“How long are you going to hold on to things that are not working in your best interests… that are not fulfilling…” – Until Today

Every once in awhile it’s time for a self examination. It’s time to take a real good look at your life and ask yourself if what you’re doing is making you happy. Ask yourself if you’re hanging onto things, not because they are fulfilling to you, but because you think you need to hang onto them. If the answer is yes, that it’s time to let go of some things, but you’re scared of the consequences, start writing down your options. You might be surprised at what you find. Abundance is not something that just happens to us. It’s the result of choices we make and the work we do spiritually to invite abundance into our lives. By constantly exploring options for abundance, and taking the action to manifest it, ILML! 

– JamieQ

“… problems of money, property and prestige divert us from our primary purpose.” – AA Tradition Six

My mind tends to stray towards money, property and prestige regularly, and one of my past sponsors even told me it’s ok to work to earn money, property and the respect of others, provided it’s not my primary purpose. However, when each day, I put first and foremost a desire to do God’s will as I understand it and help others, then each night I go to sleep with a peace and happiness, a sense of self-respect and love towards myself, that no amount of money can buy. AA’s page 77 tells us that this is our true purpose in life, and when I choose to believe it and achieve it, ILML! 

– JamieQ

“Gratitude turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity… it makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.” – Melody Beattie

Many of you know I text out a gratitude list every day (accept on the days I don’t as Feldy says – lol). I also get list from lots of others. This exchange of gratitude is a huge part of my ability to love life to the fullest.  I like to keep my lists current and relevant, switching them up in order to force myself to really think of things I’m grateful for, above and beyond the regular things. Today I decided to spend about an hour making a giant list, just for fun, because when I push the limits of gratitude, ILML even more!

– JamieQ

Adam’s apple
acceptance
air conditions
ancestors
ankle
animals
amends
appendix
arms
arteries
attitude of gratitude
babies
back
bamboo sheets
baths
belly
belly button
bike riding
Bill & Bob
bladder
blood
bones
books
brain
breathing
butt
calmness
calves
cats
cells
chai lattes
change
cheeks
cherry pie
chest
chin
clean drinking water
clothes
comedy
consistency
creativity
creature comforts
crying
cuddling
dad
dancing
dedication
determination
dogs
down pillows
driving
ears
ear lobes
eating
elbow
emotions
enthusiasm
evolving
exercise
experience
eyes
eyebrow
eyelashes
eyelid
fake steak
fauna
face
feet
fingers
fingernails
flora
follicle
feet
friends
forehead
Gecko Group
gratitude lists
green grass
growth
gums
hair
hands
happiness
HBO2GO
head
healthy food
hearing
heart
heating
heels
helping others
higher power
hips
home
honesty
hope
hot water
hugs
humility
iPhone
intellect
internet
intimacy
intuition
immune system
jasmine
jaw
kidneys
kids
Kindle Fire
kisses
knees
knowledge
laughter
legs
life
lifting weight
lineage
lips
love
Macbook
Maui
meditations
meetings
miniature pigs
moon
money
motorcycles
mouth
movies
muscle
music
nails
naps
neck
nerves
Netflix
nipples
nose
nostrils
ocean
openness
organs
pancreas
pikake
pistachio ice cream
planets
plumeria trees
pores
prayer
privates
program
pull-ups
pupils
push-ups
rain
rainforests
reading
recovery
recovery texts
relationships
ribs
rivers
running
sacrifice
Santa Monica
sense of touch
serenity
service work
showers
siblings
sight
simplicity
singing
skateboarding
sky
sleep
slogans
smell
smiling
soap
sobriety
soft things
spiritual connection
spiritual backpack
sponsees
sponsor
spontaneity
squats
Starbucks
stars
steps
strength
stretching
sunshine
surfing
surrender
swimming
taste
tears
technology
tennis shoes
traditions
travel
universe
veggie bacon
vulnerability
wife
willingness
whipped cream
writing
yoga
zest for life

“Money is important… we will be paid what we’re worth when we believe we deserve to be.” – The Language of Letting Go 

This reading is really more about not putting money in front of spiritual growth, which I don’t do. However, what resonated for me is that I’ve struggled with the my self worth when it comes to asking for compensation from others. I often ask to be paid much less than what I know I’m worth for my services. Why?  I’m scared if I ask for what I’m worth that they will say no, and I’ll lose their business. It’s time for me to have faith.  The next time I’m asked to quote a project, I’ll go out on a limb and quote them what I’m really worth and trust whatever happens. Because, when I let go and have unconditional faith around money, everything happens exactly as it’s supposed to and ILML! 

– JamieQ

“Since defective relations with other human beings have nearly always been the cause of our woes…see those flaws… which sometimes were responsible for the whole pattern of our lives.” – 12&12 p.80

Are you tired of blaming others for your pain and suffering? Are you tired of asking others nicely to please not say or do hurtful things? Are you discouraged that it’s hopeless and they will never change? Well I’ve got news for you —chances are you’re right, they won’t change. But here’s the good news: You can make changes to be happy regardless. You can set boundaries. You can take actions when boundaries aren’t respected. You can detach with love. You can love your life, even if they don’t change. If you haven’t yet identified the changes you can make to feel better, try taking a fearless moral inventory and share it with someone who loves life. Get suggestions from them on changes you can make to improve your life. Then take the suggestions. These are the steps I’ve done many times — and continue to do — which bring me peace, and as a result, ILML! 

– JamieQ

“If I cause my problems, then I can do something about them. But as long as I think someone or something else has caused my problems, I remain a victim who has no control over my life.” – Reaching for Personal Freedom 

This statement gives me the freedom to be happy — all the time. It’s true that I can’t stop others from saying and doing things that I don’t like, but I do have control as to how they affect me. By looking at my part, and I almost always have one, and making amends (no matter how big their wrongs) I can regain a tiny bit of control of the situation. By detaching from the situation, I make room for reflection in order to determine my future involvement with them, and whether or not I want to continue having one. If I’m not sure, I can reason it out with others who have healthy boundaries and relationships. When I take responsibility for my feelings, I stop blaming others, I’m no longer a victim and ILML! 

– JamieQ

“I’m very grateful to AA for opening me up to constant spiritual experiences and the idea that there is an infinite source of power in the universe that I can tap into if my side of the street is clean. I love my Life!” – Mike, AA

I also interpret “Praying to God” (what used to be such uncomfortable words) as tapping into an infinite source of loving power. Before really embracing this program, my thoughts, words and actions used to emanate from a lower power – resentment, self-pity and fear. These days, when I’m on my recovery game and doing the daily deal, my thoughts, words and actions are grounded in a higher power, one that creates unlimited abundance in my life and propels me into gratitude. By being consistent in my program, my side of the street stays clean, I become a great man and my life gets so good that I can’t help but shout out “ILML!”

– JamieQ

“… when we harbored grudges… we were really beating ourselves with the club of anger…” – AA p.47

Nelson Mandela said “Resentment is like drinking poison and then hoping it will kill your enemies.” Buddha said “Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned.” Getting upset is not the problem – holding onto it is what creates our misery. So why is it so hard to let go? Because we get infected, just like a virus. If our spiritual immunity system is not at its peak, when others spew out their spiritual sickness, we drop down to their level and get sick too. The solution for me is to be consistent in my spiritual devotions so that I’m filled with so much gratitude and love that I’m impervious to dis-ease. Today I’m feeling  spiritually fit and ILML! 

– JamieQ

“Let go and let God, first things first, easy does it – do but do it, let it begin with me, I’d rather be happy than right… grant me the serenity to live by our sayings.” – In God’s Care

When things are going smooth, when I’m rested, spiritually and physically fit, when I’ve eaten well and everything’s going my way, it’s easy to live by these sayings. It’s those other times that it’s more challenging. When I can’t fix a problem. When I’m overwhelmed. When someone is wronging me. These are the times I need to remember the words I hear so often in our program. Pausing gives me the opportunity to remember them. Today, if I’m not “feeling it”, I’ll slow down, take a few breaths, and remember how truly great my life is and that I am loved. ILML!  

– JamieQ