Recovery Quote of the Day

Motivation
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August 3rd

"I seek strength not to be superior to my brothers, but to be able to fight my greatest enemy - myself."
November 1967, “A Gift of Prayer,” Spiritual Awakenings

The only person we should try to be better than, is the person we were yesterday. Sadly, we go through life comparing ourselves with others. To compound the problem, we end up comparing our insides with others outsides. In the program, we make the realization that nearly everyone is torn up inside to some degree, they just don’t show it on the outside. We are also our own worst enemy and critic. No one can possibly beat us up more than we beat ourselves. Self criticism is so unhealthy and can become a self fulfilling prophecy. What we think upon, grows! If we are self defeatist, the negative outcome is practically preordained. A famous coach once said, “If you think you can, or you think you can’t, you’re right.” We can’t possible live a positive life with a negative mind. I thank the program so much for allowing me to fully accept myself and for giving me the courage I needed to become the person I was always meant to be. :heart:

Have a beautiful day in sobriety my friends.

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44

August 4th

"In thinking about our day we may face indecision. We may not be able to determine which course to take. Here we ask God for inspiration, an intuitive thought or a decision. We relax and take it easy. We don’t struggle. We are often surprised how the right answers come after we have tried this for a while."
Alcoholics Anonymous, Into Action, pg. 86

If self is the problem, self can’t be the answer. Chuck C. once said, “There’s a hard way and easy way; the hard way is to try to do it on your own; the easy way is to know you can’t.” Quite simply, I can’t, God can, so let him (Steps 1-3). It would be a gross understatement to say that our thought process was broken during the depths of our disease. We can’t solve the problem with the same thinking that created it. Thankfully, our program teaches us to Think, Think, Think - we should think before we speak, think before we act, and think before we drink. The simple act of slowing down our busy mind and tapping into intuitive thoughts by channeling our Higher Power leads to much better decision making. Our old alcoholic ways - shoot, ready, aim - always seemed to make matters worse and cause more stress. The program also teaches us to hit the “pause” button when agitated or doubtful, and through this simple act, we can usually keep ourselves from letting our character defects redline and all the resulting damage to our relationships with others. :heart:

Have a beautiful day in sobriety my friends.

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45

Love this. Was going to highlight the beginning quote. Yet the entire message spoke to me today. Thank ful! Thank you Edmund🙏🏾

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46

August 5th

"The old pleasures were gone. They were but memories. Never could we recapture the great moments of the past. There was an insistent yearning to enjoy life as we once did and a heartbreaking obsession that some new miracle of control would enable us to do it. There was always one more attempt — and one more failure."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, A Vision For You, pg. 151~

(Submitted by a very well respected and spiritual member of our fellowship): In my 20’s and 30’s in the business world, I had the world on a string, being hired away from corporation to corporation. I had the ability to control large budgets, a large staff, detailed goals and plans for a great future - and also tried to “control” my wife and children! I was the quintessential “control freak” - and, with intensity and youthful determination, I “accomplished” much. Increasingly, I found I relied on after-work “happy hour” to extend my day and pump up my energy (short term). I had climbed the ladder of success, but found it was leaning on the wrong building. After a long series of disappointments, failures and hangovers, I became aware that I really didn’t have much ability to control the world. It took years of pain to finally recite Step One and begin to believe it. Control is still a huge issue with me, but amazing things happen to me, and through me, as I daily loosen the grip and let God “drive the bus.” I’m so grateful that, at the moment I threw up the white flag, AA picked me up and lovingly invited me into entire rooms of recovering “control freaks!” :heart:

Have a beautiful day in sobriety my friends.

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47

The gift of surrender. In letting go and letting God we gain our lives back.:pray:t5:

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48

August 6th

"Such is the paradox of AA regeneration: strength arising out of complete defeat and weakness, the loss of one’s old life as a condition for finding a new one. But we of AA do not have to understand this paradox, we have only to be grateful for it."
Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, p. 46

I am immensely grateful for the life I have today, but I would not wish upon anyone the hell I had to endure before I entered the fellowship. Our willingness to take direction and to do the footwork only comes from being beaten into complete submission by our drinking and the nightmare of our disease. Only through complete and utter defeat do we reach a place of openness to new ideas and a new way of living. For nearly all of us, we were given the gift of desperation. Pain, desperation and suffering are an alcoholic’s best friend; they are the only things sharp enough to cut through our pride and ego. I am truly grateful that I had to hit a bottom to get to where I am today. I have learned to appreciate the irony of our four paradoxes: we surrender to win; we give it away to keep it; we suffer to get well; and we die to live. I no longer question these contrary sayings, because I now know they saved my life. :heart:

Have a beautiful day in sobriety my friends.

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49

August 7th

"Which Wolf Do You Feed? An elder Cherokee Native American was teaching his grandchildren about life. He said to them, ‘A fight is going on inside me. It is a terrible fight, and it is between two wolves. One wolf represents fear, anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, pride, and superiority. The other wolf stands for joy, peace, love, hope, sharing, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, friendship, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. This same fight is going on inside of you and every other person too.’ The children thought about it for a minute and then one child asked his grandfather, ‘Which wolf will win?’ The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one I feed."

What we think upon, grows. Whatever thought pattern we entertain is magnified. If we dwell on self-pity, the darkness within us grows. Isolation and self-pity are the darkrooms where we develop our negatives! On the other hand, if we think about gratitude, our thought process becomes open to positive emotions like love and contentment. Steps 6 & 7 provide us the realization that our character defects can negatively impact our lives. In order to starve our character defects, we need to practice their opposites, such as being in faith rather than fear. Then, in step 10, we inventory our daily self-will, but more importantly, we acknowledge where we practiced God’s will. When we focus our daily affairs trying to practice God’s will, such as care, compassion and kindness, our character defects fade significantly. In early sobriety, I didn’t have a good definition of God’s will; I just knew what it wasn’t. I now understand God’s will to be the opposites of my character defects, or quite simply, “loving thoughts and actions.” :heart:

Have a beautiful day in sobriety my friends.

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50

Love this, thanks Edmund :heart:

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51

August 8th

"Where other people were concerned, we had to drop the word ‘blame’ from our speech and thought."
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 47

Nearly all of us that walk into the rooms of AA speak fluent “Victimese,” “Blamen,” and “Denyish.” We play the victim card and blame every one but ourselves for our plight in life. Sadly, we will always stay a victim if we continue to play the victim card. We are only a failure if we blame someone else. As we trudge through life, try not to be a “blame thrower” or have B.O. (blame others)! We can’t be free until we fully accept our own behavior as the root of our problems. In fact, it is imperative that we address only our own actions. Trying to influence others or find blame leads to inevitable frustration and disappointment. Even if we think the other person might be 99% wrong, we need to accept our part and clean our side of the street. This contrary logic is incredibly freeing, and one in which we can truly walk with dignity. It never ceases to amaze me how effective an amends becomes when we accept our part and stay in our own lane. The other person will usually open up, but even if they don’t, we can walk away with a clean and free conscious. How free do you want to be? :heart:

Have a beautiful day in sobriety my friends.

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52

perfect for how I have woke up feeling today. Have a good day Mr Ed. :+1:blessings on your house. :pray:

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53

August 9th

"The more we become willing to depend upon a Higher Power, the more independent we actually are. Therefore, dependence as A.A. practices it is really a means of gaining true independence of the spirit."
As Bill Sees It, True Independence of the Spirit, p. 26

Before the program, I would fight everyone and everything. Life was a struggle, and everything seemed like pushing a boulder uphill. Granted, some outcomes were pleasant, but for the most part, worry of the result would diminish any potential satisfaction. Now, having a deep faith in a Higher Power, life has just become easier to live. I now know that all I’m responsible for is the footwork. The final outcome or result is not up to me; I leave that up to God. There is immense freedom in not having to orchestrate every part of your life and trying to influence the actions of others. Having a strong faith minimizes fear to a very manageable level. Freedom from debilitating fear is a true gift of our program, but it all starts with a belief in a power greater than ourselves. It seems counterintuitive to think that dependence on God would give you more independence (freedom), but that has been the case for me and nearly all those in our program that have allowed a spiritual awakening to enter into their hearts and minds. :heart:

Have a beautiful day in sobriety my friends.

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54

so true, no matter where I walk these days I am never alone. I do my part, God does the rest…
Blessings on your house Mr Ed.

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August 10th

"Showing others who suffer how we were given help is the very thing which makes life seem so worth while to us now. Cling to the thought that, in God’s hands, the dark past is the greatest possession you have — the key to life and happiness for others. With it you can avert death and misery for them."
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 124

When we walk through the doors of AA, we enter a safe haven in which everyone shares a common bond – a past of pain and desperation. By sharing our stories and emotions, we create instant trust and understanding. Because we hit such horrendous bottoms, we become willing to take direction and walk together down the path of recovery. Only by living the nightmare of addiction do we become open to new ideas, a new way of living, and spirituality on a much deeper level. Never in my wildest dreams would I have predicted that the horror of my drinking would be a conduit of trust for another. We say in our 9th step promises that, “We will not regret the past, nor wish to shut the door in it.” This promise is important to remind us of our past, but it is just as important to share our painful stories as a point of identification for newcomers. I feel infinitely grateful that I lived through my bottom, because without it, I would not be whom I am today. :heart:

Have a beautiful day in sobriety my friends.

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August 11th

"Demands, hopes, yearnings, and desires tie us to the static horror and the utter futility of the forever departed past and the never-arriving future. To want nothing - to know that we cannot make anything happen - brings inner and outer joy, total fulfillment."
Vietnam, September 1974, “Awareness”, Spiritual Awakenings

We are too late for the past, and too early for the future. Living in today, in the here and now, was a foreign concept to us before we surrendered to this spiritual journey. So many hours were lost dwelling over lost opportunities or unfulfilled dreams. Our pessimistic minds regularly took us to worry of the future, which is basically the definition of living in fear. After thoroughly taking the steps and applying them to our lives, we gradually learn to stay in today and to be grateful for whatever comes our way. Sobriety is hope for the future while living in the moment. We no longer pray to get what we want, but rather, we pray to want what we get. We learn that acceptance is the answer to all our problems today (p. 417). We begin to find true inner peace and fulfillment by expressing care, kindness and compassion towards others. Life is truly an inside job, one in which we can find our purpose through active participation in our loving fellowship. There is an expression that if you show me your friends, then I’ll show you your future. When I look around the rooms of AA, and I see so many true friends, I know my future will be full of hope, love, kindness, and opportunity. (In honor of Dick B., may he rest in peace. As he always said, “I’m free.”) :heart:

Have a beautiful day in sobriety my friends.

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“If I don’t look within, I will go without” morning Mr Ed.

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Good morning Paul, how are you my friend? Miss visiting with you… I have been extremely busy the past couple weeks. From what I’ve read on here sounds like you’ve been doing a lot better. Proud of you Paul, keep up the good work. :heart:

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I’m exactly where I need to be today with friends, prayers and awareness. It’s a bit boring having nothing to complain about :grin:. I’m going to post something if it derails your thread let me know and I’ll delete it.

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It’s a damn good feeling isn’t it… :heart:
It’s all good my friend. Post anything you’d like…

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Mr Ed, telling you how it is straight from the horses mouth :v::heart::pray:

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Anything except for that… lol :rofl: :horse: Paul, I’m going to nickname you Wilbur from now on. :heart: :racehorse:

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