The Work-In: Daily Motivation 5-10-2021

Monday, May 10, 2021

Today's Gift 

Planning is deciding what to change today so tomorrow will be different from yesterday. —Ichak Adizes

A house is like a lump of clay that can be molded and changed. It can be fixed and shaped, torn down and added to, painted, papered, carpeted, and panelled. We can think about how to change it, find pictures in books, and order plans. We can stock up on supplies, take fix-it classes, and get advice from others. But the house will remain unchanged until we pick up a brush, grab a bucket of paint, and get to work. Only then will we see tomorrow the results of what we did today.

Our plans help us construct a vision of how we'd like the future to be, but only actions will bring these things about. With confidence in the rightness of our desires, we can be assured that the Universe never gives us a dream we can't reach.

What action can I take today to make tomorrow's changes?

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

To expect too much is to have a sentimental view of life, and this is a softness that ends in bitterness. —Flannery O'Connor

Having too high expectations is a set-up for disappointment. Expectations that are high lend themselves to a fantasy life, and reality can never match our fantasies. When we get hooked on the fantasies, somehow thinking they are reality, or should be reality, we are vulnerable to the hurt that accompanies the emergence of "the real." Then we feel cheated - bitter: "Why did this have to happen to me?"

Having too high expectations was a familiar feeling before recovery. And it remains familiar to us, even now. Dreams and aspirations aren't wrong. In fact, they beckon us on to better and greater things. But dreams of what we can become through responsible choices are quite different from idle expectations of what will or should be.

Action for the Day: Every moment of every day opens the way to my aspirations that enhance reality. I will be open and receptive to reality and its gifts.

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

Accurate Self-Appraisal
The emphasis on inventory is heavy only because a great many of
us have never really acquired the habit of accurate self-appraisal.
Once this healthy practice has become grooved, it will be so
interesting and profitable that the time it takes won't be missed.
For these minutes and sometimes hours spent in self-examination
are bound to make all the other hours of our day better and happier.
- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, (Step Ten) pp. 89 - 90

Thought to Ponder
Am I doing to others as I would have them do to me—today?

AA-related 'Alconym'
S O B E R = Spiritually On Beam; Everything's Right

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

Frame of mind

by Ralph Marston

You think to yourself that you’re not in the right frame of mind to get some particular thing done. And if that’s what you’re thinking, it’s most likely true.

But it’s not like you’re forever stuck in any specific frame of mind. When your frame of mind is not what works best for you, change it.

Rather than giving yourself an excuse, give yourself an improvement. Exercise the control you have over your own thoughts, and get yourself mentally to where you wish to be.

It’s your choice where to direct those thoughts, what to notice and what to ignore. It’s your choice how to assign meaning to whatever situation you’re in.

You know what gives you energy and what drains you, what encourages you and what causes dismay. Use that self awareness to fill your mind with encouraging, energetic, creative, productive thoughts.

Make you, your mind, your focus, and your actions work for you and for the betterment of your world. Choose and create an optimum frame of mind that puts you at your best.

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