Improving Our Lives: Having Presence, Overcoming Fear 11/30/20

      We can develop our patience.  Even if we already have plenty.  Patience improves when leaning into the negative circumstances we face. 

      This is being present.  We become situational surfers. No matter what circumstantial waves

slap at us, we surf them.  

     This frees us from using game theory when relating to others: "If he does this, I'll do that... If she looks this way when I say something, I'll do this to make her feel better."

      Another word for this type of game theory is being controlling. We are playing it safe in order to prevent an unwanted outcome. 

      Not only do we want to have pre-sence, we can over-come fear.  It happens when our confidence grows.  This im-provement takes place when we apply recovery principles above the vulnerable parts of our personality.

     This is replacing bad habits with new and better quality behavior.  When we do, we move away from the greasy chute of negative, defeatist behavior and the false beliefs developed in childhood. 

    This month I faced unpleasantness.  I did not accept unacceptable behavior.  I ended a relationship that was an emotional drain.  I feel better, less burdened.  

     I'm happier, too.  I took positive action because we are the average of the five people we hang out with.  We do not want our lives to dip low.  This happens when we relate to an unhealthy person, an emo-tional vampire.   

     They are individuals who are continually negative.  It can be the way they consider themselves.  Tell me the qual-ity of your friends.  

     Who they are, their character, reveals our priorities, how much we esteem or do not regard ourselves.

My Gratitudes for Today

1.  I love life.  We enjoy it more when we make our life count, effective.  We want to live to be missed when we are no longer around. 

   
The following poem guides me as to how I want to use the gifts I have and relate with others.

          I'd like to think that when life is done

          That I had filled a needed post. 

          That here and there I'd paid my fare 

          With more than idle talk and boast; 

          That I had taken gifts divine, 

          The breath of life and manhood fine, 

          And tried to use them now and then

          In service for my fellow men. 

    When we are of service, it is usually we who benefit most.  This is my reality. 

2.  I am making time to enjoy life and this world.  It is still beautiful.  It remains a wonderful source for serenity. 

3.  I'm happy submitting nine posts this month.  We love life more when we cele-brate the joys and gifts that are ours, each day.  One way of doing that is having a gratitude journal, which this inn is for me.

   Wishing all of us a wonderful December, 

        Pablo