Friday, October 12, 2018
Today's Gift
When we're selfish, we close off the channels of exchange with others. Not only are we grabbing and holding all the goods or attention we can get, but we are denying others the possibility of sharing with us in the benefits. We may be selfish in material goods, but there are many other ways too. Some of us expect our spouses to meet our needs while we make little effort to meet theirs. Some of us discover our selfishness as we drive, refusing to yield a position to another car or getting furious if we lose a place in heavy traffic.
By contrast, our generosity and welcoming responses nourish the spirit within us and create a good environment for our growth. Sometimes giving does not come easily. We have a more generous spirit when we are in touch with our ultimate vulnerability. All of life is fragile, and we need each other to have a good life. We can truly hold onto nothing but ourselves. Giving what we can of our time, our energy, and our goods, helps create the kind of world we want to live in.
Step Eleven
Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious
contact with our Higher Power as we understood Them, praying only
for knowledge of Their will for us and the power to carry that out.
- Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 59
Thought to Ponder
Prayer asks the question. Meditation listens for the answer.
AA-related 'Alconym'
A S A P = Always Say A Prayer
Excerpt of The Daily Motivator
Seek harmony
I'm learning that for a variety of reasons, I've spent much of my life focusing on form rather than substance. My focus has been on having my hair done perfectly, wearing the right clothes, having my makeup applied perfectly, living in the right place, furnishing it with the right furniture, working at the right job, and having the right man. Form, rather than substance, has controlled my behavior in many areas of my life. Now, I'm finally getting to the truth. It's substance that counts. --Anonymous
Substance over Form
There is nothing wrong in wanting to look our best. Whether we are striving to create a self, a relationship, or a life, we need to have some solid ideas about what we want that to look like.
Form gives us a place to begin. But for many of us, form has been a substitute for substance. We may have focused on form to compensate for feeling afraid or feeling inferior. We may have focused on form because we didn't know how to focus on substance.
Form is the outline; substance is what fills it in. We fill in the outline of ourselves by being authentic; we fill in the outline of our life by showing up for life and participating to the best of our ability.
We're must learn to pay attention to how things work and feel, not just to what they look like.
Today, I will focus on substance in my life. I will fill in the lines of myself with a real person - me. I will concentrate on the substance of my relationships, rather than what they look like. I will focus on the real working of my life, instead of the trappings.
From The Language of Letting Go by Melody Beattie ©
From: Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation - Thought for the Day http://www.hazeldenbettyford.org/recovery/thought-for-the-day
********************************
Twenty-Four Hours a Day
Keep It Simple
No person is more cheated than the selfish one. --Henry Ward Beecher
No person is more cheated than the selfish one. --Henry Ward Beecher
When we're selfish, we close off the channels of exchange with others. Not only are we grabbing and holding all the goods or attention we can get, but we are denying others the possibility of sharing with us in the benefits. We may be selfish in material goods, but there are many other ways too. Some of us expect our spouses to meet our needs while we make little effort to meet theirs. Some of us discover our selfishness as we drive, refusing to yield a position to another car or getting furious if we lose a place in heavy traffic.
By contrast, our generosity and welcoming responses nourish the spirit within us and create a good environment for our growth. Sometimes giving does not come easily. We have a more generous spirit when we are in touch with our ultimate vulnerability. All of life is fragile, and we need each other to have a good life. We can truly hold onto nothing but ourselves. Giving what we can of our time, our energy, and our goods, helps create the kind of world we want to live in.
Action for the Day: Today, I will look for ways to be generous with those I share this world with.
From: Bluidkiti's Alcohol and Drug Addictions Recovery Help/Support Forums Daily Recovery Readings - http://www.bluidkiti.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=2
****************************
One Day At A Time
Step Eleven
Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious
contact with our Higher Power as we understood Them, praying only
for knowledge of Their will for us and the power to carry that out.
- Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 59
Thought to Ponder
Prayer asks the question. Meditation listens for the answer.
AA-related 'Alconym'
A S A P = Always Say A Prayer
From: AA Thought for the Day (courtesy AA-Alive.net)
Excerpt of The Daily Motivator
Seek harmony
by Ralph Marston
Conflict leads to despair and destruction. Harmony supports, encourages, creates value, trust, and positive energy.
Focus your awareness not on what you oppose or wish to avoid. Instead, keep your thoughts and actions centered on all you love and support and wish to experience more of in life.
Those who have opinions and perspectives that are different from yours are not your enemies. Indeed, they can be your greatest teachers.
Seek to get beyond the urge to fight, beyond the need to prove yourself. Live on a level at which respect, understanding, and cooperation guide your interactions.
Discover how much more can be achieved through agreement and finding common ground than through argument and opposition. Use your energy along with others to build together rather than wasting it in tearing each other down.
Let go of your ego’s combative urges, and let the power of harmony into your world. The less you fight, the less you oppose, the more there is for everyone to create and enjoy.
From The Daily Motivator website at http://greatday.com/
Conflict leads to despair and destruction. Harmony supports, encourages, creates value, trust, and positive energy.
Focus your awareness not on what you oppose or wish to avoid. Instead, keep your thoughts and actions centered on all you love and support and wish to experience more of in life.
Those who have opinions and perspectives that are different from yours are not your enemies. Indeed, they can be your greatest teachers.
Seek to get beyond the urge to fight, beyond the need to prove yourself. Live on a level at which respect, understanding, and cooperation guide your interactions.
Discover how much more can be achieved through agreement and finding common ground than through argument and opposition. Use your energy along with others to build together rather than wasting it in tearing each other down.
Let go of your ego’s combative urges, and let the power of harmony into your world. The less you fight, the less you oppose, the more there is for everyone to create and enjoy.
From The Daily Motivator website at http://greatday.com/
No comments:
Post a Comment