MAKING A TOUGH DECISION

MAKING A TOUGH DECISION
No apologies to anyone. I believe that the "12 Steps" are a great model for good mental hygiene for EVERY HUMAN BEING.
Have people had success dealing with a myriad of addictions using the steps?
You bet they have. 12 step programmes have played a role in millions of people recovering from addiction.
I can tell you first hand from client results; the foundation of the steps has helped not only "addicted" clients find a better life, but has helped clients suffering from chronic depression, self-esteem issues and a constant state of procrastination. Relationships have healed and through the steps, clients have set and achieved lofty goals.
I'm the first to state, I follow no religion. However, the school of hard knocks coupled with a great journey of life recovery have taught me that inside of me all along was a spiritual presence, and that something greater than me ran the big show. My control starts and ends with me and staying in constant conscious contact with that spiritual part of me, whatever ever that is and whatever I choose to call it.
I still sometimes recoil at the word GOD; it is a throw back to something unpleasant from my past. That being said, I know the presence of a Higher Power; one that is greater than me and it dwells within.
I offer you a great take from Hazelden on a pivotal step to getting a life, Step 3.
Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
--Step Three of Alcoholics Anonymous

Let's cut right to the heart of the matter: We get in trouble if we try to run our own lives. Our ego starts to mess things up. We try to control things we can't control. We think we are smarter than we are. We start to think we can run things just fine by ourselves. What's the end product? We end up alone – spiritually and sometimes physically – and in trouble.

What we need to do is let the care of our Higher Power run our life. We can use care as a guide because care is what a Higher Power is all about. When we put care into action, we get healing love as a result. So let's put our egos aside and ask our Higher Power to help us do the next right thing.

There are many around who practise this step as part of fruitful lives. It is an integral part of what I coach my clients on. If you can humble (not humiliate) yourself enough to find it within you, you'll find, as we have, that the decision to turn it over works! Comments welcomed here or at www.hopeserenity.ca. Try improving your mental hygiene. It is a no lose offer!

I'M SORRY (Please accept my apologies)

I'M SORRY (Please accept my apologies)
Which of my old rock and roll icons sang these words? They truly express sentiments I knew only too well. They also are words in one way or another, I hear expressed by people who need a revamp of there lives.
Nice thing today is that when I say I'm sorry, I truly mean it, the apology is thought out, and my actions did not take place generally when my thinking was impaired!
Sometimes, we act in a manner with which we are less than comfortable. That's human. That's why we have the words: "I'm sorry." They heal and bridge the gap. But we don't have to say "I'm sorry" if we didn't do anything wrong. A sense of shame can keep us apologizing for everything we do, every word we say, for being alive and being who we are.
We don't have to apologize for taking care of ourselves, dealing with feelings, setting boundaries, having fun, or getting healthy.
We never have to change our course, if it is in our best interest, but sometimes a general apology acknowledges other feelings and can be useful when the issues of a circumstance or relationship are not clear. We might say: "I'm sorry for the fuss we had. I'm sorry if what I needed to do to take care of myself hurt you; it was not intended that way."
Once we make an apology, we don't have to keep repeating it. If someone wants to keep on extricating an apology fro us for the same incident, that is the person's issue, and we don't have to get hooked.
We can learn to take our apologies seriously and not hand them out then they're not valid. When we feel good about ourselves, we know when it's time to say we're sorry and when it's not.
Do you repeatedly do the same types of things that make you constantly say "I'm sorry"? Have you got people in your life that make you feel like you have to apologize for just being alive?
The key is to feel good about who you are. It takes hard work for many, but for this boy, the work allows me to say "I'm sorry" on a dramatically less frequent basis. I'm OK living inside of my own skin! Holistic and co-creative life recovery allowed this to happen. www.hopeserenity.ca.
Please let me know whose song is playing in my head as I write this!

I'VE CHANGED.WHY?

I've Changed. WHY?


My spiritual life has changed in the last few years.
--James Casey
As we make a decision to surrender and begin a journey to a better life, a life that is far more abundant; we often fear change. What is it I will become? What is it I will have to do that is against my grain?
For me, and dozens of others I know, mention of a "spiritual" way of living and the "God" word were not what I wanted to hear. Karen Casey, in an article I read today has a tremendous way of looking at things and I share this today. Must admit, every time I see the word God I have to move from biblical to Good Orderly Direction. That is what my spiritual life gives me today.
"Most of us have expanded our understanding of "the spiritual life." We may have grown up in religious homes. That wouldn't be unusual. But now we realize that didn't necessarily mean we were encouraged to be spiritual. The idea of "spirituality" might have been suspect, even. To our parents it may have sounded like the occult rather than a church affiliation.
What spirituality meant to Jim, and perhaps means to many of us, is having a relationship we nurture with the Creator, however we define that. It means believing we have an inner voice that is eager to offer us guidance whenever we are at a loss about what to do. Practicing a spiritual life also relieves us of the burden of worrying about the future. We know it will take care of itself, in the same way we'll be taken care of.
As we move through life, we continue to be confronted by conflict and problems over which we have no control. That's the learning curve, nothing more. We'll always be on this path. The good news is that our response to the struggle will change in proportion to our willingness to seek God's help.
How I see God and my life should keep changing.
Will I do my part to open my eyes wider today?"
Today, as the sun rose, I had the opportunity to listen to that still, quiet voice within. Over the years, as I've learned to listen to it and not ignore as I did in the past, things seem to get better within my head! Funny how that works. We're redoing www.hopeserenity.ca and hope you join and suggest how to make it better!