Wednesday, October 3, 2018
Today's Gift
“Rigid” is a fancy word for “stubborn.” We act this way because
of our fear. When we’re afraid, we hang on to what we’re used to
doing. Our illness had us so scared, we were afraid of the new ideas
and new people. The only thing that didn’t scare us was using alcohol
or other drugs.
We also were stubborn when anyone tried to help us. We thought we
knew what was best. How silly our stubborn actions made us look!
How lonely they kept us.
But our stubborn behavior can teach us about our fears. We need to
be aware our stubbornness. Then we’ll be able to find out what we’re
afraid of---and do something about it.
Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, help me know when I’m stubborn.
Action for the Day: Today, I’ll work at accepting my stubbornness.
I will use it to learn what I am afraid of today.
Regret
We will not regret the past nor wish to shut the door on it.
We will comprehend the word serenity and we will know peace.
No matter how far down the scale we have gone, we will see how
our experience can benefit others. That feeling of uselessness
and self-pity will disappear. We will lose interest in selfish things
and gain interest in our fellows.
- Alcoholics Anonymous, pp. 83 - 84
Thought to Ponder
I made decisions that I regret, and today I take them as learning experiences.
AA-related 'Alconym'
E S H = Experience, Strength, Hope
Flexible focus
Ambiguity means admitting more than one response to a situation and allowing yourself to be aware of those contradictory responses. You may want something and fear it at the same time. You may find it both beautiful and ugly. —Tristine Rainer
Flexibility is a goal worth the striving. It eases our relations with others, and it stretches our realm of awareness. Letting go of rigid adherence to what our perceptions were yesterday assures us of heightened understanding of life's variables and lessons.
Being torn between two decisions, feeling ambivalent about them need not create consternation, though it often does. Hopefully, it will encourage us to pray for direction, and then to be responsive to the guidance. And we must keep in mind that no decision is ever wrong. It may lead us astray for a time, but it will also introduce us to uncharted territories, which offer many opportunities for flexibility.
Contradictory responses, our own and also ours in relations with others, keep us on our toes, lend an element of excitement to our lives, and push us to think creatively about our perceptions. Growth and change are guaranteed.
I will be in tune with myself today. I will let my perceptions guide me.
From Each Day a New Beginning: Daily Meditations for Women by Karen Casey ©
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
That which is called firmness I a king is called stubbornness in a
donkey. ---Lord Erskine
That which is called firmness I a king is called stubbornness in a
donkey. ---Lord Erskine
“Rigid” is a fancy word for “stubborn.” We act this way because
of our fear. When we’re afraid, we hang on to what we’re used to
doing. Our illness had us so scared, we were afraid of the new ideas
and new people. The only thing that didn’t scare us was using alcohol
or other drugs.
We also were stubborn when anyone tried to help us. We thought we
knew what was best. How silly our stubborn actions made us look!
How lonely they kept us.
But our stubborn behavior can teach us about our fears. We need to
be aware our stubbornness. Then we’ll be able to find out what we’re
afraid of---and do something about it.
Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, help me know when I’m stubborn.
Action for the Day: Today, I’ll work at accepting my stubbornness.
I will use it to learn what I am afraid of today.
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
Regret
We will not regret the past nor wish to shut the door on it.
We will comprehend the word serenity and we will know peace.
No matter how far down the scale we have gone, we will see how
our experience can benefit others. That feeling of uselessness
and self-pity will disappear. We will lose interest in selfish things
and gain interest in our fellows.
- Alcoholics Anonymous, pp. 83 - 84
Thought to Ponder
I made decisions that I regret, and today I take them as learning experiences.
AA-related 'Alconym'
E S H = Experience, Strength, Hope
From: AA Thought for the Day (courtesy AA-Alive.net)
Excerpt of The Daily Motivator
Flexible focus
by Ralph Marston
To achieve anything worthwhile, it is important to stay focused and to avoid being sidetracked by the many distractions which inevitably come your way. And yet it is also important to stay flexible, so you can adjust, adapt to, and take advantage of changing situations.
How do you stay focused without being too rigid, and flexible without being too limp? By having a clear understanding of what is important.
Being clearly focused on the ultimate goal does not require that you be unyielding on every detail. Success comes from standing firm on the important, big-picture issues, while staying flexible on the little things which, in the end, don’t really matter one way or another.
Great achievements demand a healthy balance between firm resolve and open-minded flexibility. Know clearly, precisely, exactly what you wish to accomplish, and be adaptable enough to turn every situation toward that purpose. Just because you occasionally leave the path, does not mean you must forsake the destination. Stay focused, be flexible, and get yourself there.
To achieve anything worthwhile, it is important to stay focused and to avoid being sidetracked by the many distractions which inevitably come your way. And yet it is also important to stay flexible, so you can adjust, adapt to, and take advantage of changing situations.
How do you stay focused without being too rigid, and flexible without being too limp? By having a clear understanding of what is important.
Being clearly focused on the ultimate goal does not require that you be unyielding on every detail. Success comes from standing firm on the important, big-picture issues, while staying flexible on the little things which, in the end, don’t really matter one way or another.
Great achievements demand a healthy balance between firm resolve and open-minded flexibility. Know clearly, precisely, exactly what you wish to accomplish, and be adaptable enough to turn every situation toward that purpose. Just because you occasionally leave the path, does not mean you must forsake the destination. Stay focused, be flexible, and get yourself there.
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