alanon

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An Ideal to Strive Towards

“All my defects become glaringly obvious through my actions. . . but that does not define me as a person. I may act badly on occasion. That does not make me a bad person… I saw my character defects as glitches to be corrected rather than major portions of my framework… Now, I seek the opportunity to look at defects and let them go. Something new and better always seems available to take their place.”
– Adapted from Drop the Rock pg. 14

Wow. What an ideal to strive towards. I, more often than not, base my worth on my actions. AKA I’m good because I DO good. If investigated, this is blatantly false. I make a ton of mistakes, but today I do my utmost to acknowledge my part and remedy the situation as best I can through the process of the 12 steps. I am a good person today because I am. Period! iLmL

– RichieB

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Willing to Let Go

DR “Sacrifice is the art of giving of myself freely, allowing humility to replace my ego.”

My resistance to compromise or sacrifice is a distorted ego. I believe that my plan is more important than God’s will. This is obviously not the truth. Today I am willing to let go of my self-serving plan in place of a plan from a power greater than myself! iLmL

– RichieB

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Holler

“Through prayer and meditation, I open channels, then I establish and improve my conscious contact with God. Through action I then receive the power I need to maintain my sobriety each day. By maintaining my spiritual condition, by giving away what has been so freely given me, I am granted a daily reprieve.” – Drop the Rock

The daily goal in a nutshell! There is a simple equation for a great life – prayer & meditation play a big role in it. Today I have been granted a reprieve. HOLLER! iLmL

– RichieB

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Double My Norm

From Heart of a Buddha “The loss of desire overcomes all sorrows.”

Definitely a lifetime practice. I have desire all throughout my day. My goal today is to eliminate some of these desires and trust that the big GEE OHH DEE has my back in every present moment. I’m also going to meditate for TEN minutes today which is double my norm (when I actually do it). Anyone want to join in on the meditation double up??? iLmL

– RichieB

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More, More, More

“… we were prodded by unreasonable fears or anxieties into making a life business of winning, fame, money and what we thought was leadership. So false pride became the reverse side of that ruinous coin marked “Fear”. 12&12

It’s easy to get lost in the pursuit of more. More money. More notoriety. More respect. More security. It’s also easy to let fear of not having enough, or losing things, compel me to put money above all else. When I do, I know I’m off course. If I put my program first and diligently stay in the solution, connecting with Source, my fear and need for more disappears & I am absolutely taken care of. Today I having a loving power that I really do trust. ILML!

– JamesQ

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Shoot for Optimism

“… much of my extra weight comes from the expectations I have for myself to be more.”
– Dr. Amy Johnson, TinyBuddah.com

Being optimistic is one of the underlying foundations of my success in life. I shoot for the stars and stay optimistic. But expectation lay just beyond optimism, and when I’m not careful, my optimism gets replaced by expectation. If I get what I want, great. If I don’t, I’m destined for an emotional hangover – closed off to future abundance. So today I’ll shoot for optimism and embrace life, whatever the outcome is, knowing more abundance is always heading my way, provided I stay open to it. ILML!

– JamesQ

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Turned a Corner

“Although financial recovery is on the way for many of us, we find we cannot place money first. For us, material well-being always follows spiritual progress; it never precedes.”
– BB PG127

I’m very proud of myself! I’ve really stepped up my prayer & meditation game! The results are profound. It has even coincided with my financial progress! As a past pesimist regarding spiritual matters I feel I have turned a corner. I now believe that “the spiritual life is NOT a theory. We HAVE to live it”! Regardless of my financial status, which is the best it’s ever been. iLmL

– RichieB

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Not Compounding the Problem

“Today, if I encounter an upsetting situation, I will ask myself, “How important is it?” before I react. I may find that it is not important enough to sacrifice my serenity.” – Courage to Change

This simple question that Al Anon suggests invites a power greater than myself into the equation. Which, then in turn, allows me to breathe and approach the situation in a more effective manor. Thus, not compounding the problem with a negative reaction to life on life’s terms. iLmL!

RichieB

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Can Change – Can’t Change

“Fear is the energy that activates my character defects… What triggers my fear…? Trying to control… I make a list, with one column titled “can change” and another titled “can’t change.” – Hope For Today 8/15

I read this with my Sponsee Richie yesterday and it makes a lot of sense. If I find myself struggling, I’ll whip out my pen, make these two lists, direct my attention to the “Can Change List” and give my HP the “Can’t Change List”. Just one more tool to invite serenity back in. ILML!

– JamesQ

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The Winning Side

“… until you heal the wounds of the past, you will continue to bleed…” – Iyanla Vanzant’s Yesterday, I Cried

That’s the beauty of steps 4-9. When used as a daily tool they are a formula to heal all pain quickly and stay healthy. Burying pain only leads to bleeding ulcers from suppressing my dis-ease. Left unchecked it grows into an emotional and physical cancer. But when I acknowledge & accept that I am hurt, then take action to resolve it with my program tools and HP, I stop the bleeding, often before it starts. Magically, once again, I join the winning side and, again, get to love my life!