Monday, December 17, 2018
Today's Gift
Great symphonies begin with just one note. --Priscilla Young Pratt
Sometimes it's really hard to get going. We put off things we don't want to do, or are afraid to try. We occasionally feel overwhelmed by the size of a job to be done like cleaning out the cellar or reading a long book for a class.
But think a minute. If Beethoven had thought about how complicated it was to write his Ninth Symphony, with all those instruments and voices and notes to blend together, do we really think he would ever have started? But he didn't get overwhelmed. He sat down and wrote just one small note, and then another, and a third. It took him months, but writing one note led to a second, and, one note at a time, he completed it.
We begin the same way with whatever tasks we have ahead of us. Each tiny bit of progress helps us go on to the next part. We begin by reading one page of that book, or taking one box of junk from the cellar. That's all we have to do. The rest will follow almost on its own. The trick is to begin.
What needs to be done today, and how do I start?
From Today's Gift: Daily Meditations for Families ©
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
When there is too wide a gap between standards we set for ourselves and our actual achievement, unhappiness follows. If we can't improve the performance, we should lower the demands. When we are true to ourselves, we come to expect only that which we are capable of doing. As we grow each day in recovery, we are able to do more.
What we expect from ourselves can change the next day. It is very important that through our meetings and conversations with fellow members, we keep close tabs on our development. We find out that life is for living, and it is better lived when we do our assignments every day.
We are really never given more than we can do. As long as we have realistic goals, we will be given what we need to succeed.
Action for the Day: Today I'll remember that when my expectations are too high, I get stuck and down on myself.
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
But the ex-problem drinker who has found this solution,
who is properly armed with facts about their self,
can generally win the entire confidence of another alcoholic
in a few hours. Until such an understanding is reached,
little or nothing can be accomplished.
- Alcoholics Anonymous, "There Is A Solution" p. 18
Thought to Ponder
Faith is our greatest gift; its sharing with others our greatest responsibility.
AA-related 'Alconym'
A L C O H O L I C S = A Life Centered On Helping Others Live In Complete Sobriety
From: AA Thought for the Day (courtesy AA-Alive.net)
Excerpt of The Daily Motivator
by Ralph Marston
Think of how different life would be if you could erase the line between what you have to do and what you want to do. Nothing would be a chore, and everything would be a chance to enjoy and express yourself.
Some of your tasks you probably view as tedious, and others you are thrilled for the opportunity to do. If you choose, you can be just as thrilled about every task.
Imagine there’s no distinction between work and play. Imagine no difference between what’s required of you and what entices and fascinates you.
Much of what makes any job disagreeable is the judgment you place on it. By simply withholding the judgment, and focusing on the work at hand, you make yourself more effective, and happier too.
Often, the things you fight against doing are the very things that can make life a whole lot better. To the degree you stop fighting and start doing, you greatly expand your options.
Let go of the need to decide whether or not you like the effort, and just do the effort. You’ll find yourself enjoying the experience and all the good things it brings you.
Think of how different life would be if you could erase the line between what you have to do and what you want to do. Nothing would be a chore, and everything would be a chance to enjoy and express yourself.
Some of your tasks you probably view as tedious, and others you are thrilled for the opportunity to do. If you choose, you can be just as thrilled about every task.
Imagine there’s no distinction between work and play. Imagine no difference between what’s required of you and what entices and fascinates you.
Much of what makes any job disagreeable is the judgment you place on it. By simply withholding the judgment, and focusing on the work at hand, you make yourself more effective, and happier too.
Often, the things you fight against doing are the very things that can make life a whole lot better. To the degree you stop fighting and start doing, you greatly expand your options.
Let go of the need to decide whether or not you like the effort, and just do the effort. You’ll find yourself enjoying the experience and all the good things it brings you.
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