Thursday, April 11, 2019
Today's Gift
There are countless ways to take shortcuts in life or to grab for pleasures. We could cheat on our income taxes, excuse a food binge, or lie to a loved one about where we've been. We say, "It won't hurt anyone!" "I wouldn't do it if it weren't for the other guy." Or, "Everyone does it." But if we are to like and respect ourselves, we need to live by the rules we believe in. Whether we get caught or not isn't the point. We cannot hold values and then repeatedly justify breaking them.
What does it do to us if we constantly fudge on our values? It undermines our self-esteem and damages the faith we have in ourselves. We do not expect to be perfect, but we must be accountable. If we are honest with ourselves, we admit our wrongs and reestablish our self-respect.
Action for the Day: Today, I will take care to make choices that match my values.
The Needed Power
If a mere code of morals or a better philosophy of life were sufficient
to overcome alcoholism, many of us would have recovered long ago.
But we found that such codes and philosophies did not save us,
no matter how much we tried. We could wish to be moral, we
could wish to be philosophically comforted, in fact, we could will
these things with all our might, but the needed power wasn’t there.
- Alcoholics Anonymous, (We Agnostics) pp. 44 - 45
Thought to Ponder
Faith makes the impossible possible.
AA-related 'Alconym'
A B C = Acceptance, Belief, Change
Imperfections
Listen to your feelings. They tell you when you need to take care of yourself, like finding a friend if you feel lonely, crying if you feel sad, singing and smiling if you feel happy, and acting frisky if you feel good. —Pat Palmer
When we get too much of anything - too much fun or too much work - we may feel really crummy when it's over.
One way to listen to our crummy feelings is to say, "Here comes the letdown after all that fun." We can imagine a spaceship falling to earth, floating on the ocean. Coming down to earth is as much a part of the adventure as the countdown and blastoff.
A letdown for us means we need to let our bodies and minds rest, just like the spaceship, bobbing around without any special direction. We need to take it easy, do nothing, put off making plans.
Then we can ask our Higher Power to help us let go of the crummy feelings that come along with a letdown. We can ask the spirit within us to guide us through this time of change. Then we will let down and let go.
What are some things I can do to take it easy the next time I feel down?
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
I have learned this: it is not what one does that is wrong, but what one becomes as a consequence of it. --Oscar Wilde
I have learned this: it is not what one does that is wrong, but what one becomes as a consequence of it. --Oscar Wilde
There are countless ways to take shortcuts in life or to grab for pleasures. We could cheat on our income taxes, excuse a food binge, or lie to a loved one about where we've been. We say, "It won't hurt anyone!" "I wouldn't do it if it weren't for the other guy." Or, "Everyone does it." But if we are to like and respect ourselves, we need to live by the rules we believe in. Whether we get caught or not isn't the point. We cannot hold values and then repeatedly justify breaking them.
What does it do to us if we constantly fudge on our values? It undermines our self-esteem and damages the faith we have in ourselves. We do not expect to be perfect, but we must be accountable. If we are honest with ourselves, we admit our wrongs and reestablish our self-respect.
Action for the Day: Today, I will take care to make choices that match my values.
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
The Needed Power
If a mere code of morals or a better philosophy of life were sufficient
to overcome alcoholism, many of us would have recovered long ago.
But we found that such codes and philosophies did not save us,
no matter how much we tried. We could wish to be moral, we
could wish to be philosophically comforted, in fact, we could will
these things with all our might, but the needed power wasn’t there.
- Alcoholics Anonymous, (We Agnostics) pp. 44 - 45
Thought to Ponder
Faith makes the impossible possible.
AA-related 'Alconym'
A B C = Acceptance, Belief, Change
***************************
Daily Motivation
Excerpt of The Daily Motivator
Imperfections
by Ralph Marston
No matter how much planning and preparation you do, something will not turn out the way you wanted it to be. Yet even when those inevitable disappointments do indeed come, you can adapt and make the very most of them.
Life is not perfect and yet it can be perfectly wonderful. It’s great to aim for perfection, and even better to achieve excellence in spite of the imperfections you encounter. When people and situations refuse to cooperate, you can be amazingly adaptable. You can move toward excellence even in the most distressing, imperfect scenarios.
Though what you have is not perfect, you can work with it. Accept what you have, imperfections and all, with gratitude and enthusiasm. Don’t spend your time waiting for the perfect situation, something which is not very likely to come. Go ahead with life as it is, with the bumps and the pitfalls, and give your best to every moment.
From The Daily Motivator website at http://greatday.com/
No matter how much planning and preparation you do, something will not turn out the way you wanted it to be. Yet even when those inevitable disappointments do indeed come, you can adapt and make the very most of them.
Life is not perfect and yet it can be perfectly wonderful. It’s great to aim for perfection, and even better to achieve excellence in spite of the imperfections you encounter. When people and situations refuse to cooperate, you can be amazingly adaptable. You can move toward excellence even in the most distressing, imperfect scenarios.
Though what you have is not perfect, you can work with it. Accept what you have, imperfections and all, with gratitude and enthusiasm. Don’t spend your time waiting for the perfect situation, something which is not very likely to come. Go ahead with life as it is, with the bumps and the pitfalls, and give your best to every moment.
From The Daily Motivator website at http://greatday.com/
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