Tuesday, January 14, 2020
Today's Gift
In a culture where approval/disapproval has become the predominant regulator of effort and position, and often the substitute for love, our personal freedoms are dissipated. —Viola Spolin
Wanting others to approve our efforts, our appearance, our aspirations and behavior is perfectly normal, certainly not unhealthy. However, needing the approval in order to proceed with our lives is.
In early childhood we are taught to obey others and to please them. We confuse love with approval, and we begin to march to someone else's drum. Then we get even more approval. But soon we get out of step with ourselves; we neglect our personal needs and become puppets. Giving away our power to the whims of others weakens our Spirit. Personal freedom means choosing our own behavior; it means acting rather than reacting. It also means allowing ourselves the full adventure of living, of meeting each moment wholly, of responding in a pure, spontaneous, personally honest manner. Only then can we give to life what is ours to give.
Each of us has a unique part to play in the drama of life. And we need to rely on our higher power for our cues, not on those whose approval we think we need. When we turn within for guidance, all the approval we could hope for will be ours.
I will be free today. I will let no one control my actions. I will let my Higher Power give the only approval that counts. Aligning my will with my Higher Power's will guarantees it.
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
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Twenty-Four Hours a Day
Keep It Simple
Some of us were treated badly as young children and never learned how to live for ourselves. We can see only two choices: either be submissive and caretaking or be abusive and demanding. Many of us have so much guilt and shame that we feel we don't deserve to stand up for ourselves. The Universe demands that in life we be for ourselves. If we don't know how, we learn. If we are unsure, we must experiment. When we make mistakes, we must admit them and know we have a right to be imperfect learners. And we can't be only for ourselves, because that keeps us small and turns us back to where we came from.
As we accept ourselves and come to know our imperfections and weaknesses, we can understand others better. We are stronger in giving to others and more effective because we have a place to stand.
Action for the Day: Today, even if I don't feel good about myself, I will stand up for my dignity as a person.
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
We also clutch at another wonderful excuse for avoiding an inventory.
Our present anxieties and troubles, we cry, are caused by the behavior
of other people—people who really need a moral inventory. We firmly
believe that if only they'd treat us better, we'd be all right. Therefore we
think our indignation is justified and reasonable—that our resentments
are the "right kind." We aren't the guilty ones. They are!
- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, (Step Four) pp. 45 - 46
Thought to Ponder
Delay is the deadliest form of denial.
AA-related 'Alconym'
D E N I A L = Don't Even Notice It's A Lie
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Daily Motivation
Excerpt of The Daily Motivator
by Ralph Marston
Refresh your spirit, renew your energy, right here, right now. Where you are is the perfect place to deepen your connection to the best of life.
With anything that happens, or with nothing at all, you can elevate your thoughts, your awareness, your gratitude. Choose to live with a positive, empowered perspective, and it is so.
You control the way you perceive all that happens as this day unfolds. You decide, again and again, what to think, what to say, what to do with it all.
You choose which opportunities to follow, where to invest your energy and time. You decide how to express your purpose, and find new ways to support all that you love.
Remind yourself, what is now is more than enough. From wherever you are, you constantly transform your life into what you imagine.
Welcome this moment and with it, the best of what is possible. Now, let the richness within you come fully to life.
From The Daily Motivator website at http://greatday.com/
Refresh your spirit, renew your energy, right here, right now. Where you are is the perfect place to deepen your connection to the best of life.
With anything that happens, or with nothing at all, you can elevate your thoughts, your awareness, your gratitude. Choose to live with a positive, empowered perspective, and it is so.
You control the way you perceive all that happens as this day unfolds. You decide, again and again, what to think, what to say, what to do with it all.
You choose which opportunities to follow, where to invest your energy and time. You decide how to express your purpose, and find new ways to support all that you love.
Remind yourself, what is now is more than enough. From wherever you are, you constantly transform your life into what you imagine.
Welcome this moment and with it, the best of what is possible. Now, let the richness within you come fully to life.
From The Daily Motivator website at http://greatday.com/
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