The Guiding Wisdom of Recovery............ 1/19/16

    Wisdom.

    I am thankful for it.  We receive a wid-er perspective when we live with recover-y.  We get a clarity about life.  We get new eyes.  We begin to see the world and
others as never before.

     Victimhood becomes a thing of the past.  We receive the gift of greater peace of mind.  We celebrate life freed from the insecurities of life.  We discover how to thrive. We learn how to do this even when facing life's pressures.

     Here are a few of recovery's helpful nuggets:

1.  I can say my no as gently as my yes.
2. No is a complete sentence.  I have a right to refuse without explan-       ation.
3. As I feel better about my-self, my dreams, wishes and choices, I       am in-creasingly able to risk the disap-proval of others.
 

When I reach this point of growth, I find my voice.  I ex-press it.  I become the person I want to be. I am more likely to pursue my dreams. No longer do I yield to the negative com-ments of others who tell me why I can't.
4. When faced with the demands of oth-ers, I make time to for me.  I look for my needs during crisis moments. I meet them.  Otherwise, depression and frustration is guaranteed.

5.  Fear is a feeling, not a reality.  The loudest voice isn't necessarily the truest.   A positive outcome is just as likely as a negative one.

Gratitudes for Today:

1.  For discipline. It helps me to get things done. I enjoy being effective. I like the joy  I have when I place principles above the weak parts of my personality.
2.  For goals. They take dreams and provide the alchemy needed to make
them a reality.  If we don't place a time schedule for our hopes they do not come to fruition.
3.  For the time I had celebrating my oldest son's birthday. This happened last Friday.  I thrive on how we communicate. He always sharpens me. We are real, when we meet.
4.  For being gentle towards myself.  Recovery teaches me to throttle down to 1,000 RPMs instead of racing the engine of my life. Usually, there's no need for drama. If you want that, go see a movie.  You can leave it there, once it is over.
5. For the voice of recovery that reminds me to breathe when pressured. It reminds me that I block my well-being when I base my self worth on what I do or what others think of me.  (Courage to Change, p. 118)
6. For the wholeness I enjoy because I am not codependent.
7. For irritating, angering unpleasant people.  It means I am doing something right.  This is true if, at the same time, I am comforting, needy and hurting individuals.
8. For sleep.  I have been doing more of that. For the longest time I operated on little sleep.
9. For each of you who drop by. Your visits, comments make what I do here worthwhile.

How About You? 
What are your gratitudes?