward coping with it. However, many of us also have the skill to spin or rationalize our actions so that we don't have to face something unpleasant. That skill provides us with excuses and evasions but it is the greatest betrayal of our selves. When we use our brain to cleverly cover the truth of our actions, we often believe our own lies, and then we're incapable of rectifying them.
Just as dishonesty builds and grows on itself, so does honesty. We cannot one day decide to be honest and change in a flash because we don't see all of our self-deceit yet. But we can make the decision to be as honest as we know how. Then we will soon be surprised by how much is revealed to us as the fog of our self-deceit lifts and our honesty builds upon itself.
Today I will strive to see reality as it is and not shape it to suit my ego's desires.
From the book Wisdom to Know by Anonymous
It’s a rare person who wants to hear what we doesn’t want to hear.---Dick Cavett
That we did a good job. We don’t want to hear that anyone is angry with us, or that we made a mistake. We don’t want to hear about illness or troubles.
But life isn’t just happy news. Bad things happen. We can’t change that. As we live our recovery program, we learn to handle the addiction. We choose the path of life. We need to know all the news, good, and bad. Then we can deal with life as it really is.
Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, help me listen---even when I don't want to. Gently help me deal with both the good and bad. All the help I need is mine for the asking.
Action for the Day: I will ask my sponsor and three friends to tell me about my blind spots.
The first step toward feeling better, and getting over our sickness,
is quite simply not drinking or drugging.
Wouldn't you rather recognize you have a health condition
which can be successfully treated,
than spend a lot of time worrying about what's wrong with you?
- Living Sober, p. 10
Thought to Ponder . . .
I had to get sober to be amazed.
AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
A B C = Acceptance, Belief Change.
Daily Motivation
Give your care
If you don’t really care about what you’re doing, why are you wasting your precious time doing it? If you’re going to spend your time on something, then give your care, attention, interest, curiosity and enthusiasm to it.
Life can be so much more than merely a series of transactions. Give your life depth and richness and passion by giving your sincere care to each moment and every activity.
If you’re using your time to do it, then it’s important. Do it well, with care and attention, then find ways to improve and do it even better.
Achievement comes from caring. A life of true fulfillment comes from truly caring.
Find what you can care about, and put yourself into it with all you have. Find what you can care about, and find delight in the opportunity and experience of deeply caring.
Get completely involved in whatever you’re doing, and feel the immense joy of making a real difference. Care deeply, and live fully.
— Ralph Marston
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