Thursday, October 26, 2017
Today's Gift
Anne Frank had good reason to be unhappy, full of fear, and deeply discouraged. Years of her life were spent in a small apartment hiding from the Nazis who wanted to destroy her and her family. Yet even in this little hiding place she had happiness. It was something she had inside which did not depend on what happened around her. She had riches of the heart. She had faith that kept her going. She had love and concern for her family and others, which made even a restricted life very rich with feelings. It is tempting to believe that we will be happy when we have something outside ourselves, which will make us happy. But happiness is not something we have to find outside; the seeds are in our hearts already.
New Attitudes
If we really depended upon our Higher Power, we couldn't very well play God to our fellows
nor would we feel the urge wholly to rely on human protection and care.
These were the new attitudes that finally brought many of us an inner strength
and peace that could not be deeply shaken by the shortcomings of others or by
any calamity not of our own making.
- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 116
Thought to Ponder
I never imagined that the greatest achievement of my life would be peace of mind.
AA-related 'Alconym'
H O P E = Hang On! Peace Exists
From: AA Thought for the Day (courtesy AA-Alive.net)
Doing great work
Aging is not easy, but what's our alternative? - Helen Casey
The kind of attitude we developed over our lives determined how we saw every detail of each experience. Even now our attitude holds us hostage. The misunderstanding that many of us have is that we think we can't really change how we see our world. Nothing is further from the truth. We can make a large or small shift in our perceptions instantly. The outcome is that everything about our lives changes from that moment forward. Thus, how we perceive the aging process is controlled by our willingness to look at it again.
Helen has aged gracefully. At 86, she still finds time for making new friends, three bridge clubs a week, daily mass and frequent communication with her children and relatives. She carries a positive, hopeful attitude with her wherever she goes, which inspires others, young and old.
It wouldn't appear that aging has been hard on Helen. But the truth of the matter is that she has suffered many losses. What she has managed to hold onto, though, is her faith in Goodness and her willingness to see every "glass as half full."
How lucky we are that we can "tinker" with our attitude for as long as we're alive, and if we aren't completely happy, we have work to do. As Helen says, there is no alternative to aging, except death. What happens now is up to us.
I am only as old as I decide to feel today.
From the book Keepers of the Wisdom ©
From: Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation - Thought for the Day http://www.hazeldenbettyford.org/recovery/thought-for-the-day
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Twenty-Four Hours a Day
Keep It Simple
Whoever is happy will make others happy, too. --Anne Frank
Whoever is happy will make others happy, too. --Anne Frank
Anne Frank had good reason to be unhappy, full of fear, and deeply discouraged. Years of her life were spent in a small apartment hiding from the Nazis who wanted to destroy her and her family. Yet even in this little hiding place she had happiness. It was something she had inside which did not depend on what happened around her. She had riches of the heart. She had faith that kept her going. She had love and concern for her family and others, which made even a restricted life very rich with feelings. It is tempting to believe that we will be happy when we have something outside ourselves, which will make us happy. But happiness is not something we have to find outside; the seeds are in our hearts already.
Action for the Day: I will look for the happiness my latest setback.
From: Bluidkiti's Alcohol and Drug Addictions Recovery Help/Support Forums Daily Recovery Readings - http://www.bluidkiti.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=2
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One Day At A Time
New Attitudes
If we really depended upon our Higher Power, we couldn't very well play God to our fellows
nor would we feel the urge wholly to rely on human protection and care.
These were the new attitudes that finally brought many of us an inner strength
and peace that could not be deeply shaken by the shortcomings of others or by
any calamity not of our own making.
- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 116
Thought to Ponder
I never imagined that the greatest achievement of my life would be peace of mind.
AA-related 'Alconym'
H O P E = Hang On! Peace Exists
From: AA Thought for the Day (courtesy AA-Alive.net)
Excerpt of The Daily Motivator
Doing great work
by Ralph Marston
You have much to get done, and that’s nothing to get wound up about. Let go of the drama, of the pressure your mind has constructed around it, and let your best effort happen.
Make each action a choice, not a chore. Decide to see your obligations and responsibilities in a positive light.
Don’t make your work more difficult by considering it a burden. Just take the next step, and the next and the next, thankful for the opportunity to do your part.
Dial down the pressure and angst, and you dial up your effectiveness. Rise above any tinge of discontent, and enable your creativity to flow.
The way to feel your best in this moment is not to wish you were somewhere else doing something else. Feel your best by cheerfully doing your best, right here, with the task at hand.
Remind yourself what a good place you’re in. And give your awareness, your focus, your effort to doing the great work you know you can do.
You have much to get done, and that’s nothing to get wound up about. Let go of the drama, of the pressure your mind has constructed around it, and let your best effort happen.
Make each action a choice, not a chore. Decide to see your obligations and responsibilities in a positive light.
Don’t make your work more difficult by considering it a burden. Just take the next step, and the next and the next, thankful for the opportunity to do your part.
Dial down the pressure and angst, and you dial up your effectiveness. Rise above any tinge of discontent, and enable your creativity to flow.
The way to feel your best in this moment is not to wish you were somewhere else doing something else. Feel your best by cheerfully doing your best, right here, with the task at hand.
Remind yourself what a good place you’re in. And give your awareness, your focus, your effort to doing the great work you know you can do.
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