The Work-In: Daily Motivation 5-10-2019

Friday, May 10, 2019

Today's Gift

Personal power is the ability to stand on your own two feet with a smile on your face in the middle of a universe that contains a million ways to crush you. ― J.Z. Colby

Owning Our Power

We don't have to give others so much power and ourselves so little. We don't have to give others so much credit and ourselves so little. There's a big difference between humility and discounting ourselves.

When others act irresponsibly and attempt to blame their problems on us, we don't have to feel guilty. Let them face their own consequences.

When others talk nonsense, we don't have to question our own thinking.

When others try to manipulate or exploit us, know it's okay to feel anger and distrust and to say no to the plan.

When others tell us that we want something that we really don't want, or someone tells us that we don't want something that we really do want, we must trust ourselves. When others tell us things we don't believe, it's okay to trust our instincts.

We can even change our mind later.

We don't have to give up our personal power to anyone: strangers, friends, spouses, children, authority figures, or those over whom we're in authority. People may have things to teach us. They may have more information than we have, and may appear more confident or forceful than we feel. But we are equals. Our magic is not in them. Our magic, our light, is in us. And it is as bright a light as theirs.

We are not second-class citizens. By owning our power, we don't have to become aggressive or controlling. We don't have to discount others. But we don't discount ourselves either.

Today, I will own my power with people. I will let myself know what I know, feel what I feel, believe what I believe, and see what I see. I will be open to changing and learning from others and experience, but I will trust and validate myself too. I will stand in my own truth.

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

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Twenty-Four Hours a Day

Keep It Simple

To wait for someone else, or to expect someone else to make my life richer, or fuller, or more satisfying, puts me in a constant state of suspension; and I miss all those moments that pass. They never come back to be experienced again. --Kathleen Tierney Crilly

The steps we are taking today will never again be taken in exactly the same way. The thoughts we are thinking are fresh, never to be repeated. All that these moments offer will never pass our way again.

We each have to grab our own happiness, create our own richness through experiences. We may share what we capture with loved ones, but like us, they too must search their own avenues for the satisfaction that lasts. We can neither give happiness to another, like a gift, nor expect it in return.

The fullness of life we all long for is the natural byproduct of living every moment as fully as possible. Our higher power will never direct us into waters too deep. When we have willingly turned our lives and our wills over, we'll find an abundance of the rich, the full, the satisfying. Faith in our Higher Power answers all questions, solves all problems.

Action for the Day: I will cherish every moment today. Each one is special and will not visit me again.

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

Building of Character
If we ask, our Higher Power will certainly forgive our derelictions.
But in no case do They render us white as snow
and keep us that way without our cooperation.
That is something we are supposed to be willing to
work toward ourselves. They ask only that we try as best
we know how to make progress in the building of character.
- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, (Step Six) p. 65

Thought to Ponder
Character is what I am; reputation is what people think I am.

AA-related 'Alconym'
B A T H = Behavior, Attitude, Thinking, Habits

From: AA Thought for the Day (courtesy AA-Alive.net) http://www.aa-alive.net/index.html

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Daily Motivation

Excerpt of The Daily Motivator

You have the power

by Ralph Marston

You have power over your thoughts. You have power over your actions. You have power over the way you spend your time. You have power over your attitude. You have the power to decide what you find enjoyable, the power to set goals and to achieve them. These powers are very real, quite substantial and immediately accessible.

Rather than seeking some elusive power over others, it is far more effective to make full use of the power you already have over your own affairs. The most potent power is not the power you seize, but rather the power you exercise.

Those who crave more power usually do so because they’re unable to make positive and effective use of the power they already have. The only meaningful power is the power you use, not the power you attempt to take.

You have an abundance of power. The better use you make of it, the more of it you’ll have. The strongest, most influential leaders lead not with borrowed or assumed power, but with a power that is truly their own. Exercise the power you already have and it will grow even stronger.

From The Daily Motivator website at http://greatday.com/