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Post by majestyjo on Nov 20, 2014 21:23:09 GMT -5
November 21
AA 'Big Book' - Quote
Half measures availed us nothing. We stood at the turning point. We asked His protection and care with complete abandon. - Pg. 59 - How It Works
Hour To Hour - Book - Quote
There is a certain universality to the truths taught in our 12 step programs. They are nothing new. These principles are derived from eons of experience and spirituality. What is new is our personal understanding that living these principles gives us a reprieve from our addiction.
Thank you God, as I understand You, for my daily reprieve from addiction based on my sincere attempt to practice these principles.
Standing in Self
Today, I own the truth of my recovery. If I am to stand centered and strong within my life and self, I will need to plant a garden within my own soul. A garden for me to nurture and to nurture me. A haven of beauty. I will find my own voice and sing my song because if I don't sing it, it will not be sung. It is all I have and it is enough. I do not need to prove anything to anyone anymore. I have come home - to me. The truth is, I was here all along, only I forgot to look for myself. Instead, I searched for me in other people's meaning and became lost in their stories. I am not lost today. I know that there is nowhere to look for me but within myself, and no one to lead me there but me.
Thank you, life, for letting me see this.
- Tian Dayton PhD
Pocket Sponsor - Book - Quote
When working Steps Six and Seven we honestly have to ask ourselves 'Do I really want to give up the defect? Or do I just want to give up the result of the defect?'
Being an alcoholic does not give me the excuse to act alcoholically.
"Walk Softly and Carry a Big Book" - Book
You can be a human being-you don't have to be a human doing.
Time for Joy - Book - Quote
I trust God's plan for me today. I know that I am being guided at all times. I know all I need to know in any given moment.
Alkiespeak - Book - Quote
Knowing why I was an alcoholic doesn't help. The ship hits an iceberg, it's sinking, everyone is rowing away. But you're on the deck saying; 'I'm not leaving this baby until I understand what happened.' - Clancy I.
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Post by majestyjo on Nov 22, 2014 14:08:36 GMT -5
November 22
AA 'Big Book' - Quote
Selfishness - self-centeredness! That, we think, is the root of our troubles. Driven by a hundred forms of fear, self delusion, self-seeking, and self-pity, we step on the toes of our fellows and they retaliate. Sometimes they hurt us, seemingly without provocation, but we invariably find that at some time in the past we have made decisions based on self which later placed us in a position to be hurt. - Pg. 62 - How It Works
Hour To Hour - Book - Quote
The natural anger, fear, and sadness that accompanies your life during early recovery can cause confusion, short temperedness, and a tendency to neglect your own needs. Allow yourself the luxury of leaning on family and friends, sponsors and counselors to make decisions, offer their advice, and give you gentle reminders of what needs to be done.
As I stay clean, may I learn to lean on family and friends, sponsors and counselors.
Friendship
Today, I make choices about my company and friends. Whom I choose to spend time with is very important to me, and the relationships that I begin I wish to respect and nurture. A handful of dear friends is far more meaningful to me than lots of acquaintances. I choose to share myself where I feel a return of good feeling. I want both to have a friend and to be a friend. One of the unusual gifts of growing up in a dysfunctional household was that I learned the value of friendship because I had to turn to my friends to meet very deep needs. I am grateful for my friends, and for what I learned and felt from them.
I value friendship.
- Tian Dayton PhD
Pocket Sponsor - Book - Quote
Reputation: what others are not thinking about you.
What others think about me is never as important as what I think about them.
"Walk Softly and Carry a Big Book" - Book
For peace of mind, resign as general manager of the universe.
Time for Joy - Book - Quote
Today I refuse to allow the magnetic tape of self-pity to trap me. Today I avoid negative thinking and replace it as soon as I notice it is present in me.
Alkiespeak - Book - Quote
I was waking up with someone I didn't like - and I was sleeping alone. - Anon.
__________________
As they say, me alone with me is bad company.
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Post by majestyjo on Nov 28, 2014 20:58:14 GMT -5
November 23
AA 'Big Book' - Quote
There I humbly offered myself to God, as I then understood Him, to do with me as He would. I placed myself unreservedly under His care and direction. I admitted for the first time that of myself I was nothing; that without Him I was lost. I ruthlessly faced my sins and became willing to have my new-found Friend take them away, root and branch. I have not had a drink since. - Pg. 13 - Bill's Story
Hour To Hour - Book - Quote
Are we remembering the so-called 'good times' right now? How nice a 'high' would be? We use this hour to REALLY think about what got us to this fight for sobriety. It wasn't because we were having a lot of fun!
Help me to think a drink and drug all the way through, not just the high but the hell it leads to.
Inside My Mind
Today, I am grateful to feel alive and to recognize that life is a spiritual journey. All my life circumstances are spiritual challenges, if I choose to look at them that way. Getting free of my own over-attachment to people, places, things and ideas, mistaking them for me, releases my spirit. Once my spirit is released, it can travel and experience the real beauty of life. Life surrounds me; it is inside, outside and everywhere. If I am free and still inside, life is there. If I am not ruminating and filling my mind with unnecessary preoccupations - life is there, spirit is there - waiting to be seen and felt.
I allow my mind its freedom.
- Tian Dayton PhD
Pocket Sponsor - Book - Quote
'Imagine if at every moment we each embraced the world as the gift it is: An apple is a gift; the color pink is a gift; the blue sky is a gift; the scent of honeysuckle is a gift. Hidden in every experience is a gift,' ~Marcia Prager, The Path of Blessing: Experiencing the Energy and Abundance of the Divine
What is my gift right now?
"Walk Softly and Carry a Big Book" - Book
When you feel your worst, try your best.
Time for Joy - Book - Quote
It feels so good to like myself today. It feels so good to accept myself today. It feels so good to know that I am exactly where I need to be, doing what is right for me in this day.
Alkiespeak - Book - Quote
I spent fifteen years out there looking for my girlfriend. Then I came to the program and got sober, and I went home one day and I found her; She was my wife. And ain't that the story of the alcoholic? I spent all that time looking for something I had all along. - Norm A.
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Post by majestyjo on Nov 28, 2014 20:58:55 GMT -5
November 24
AA 'Big Book' - Quote
Suppose now you are making your second visit to a man. He has read this volume and says he is prepared to go through with the Twelve Steps of the program of recovery. Having had the experience yourself, you can give him much practical advice. Let him know you are available if he wishes to make a decision and tell his story, but do not insist upon it if he prefers to consult someone else. - Pg. 96 - Working With Others
Hour To Hour - Book - Quote
'Living life on life's terms, just what does this mean to us? It doesn't mean we will get a brownie button for every day we stay abstinent. It simply means life can be tough and we can still stay sober if we chose to live by principle.
Help me live life on life's terms by accepting the good along with bad realizing that 'realities' are not good excuses to use mind-affecting chemicals.
Dreaming Dreams
Today, I will dream dreams. There is nothing wrong with having a couple of dreams for myself if they are realistic and don't remove me from life too much. To work toward a dream can be a constructive use of my talents and energies. It can give me a positive focus. If my dreams are wild and I am not willing to do the work necessary to realize them, they will only frustrate me and lower my self-esteem. If, however, I am able to dream what makes sense for me and work to put it within my reach, it can be a real process of growth and challenge. My energy and enthusiasm can help me move through blocks, and my commitment can show me that love and effort can be their own reward.
I can stretch myself.
- Tian Dayton PhD
Pocket Sponsor - Book - Quote
There are no magic wands or burning bushes in our program. Just footwork and faith.
As I feed my faith, my doubts will starve to death.
"Walk Softly and Carry a Big Book" - Book
The Steps keep us from suicide; the Traditions, from homicide.
Time for Joy - Book - Quote
I immediately release everything I am struggling with today. I release everything to my Higher Power, knowing that I am getting all the help that I need today.
Alkiespeak - Book - Quote
I'm the type of alcoholic that when I stop drinking, for all practical purposes, that's where my alcoholism begins. - Bob D.
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Post by majestyjo on Nov 28, 2014 20:59:38 GMT -5
November 25
AA 'Big Book' - Quote
We have elsewhere remarked how much better life is when lived on a spiritual plane. If God can solve the age-old riddle of alcoholism, He can solve your problems too. - Pg. 116 - To Wives
Hour To Hour - Book - Quote
It may be your family, friends, or co-workers that support you now or they all may have abandoned you. You may be surprised by who you can count on. Someone that you did not expect to come through might and others whom you thought you could count on may fall short of your expectations. Try not to blame the ones that fall short and be grateful for the ones who go the extra mile.
My friends and family, like myself all have different strengths and weaknesses. I ask that I not be too critical of the ones who can't be the support I want today and I give blessings for those who can.
Having Fun
Today, I will have fun. What's the point of all the work I do in recovery if my life doesn't become lighter and happier? Even though I am working through deep issues, there is no reason why I can't have some enjoyment in the process. Fun is when I relax and let things happen - when I can laugh at myself and other people - when I don't take everything in life so seriously. It is when I can enjoy a seemingly meaningless conversation just for its own sake. Fun is when it doesn't have to be all my way - when the heavy load is removed, when my meter is turned off and I just goof around in the moment. Fun is something I don't have enough of for a number of silly reasons. Today I see that there is no reason not to enjoy myself.
I can let go and have fun.
- Tian Dayton PhD
Pocket Sponsor - Book - Quote
We make two great decisions in life: one, the decision to get clean and sober; the other, the decision to stay that way. Never make the decision not to stay that way when you are depressed or unhappy.
'Never cut a tree down in the wintertime. Never make a negative decision in the low time.' ~Robert Schuller
"Walk Softly and Carry a Big Book" - Book
We are only as sick as our secrets; we are only as healthy as our honesty.
Time for Joy - Book - Quote
Today I celebrate all of me exactly as I am.
Alkiespeak - Book - Quote
The more my head swells the less my mind expands. - Anon.
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Post by majestyjo on Nov 28, 2014 21:00:20 GMT -5
November 26
Hour To Hour - Book - Quote
Now is the time to get into action and into the solution and stop being a part of your problem! Do this by remembering your last high, your last run, your last hopeless desperation. Then share that story with the next person you see and tell them how it led you to this new path of sobriety.
Show me the next person I am to share my story with.
Spiritual Transformation
Today, I see that to change my life I have to change myself. Nothing less than a spiritual transformation will allow me to experience my current life as an alive, serene and whole person. When I say that I would like world peace, first I will understand that without inner peace there will be no world peace. One of the ways in which I can serve the cause of humanity is to be, within myself, a genuinely spiritual person - respecting all sects and creeds, but standing on my own as a conduit of higher truth, recognizing that each person has equal access to that knowledge. I will look for truth today within myself rather than outside. I will not wait for peace to be handed to me as some sort of prize for good behavior but will do the inner work needed to achieve it.
I seek truth within myself.
- Tian Dayton PhD
Pocket Sponsor - Book - Quote
Is your ideal to be clean and whole? If so, ask yourself: What sort of neighbor is a clean and sober person? What sort of family member is a clean and sober person? What sort of Twelve Step program will a clean and sober person work?
Sober is as sober does.
"Walk Softly and Carry a Big Book" - Book
Recovery is contagious; we catch it from coffee cups.
Time for Joy - Book - Quote
Today I am willing to let go of all things that keep me from growing on a spiritual path. Today I am willing to push aside all things that stand between me and love.
Alkiespeak - Book - Quote
I was cool when I got to AA - If I'd have been any cooler I'd have frozen to death. - Eddie C.
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Post by majestyjo on Nov 28, 2014 21:02:14 GMT -5
November 27
Hour To Hour - Book - Quote
Stick with the winners and hang with the gods' and you'll see the light at the end of the tunnel. Sticking with the winners means to only associate with clean and sober people in the program and going to meetings is hanging with the gods.
Grant me the good sense to go to a meeting every day for 90 days and socialize with people on the path of recovery.
Hour To Hour - Book - Quote
Stick with the winners and hang with the gods' and you'll see the light at the end of the tunnel. Sticking with the winners means to only associate with clean and sober people in the program and going to meetings is hanging with the gods.
Grant me the good sense to go to a meeting every day for 90 days and socialize with people on the path of recovery.
Becoming Real
Today, I let go and become real. I know that by holding on too tightly, I squeeze the life out of myself and those around me. Recovery has taught me to value being authentic above being something or someone. Recovery is a process of facing and removing those obstacles that have been in the way on my road back to myself. It has been my willingness to risk and trust that my Higher Power will hold me that has brought me to life again. Now it is time for me to live each day as it comes and give some of what I have received. So many people have helped me along the way - it is also part of my recovery to share what I have learned, in case it might help someone else.
I am open to life and all it holds.
- Tian Dayton PhD
Pocket Sponsor - Book - Quote
Positive clean thoughts of ourselves are a must. Picture yourself speaking at meetings, greeting newcomers, laughing, sponsoring others, and holding your head high. Clean and sober thoughts help counter years of drunk and dirty thoughts.
I picture myself laughing and sharing with others.
"Walk Softly and Carry a Big Book" - Book
Recovery is a journey, not a destination. May your journey be long.
Time for Joy - Book - Quote
Today I choose to stay in the reality of my life and feel all there is to feel. I am willing to feel the pain so that I can feel the joy.
Alkiespeak - Book - Quote
Resentments are like replay cameras at football games; 'Let's take a another look at that in slow motion and close-up - Oh yes, that was worse than I thought.. let's look at that from another angle!' - Joe McQ.
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Post by majestyjo on Nov 28, 2014 21:04:08 GMT -5
November 28
Hour To Hour - Book - Quote
We may be asked to make many difficult decisions about our new life, facing divorce, jail time, loss of our children. Not all of the results will be perfect. We gather the information that we can, ask for advice from professionals, practice principles as best we can and then trust in the process. We do our best; no one expects perfection.
Not all my decisions will turn out the way I expect and that doesn't make them wrong. I do the best I can and trust in the process.
One Foot in Front of the Other
Today, all I have to do is live the next hour as well as I can. I will not get ahead of myself. I cannot be anywhere but right where I am. When I allow myself to be here now, to live in the present fully and freely, the rest of life takes care of itself. So few people live in the moment, that in itself will make me rare. That will make me someone I feel good about being and others can enjoy being around. When I am in the moment, the next right action reveals itself. When I align my will with the will of my Higher Power, I become one with diving purpose and I connect with the spirituality of life.
I surrender to the path
- Tian Dayton PhD
Pocket Sponsor - Book - Quote
According to the martial arts, Aikido, the best way to win a fight is not to be there in the first place. Think of this the next time you are invited to a bar, to ride in vehicle with a pot smoker, or to celebrate at the office party.
My best path to cease fighting anybody or anything, is not to be in the ring in the first place.
"Walk Softly and Carry a Big Book" - Book
A sure way to set yourself up for a 'slip' is to be convinced that others will slip if they don't listen to you.
Time for Joy - Book - Quote
Today I know that I am nothing alone. I am willing to let go of any struggle that keeps me on a path of doing things my way. I know that all I have to do is ask for help and it is there for me.
Alkiespeak - Book - Quote
The measure of my anxiety is the measure of my distance from God. - Unknown origin.
____________________________
Oh so true, although I might not like to think so, but worry and anxiety are sure fire God blockers. mj
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Post by majestyjo on Nov 29, 2014 8:38:30 GMT -5
November 29
Hour To Hour - Book - Quote
Nothing comes easy for us right now. A lot of energy goes into just staying put and accepting this new way of life. We say that when the going gets tough, we hang tough! We know that it will pass, we make that promise to you. But it will be in God's time, not yours.
Let me believe in myself, in this program, and in You, my Spiritual Source.
Inner Hearing, Inner Sight
Today, I will trust my own heart. The clear message that whispers within me has more to tell me than a thousand voices. I have a guide within me who knows what is best for me. There is a part of me that sees the whole picture and knows how it all fits together. My inner voice may come in the form of a strong sense, a pull from within, a gut feeling or a quiet knowing. However my inner voice comes to me, I will learn to pay attention. In my heart I know what is going on. Though I am conditioned by the world to look constantly outside myself for meaning, today I recognize that it is deeply important for me to hear what I am saying from within. I give myself the gift of listening.
I will trust my inner voice.
- Tian Dayton PhD
Pocket Sponsor - Book - Quote
Sweat the small stuff. The big stuff we can handle, it's the day to day crap that gets us. How do we attend to the small stuff? Steps Ten and Eleven.
Today I treat myself to quiet time in order to review the small stuff.
"Walk Softly and Carry a Big Book" - Book
Life happens; joy is optional.
Time for Joy - Book - Quote
I am very grateful for the gift of this day. It is mine to do exactly what I choose and I choose to use it for good and love.
Alkiespeak - Book - Quote
Courage is fear that has said a prayer. - Anon.
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Post by majestyjo on Nov 30, 2014 7:54:00 GMT -5
November 30
Hour To Hour - Book - Quote
It is easy to 'beat ourselves up' when we are lonely, scared, and feeling rejected by those we love. But if we go to meetings every day, find a sponsor and use him/her, read our literature, and follow the suggestions being give to us now, we really don't have much time to dwell on 'lonely, scared, and rejected.'
Show me right now what I need to do to live this hour through, clean and sober.
The Treasures Within
Within me is the perfect life waiting to awaken. The gifts I seek are already within me. A deep pool of awareness and aliveness is present all of the time but I am too distracted to know it. I get so lost in the superficial details and tasks of my life that I forget to live it, to drop down and contact the spirit that God has planted within me. It is the best kept secret that spirit lives within me, that the way in which I come in touch with my inner light is through letting the constant preoccupations of my mind float by, not taking them so seriously, not trying to control them. Today I realize that the gold is not in my ability to control my mind, the gold is in what lies beneath. What emerges when my mind, for a precious moment, is stilled.
Spirit is with me always
- Tian Dayton PhD
Pocket Sponsor - Book - Quote
How important are the slogans? Sometimes, these are the only things we can bring to mind when we stand at a turning point, the thresh-hold of a crisis.
The slogans work much better for me when I decorate my life with them rather than decorating the walls with them.
"Walk Softly and Carry a Big Book" - Book
Judge yourself by your insides not by someone else's outsides.
Time for Joy - Book - Quote
Today I know my journey to peace and serenity begins with me. Today I have the faith and trust to seek my answers from within.
Alkiespeak - Book - Quote
After a few drinks I was capable of doing anything. As a result of which I stand before you tonight with no fantasy unlived. I have done everything that it has ever occurred to me to do - I'm deeply grateful that there are some things I never thought of. - Sean A.
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Post by majestyjo on Nov 22, 2017 21:57:59 GMT -5
Some old thought, made new in today.
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. I will be back looking for Lin and others.