It’s freedom on so many layers! Well done! 
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December 13~Daily Reflections
THINKING OF OTHERS
Our very lives, as ex-problem drinkers, depend upon our constant thought of others and how we may help meet their needs.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 20
Thinking of others has never come easily to me. Even when I try to work the A.A. program, I’m prone to thinking, “How do I feel today. Am I happy, joyous and free?”
The program tells me that my thoughts must reach out to those around me: “Would that newcomer welcome someone to talk to?” “That person looks a little unhappy today, maybe I could cheer him up.” It is only when I forget my problems, and reach out to contribute something to others that I can begin to attain the serenity and God-consciousness I seek.
From the book Daily Reflections.
Copyright © 1990 by Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc. All rights reserved.
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“Where have I been resisting guidance, and what might happen if I surrendered this instead?”
In relation to my side hustle. I’ve had SO many ideas and plans come and go because I haven’t made the time (or the willingness) to act on them. It could be everything I’ve ever wanted, I’d just need the discipline to work toward it and actually let me put myself out there and try.
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I LOVE this message. I too struggle to think of others consistently. Even at almost 4 years clean and sober, I often find myself thinking about how I feel and what Id like to do. But the best way to get out of self, is to help others. And so I do try to remember that and focus on the needs of others. I find that my mood increases dramatically when I am thinking and acting based on the needs of others. I also think that its Gods will for me to be of service. I truly believe that that is what God wants me to do.
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I have been resisiting guidance when it comes to my issues with eating. Im not sure why I resist it. But ive struggled with trying to mend my relationship with food. Ive been doing it on my own for sooo many years and I feel like I should know by now that my way doesnt work. Ive sought out Gods guidance also and will keep working on having the willingness to surrender it.
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December 14~Daily Reflections
REACHING OUT
Never talk down to an alcoholic from any moral or spiritual hilltop; simply lay out the kit of spiritual tools for his inspection. Show him how they worked with you.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 95
When I come into contact with a newcomer, do I have a tendency to look at him from my perceived angle of success in A.A.? Do I compare him with the large number of acquaintances I have made in the Fellowship? Do I point out to him in a magisterial way the voice of A.A.? What is my real attitude toward him? I must examine myself whenever I meet a newcomer to make sure that I am carrying the message with simplicity, humility and generosity. The one who still suffers from the terrible disease of alcoholism must find in me a friend who will allow him to get to know the A.A. way, because I had such a friend when I arrived in A.A. Today it is my turn to hold out my hand, with love, to my sister or brother alcoholic, and to show her or him the way to happiness.
From the book Daily Reflections.
Copyright © 1990 by Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc. All rights reserved.
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“Which recovery tool have I been neglecting, and how could using it help me today?”
Going to a meeting, I’ve attended less than normal this week and today I’m due to join one. I am grateful I can join anytime, anywhere 24/7 right from my own home. I just need to take the time to do so and I will do so today.
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December 15~Daily Reflections
DOING ANYTHING TO HELP
Offer him [the alcoholic] friendship and fellowship. Tell him that if he wants to get well you will do anything to help.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 95
I remember how attracted I was to the two men from A.A. who Twelfth-Stepped me. They said I could have what they had, with no conditions attached, that all I had to do was make my own decision to join them on the pathway to recovery. When I start convincing a newcomer to do things my way, I forget how helpful those two men were to me in their open-minded generosity.
From the book Daily Reflections.
Copyright © 1990 by Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc. All rights reserved.
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“What part of my recovery feels solid today, even if other areas feel shaky?”
I feel good about many things in my recovery. Connecting with other alcoholics daily. Doing our readings. Staying close with my sponsor & working through what arises. Connecting to my HP. Seeing my own stuff so I can do things differently. I know I can’t do this on my own and having this program is something I am beyond grateful for today.
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December 16~Daily Reflections
PARTNERS IN RECOVERY
. . . nothing will so much insure immunity from drinking as intensive work with other alcoholics. . . .
Both you and the new man must walk day by day in the path of spiritual progress. . . . Follow the dictates of a Higher Power and you will presently live in a new and wonderful world, no matter what your present circumstances!
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, pp. 89, 100
Doing the right things for the right reasons; this is my way of controlling my selfishness and self-centeredness. I realize that my dependency on a Higher Power clears the way for peace of mind, happiness and sobriety. I pray each day that I will avoid my previous actions, so that I will be helpful to others.
From the book Daily Reflections.
Copyright © 1990 by Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc. All rights reserved.
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“What lesson from my past am I finally beginning to understand?”
It’s not my job to fix everything for everyone. I don’t need to own the consequences of other people’s actions. I no longer need to set myself on fire to keep other people warm. I can help others when it’s appropriate to do so, but I can not (and will not try to) do it for them. This has been a lifelong and hard learned lesson, but God gives me opportunities to make new choices today and I am grateful for that.
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December 17~Daily Reflections
A PRICELESS REWARD
. . . work with other alcoholics. . . . It works when other activities fail.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 89
“Life will take on new meaning,” as the Big Book says (p. 89). This promise has helped me to avoid self-seeking and self-pity. To watch others grow in this wonderful program, to see them improve the quality of their lives, is a priceless reward for my effort to help others. Self-examination is yet another reward for an ongoing recovery, as are serenity, peace and contentment. The energy derived from seeing others on a successful path, of sharing with them the joys of the journey, gives to my life a new meaning.
From the book Daily Reflections.
Copyright © 1990 by Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc. All rights reserved.
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“Where did I respond instead of react recently, and what helped me do that?”
This week I practiced the pause. I prayed. I called my sponsor. I did work around being fearful, selfish and not ultimately being able to control the outcome. It pulled me out of my anxiety, frustration and fear. Without this program, I would have stayed a mess…Instead it lasted an hour and I didn’t do anything to add to my step work or make anything worse. I was later able to respond vs react in the moment. I’m effing grateful for this program and the people in it when life gets life-y. It changes everything and it works if I work it.
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December 18~Daily Reflections
HONESTY WITH NEWCOMERS
Tell him exactly what happened to you. Stress the spiritual feature freely.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 93
The marvel of A.A. is that I tell only what happened to me. I don’t waste time offering advice to potential newcomers, for if advice worked, nobody would get to A.A. All I have to do is show what has brought me sobriety and what has changed my life. If I fail to stress the spiritual feature of A.A.'s program, I am being dishonest. The newcomer should not be given a false impression of sobriety. I am sober only through the grace of my Higher Power, and that makes it possible for me to share with others.
From the book Daily Reflections.
Copyright © 1990 by Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc. All rights reserved.
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“If I fully trusted the process, what would I do differently right now?”
Reading this I immediately took a deep breath and felt lighter. So, breathe easier lol. I do trust the process, but FULLY trusting it is harder. I’m human and I’m flawed. I’ve been seeing I’m not as faith filled lately as I’d like to be. I can have a hard time seeing beyond where life is vs seeing what it could be. And so I shut down what my HP asks of me as I hold deep seeded beliefs that I can’t live the life I truly want to. I’m who holds me back. I’m doing the work around this with my sponsor and I’m grateful for this question today.
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December 19~Daily Reflections
UNDERSTANDING THE MALADY
When dealing with an alcoholic, there may be a natural annoyance that a man could be so weak, stupid and irresponsible. Even when you understand the malady better, you may feel this feeling rising.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 139
Having suffered from alcoholism, I should understand the illness, but sometimes I feel annoyance, even contempt, toward a person who cannot make it in A.A. When I feel that way, I am satisfying my false sense of superiority and I must remember, but for the grace of God, there go I.
From the book Daily Reflections.
Copyright © 1990 by Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc. All rights reserved.
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"What old belief no longer fits the person I’m becoming in recovery?
I’m finding I still have so many limiting beliefs that keep me safe…and stuck. I’ve let SO many go, so it’s kinda hard to believe how many more I keep finding. The biggest one is that I can’t live the life that I want. That I don’t have what it takes. That I’ll be better staying in this job forever vs doing the things that make me truly happy and excited! Progress not perfection. Seeing that’s there helps me to work on those old beliefs and I am grateful for that opportunity to improve.
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December 20~Daily Reflections
THE REWARDS OF GIVING
This is indeed the kind of giving that actually demands nothing. He does not expect his brother sufferer to pay him, or even to love him. And then he discovers that by the divine paradox of this kind of giving he has found his own reward, whether his brother has yet received anything or not.
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 109
Through experience with Twelfth Step work, I came to understand the rewards of giving that demands nothing in return. At first I expected recovery in others, but I soon learned that this did not happen. Once I acquired the humility to accept the fact that every Twelfth Step call was not going to result in a success, then I was open to receive the rewards of selfless giving.
From the book Daily Reflections.
Copyright © 1990 by Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc. All rights reserved.
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“What does emotional sobriety require of me today?”
My emotional sobriety depends on my spiritual and mental status more often than not. It requires me to do the work. To let things go and people be who they are. We don’t all need to agree on how we live our lives. I just need to let my HP lead me, have acceptance in my life and be good with me to have a good start to my emotional sobriety today.
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I think for me, my emptional sobriety today really depends on the connection that I have with my HP. On the days when Im not AS connected, I find that I try to run the show on my own, and that usually doesnt turn out well. Running on self will causes me to try and control things that are truly out of my control, i get overwhelmed and overstimulated easily, i am not present or in the moment with others, i am all out of sorts 
But with my HP guiding me, I am much more emotionally/mentally stable to handle whatever comes my way today
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