” I can regard everything that happens in my life as a gift… find something positive hidden within a difficult situation… When it gets dark enough, you can see the stars.” – Courage to Change 

Rather than share my experience strength and hope on this excerpt, I’ll share Michael A. Singer’s from The Untethered Soul. John F sent this to me, and it’s fits so perfectly, I couldn’t resist. “In the end, enjoying life’s experiences is the only rational thing to do. You’re sitting on a planet spinning around in the middle of absolutely nowhere. Go ahead, take a look at reality. You’re floating in empty space in a universe that goes on forever. If you have to be here, at least be happy and enjoy the experience. You’re going to die anyway. Things are going to happen anyway. Why shouldn’t you be happy? You gain nothing by being bothered by life’s events. It doesn’t change the world; you just suffer. There’s always going to be something that can bother you, if you let it.” Because I make a conscious decision each day to not let things things bother me, ILML!

– JamieQ

“Awareness is the first step toward positive change and growth… toward solving the problem…” The Language of Letting Go 

Usually when I’m struggling with something, going over and over and over again about it, my head is spinning in a useless cycle that doesn’t go anywhere. And finding any type of resolution when I’m in that state of mind is impossible. So what do I do when I become aware of this destructive cycle? I put the pen to paper. I’ve discovered that talking about it to myself – and even others sometimes – is far less effective at quieting my mind, finding solutions, and getting back to a peaceful place – then journaling out what’s on my mind. Journaling provides clarity, something my mind often can’t do by itself. It also takes the emotion down a few notches and helps me to remember that the most important thing is not this situation or problem or feeling, but getting myself back into gratitude. Because when I’m in a place of thank-you-ness, ILML! 

– JamieQ

“… we no longer need to behave in ways that conflict with our best interests and values… This program has given us the tools to become the people we’d like to be.” – In God’s Care

I’m a life lover today, but it hasn’t always been like that. In the past, usually when I most needed it, I did not go to a meeting or journal or open up my spiritual backpack or pray or meditate or exercise. I did not get enough sleep, ate poorly, inappropriately expressed anger, and remained in fear for extended periods of time. Why? Because I hadn’t practiced my life loving rituals enough to have formed a habit. And so, I paid the price of unhappiness. These days I’ve learned to be consistent and do the daily deal in order to become a man that I can be proud of. This repetition came from my determination to no longer live in pain – feeling crappy isn’t fun. Today I rarely behave in ways that complicate my life. And when I do, I make living amends quickly. By performing esteemable acts of kindness, ILML! 

– JamieQ

Today I get I get to choose how I experience my life. If I choose to be happy, then I’m happy. If I choose to feel shitty, I’ll feel shitty. I have a choice today. Not every day is easy. Many days are challenging and don’t seem to go the way I’d like. But that doesn’t mean I need to define those days as good or bad. Every day I breath another sober breath is a good day. Today I choose to have a good experience. Therefore I choose happiness.  
I love my life! Aaron

“A.A. has taught me that I will have peace of mind in exact proportion to the peace of mind I bring into the lives of the other people…” — AA, Freedom from Bondage 

So the next logical question would be: “Am I bringing peace into the lives of my family, friends and others, or am I bringing chaos, drama?” Each morning I read from books about finding peace, gratitude and love, and sharing it with others. I pray and meditate, calming my mind and centering my purpose, which is to love myself and others. So do I always bring peace? Not at all, sometimes I bring drama, usually when I’m not doing my daily rituals. But by living each day in a way that allows me to be an instrument of God’s peace, and then actually bringing peace into the lives of those I touch, ILML! 

– JamieQ

“Consistent actions create consistent results.” – Christine Kane
Back in the good old dark days, I consistently took actions that kept me imprisoned in a hell of my own creating. I drank and used consistently everyday. I blamed others and hated my life consistently. I was disappointed, angry, envious and full of self-pity consistently. As a result I did not love my life, to say the least. It took me 20 years of sobriety, and a lot of AlAnon, before I discovered a set of actions I could regularly take that would guarantee me a very different experience – one resulting in a feeling of extreme gratefulness. Now that I know what to do, I do it… consistently… no matter how busy I am. When I send out my gratitude to others, read and comment on theirs, infuse my mind with words from inspirational books, share recovery with others, connect with my higher power, and take a daily inventory, I get rocketed to the 4th dimension and ILML!

– JamieQ

“Point imagination toward the right objectives… no man can build a house until he first envisions a plan for it.” – 12&12 p.100
After years of firmly believing that God was a figment of people’s imagination, I finally decided to create my own personal fig. Guess what happened? It worked! Life is way more fun with my higher power. I used my imagination again 3 years ago when I bought large a property with a small guest house on it in Maui. I started imagining and sketching out ideas for building main house in my journal, even though I had no financial resources to do so. Today that home is being built and it’s beyond my wildest dreams. When I use my imagination for good, do the footwork, and then really give the results to God, ILML!  

— JamieQ

“Unless you do specific things to raise your levels of happiness and energy and positivity, you will be continually sucked down. You have to take an active role in making yourself happy.” —Shay Carl Butler

I couldn’t have said it better myself. Here is the way I stay happy and love my life: (1) I search daily to increase my understanding and awareness of ways I can get into gratitude and love my life, (2) I take a daily inventory, writing down what’s going on in my life, getting it out of my brain and onto paper, (3) I practice being hyper-aware the moment I start to feel unhappy, (4) With this awareness, I immediately apply the tools I’ve been studying and learning to get me back into feeling good right away, and (5) I attempt to share the secrets of loving life with as many others as I can. By practicing these 5 principles every day, no matter what’s going on, ILML!

— JamieQ

“My mind is like a great big closet needing to be cleaned out on a regular basis… removing what doesn’t fit… rearranging what is left gives me a clearer picture of what I need to keep, what needs to be thrown away, and what I need to acquire.” – Reaching for Personal Freedom 

Each day, we experience and think about things — some healthy, some not so much. When we allow unhealthy thoughts to swirl around our minds with the healthy ones, it’s just not fun. That’s what it used to be like for me, before I started writing everyday in my journal. The process gives me the opportunity to remove my unhealthy thoughts, in a safe, private forum. I receive clarity in my life as my writing transforms those fears and discomforts into growth, recovery and gratitude. We don’t need to feel bad anymore. If you haven’t started journaling daily, I highly suggest starting right now. Pick up your journal, or buy one, and watch the bad feelings disappear. When I step up for myself, and insist on taking the actions that make me feel good, ILML! 

— JamieQ

“Life’s assignment is to live unselfishly… Our own burdens will lighten every time we show kindness… When we offer love freely… We also give a gift to ourselves…” —  In God’s Care

Do you ever feel bad? Silly question. Of course you do. At some point we all feel less than happy and stoked about life. Well here’s a secret to anyone who wants to stop feeling bad quickly. Be really nice and loving to someone – it doesn’t have to be the person you’re upset with. Find someone who could use your help, compassion or kindness. Be of service by being loving towards someone, anyone. Watch what happens. It’s impossible to stay in self-pity or resentment while we are being helpful, kind and loving to someone else. I do this often because every time I am truly unselfish and help others from my heart, ILML!