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Today's Thought - January
January 1
A New Beginning The new is but the old come true; each sunrise sees a New Year born. ~Helen Hunt Jackson We know that a totally new life can begin on any day of a year, at any hour of the day, or at any moment of an hour. Our new life began the moment we decided to surrender and admit to a powerlessness over a substance or an impulse. It began when we accepted the fact that we needed help and could receive it simply by asking. Many of us used to choose New Year’s Day as a time for making good resolutions and swearing off bad habits. When we failed, we simply shrugged and said, “Maybe I can start tomorrow, next week—or next New Year’s Day.” We were always going to “turn over a new leaf.” Now, in recovery, we no longer depend on doing it all alone. We know we can stay abstinent only by sharing with fellow members. Let me remember, each day in recovery is another milestone. I no longer have to use a calendar. Today's reading is from the book Easy Does It, A Book of Daily Twelve Step Meditations |
January 2
Planning is deciding what to change today so tomorrow will be different from yesterday. ~Ichak Adizes A house is like a lump of clay that can be molded and changed. It can be fixed and shaped, torn down and added to, painted, papered, carpeted, and paneled. We can think about how to change it, find pictures in books, and order plans. We can stock up on supplies, take fix-it classes, and get advice from others. But the house will remain unchanged until we pick up a brush, grab a bucket of paint, and get to work. Only then will we see tomorrow the results of what we did today. Our plans help us construct a vision of how we'd like the future to be, but only actions will bring these things about. With confidence in the rightness of our desires, we can be assured that God never gives us a dream we can't reach. What action can I take today to make tomorrow's changes? Today's reading is from the book Today's Gift, Daily Meditations for Families |
January 3
But the alcoholic…will be absolutely unable to stop drinking on the basis of self-knowledge. ~The Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous Our program says three things are more important than knowing ourselves: first, admitting we have no control over our addiction; second, believing in a Higher Power; and third, turning our lives over to the care of that Higher Power. Knowing ourselves makes our lives better in recovery. But it does not give us sobriety. Sobriety starts with surrender to our Higher Power. We now know we need the faith and strength we get from a Higher Power. We also need the support of others in our program. Prayer for the Day Higher Power, thank you for my sobriety today. Teach me what I need to know about myself to do Your will today. Action for the Day Today I’ll talk with my sponsor about the change in my spirit that keeps me sober. Today's reading is from the book Keep it Simple, Daily Meditations for Twelve Step Beginnings and Renewal |
January 4
mean any harm.” Overdevelopment of innocence contradicts our spiritual growth. The painful truth is, we do have an impact on other people. Many times we have cultivated innocence as a style, and it has stood in our way of being accountable. We cannot be in a relationship without sometimes hurting the ones we love. Spiritual growth requires us to take action and to take responsibility for what we do. It is painful to acknowledge we made a mistake and hurt someone. But giving up our innocent style is constructive pain. It opens the possibility to correct our ways, make repairs, and be forgiven. Then we are in the mainstream of a hearty spiritual life. May I have the grace to let go of my innocence by taking action and admitting my mistakes. Today's reading is from the book Touchstones, A Book of Daily Meditations for Men |
January 5
Accepting ourselves Many of us used to think that our Higher Power hates this or that about us or about others, but our Higher Power doesn’t hate at all. Our Higher Power accepts us and loves us no matter how we have lived. It understands that we are capable of changing. This is the only way we come to know our Higher Power, even as we begin to accept ourselves and others. The ability to accept ourselves more and more is a gift. It comes as we build upon the strong, valuable parts of ourselves. Am I learning to accept myself? Higher Power, help me believe in your acceptance, forgiveness, and generosity; help me to be willing to see myself in a new way. Today I will work on self-acceptance by… Today's reading is from the book Day by Day, Daily Meditations for Recovering Addicts |
January 6
Reflection for the Day “The language of friendship is not words, but meanings,” wrote Thoreau. Life indeed takes on new meanings, as well as new meaning in recovery. To watch people recover, to see them help others, to watch loneliness vanish, to see a fellowship grow up about you, to have a host of friends—this is an experience not to be missed. Can I recall my initial reactions when I came to recovery? Do I believe that I’ve finally come home? Today I Pray As recovery has given life new meanings for me, may I pass along to others that same chance to re-evaluate their lives in the light of sobriety, common purpose, friendships, and spiritual expansion. I praise my Higher Power for my new vision of human life and for restoring for me the value and purpose of living. Today I Will Remember I value my life. Today's reading is from the book A Day at a Time, Daily Reflections for Recovering People |
January 7
We benefit by sharing our experience, strength, and hope. Hearing how others have handled experiences similar to ours makes us aware that our old behaviors didn’t serve us very well. We also learn that any situation can be handled with the support of the Twelve Step fellowship. In time we also come to appreciate what we gain by sharing with newcomers how we have survived painful, humiliating experiences. This gives them hope and a pattern to follow, similar to the one we received from the old-timers. We are also reminded of our strength to handle truly difficult experiences. We aren’t guaranteed a reprieve from them just because we are in a Twelve Step program. Thus we need the reminder occasionally as an antidote to troubled times. If a friend is troubled today, I will tap my own memory and offer what I have learned. Recalling my own troubled times will give me a measure of my growth. Today's reading is from the book A Life of My Own, Meditations on Hope and Acceptance |
January 8
Indeed, this need of individuals to be right is so great that they are willing to sacrifice themselves, their relationships, and even love for it. ~Reuel Howe We may have an inner drive to be right—and even to prove we are right. We often have been expected to know about the world and how things work, as if our manhood were tied to knowing. So when we don’t know the right answer, or when a person disagrees with us, we may get upset because we feel our masculine honor is in question. We should always remember that our honor requires being honest, not being right. Our masculinity is being true to ourselves as men, not being invincible. Demanding that our opinions always be accepted as right is destructive to our relationships. It cuts us off from people we love, and we become hostile and selfish. We are learning to allow room for differences; we can love and respect people we disagree with. And we all have a right to be wrong part of the time. I don’t have to have all the right answers. Today, my ideas are just one man’s honest thoughts. Today's reading is from the book Touchstones, A Book of Daily Meditations for Men |
January 9
Peace Anxiety is often our first reaction to conflict, problems, or even our own fears. In those moments, detaching and getting peaceful may seem disloyal or apathetic. We think: If I really care, I’ll worry; if this is really important to me, I must stay upset. We convince ourselves that outcomes will be positively affected by the amount of time we spend worrying. Our best problem-solving resource is peace. Solutions arise easily and naturally out of a peaceful state. Often, fear and anxiety block solutions. Anxiety gives power to the problem, not the solution. It does not help to harbor turmoil. It does not help. Peace is available if we choose it. In spite of chaos and unsolved problems around us, all is well. Things will work out. We can surround ourselves with the resources of the Universe: water, earth, a sunset, a walk, a prayer, a friend. We can relax and let ourselves feel peace. Today, I will let go of my need to stay in turmoil. I will cultivate peace and trust that timely solutions and goodness will arise naturally and harmoniously out of the wellspring of peace. I will consciously let go and let God. Today's reading is from the book The Language of Letting Go, Daily Meditations on Codependency |
January 10
When spring comes the grass grows by itself. ~The Tao People who don’t know how to relax have a very rough row to hoe in this world. Adult children, perhaps, need to learn to relax more than anyone else. Many of us live by one overriding code: Do more, do it better, do it faster. Since no one probably taught us that in so many words, we practiced it until it became a rule of perfection and took up residence in the control room of our being. We fail at our projects unless we work harder than everyone ever has, have greater success, and accomplish it sooner. And the most excellent outcome, of course, is not good enough. The rule of perfectionism makes it impossible for us to enjoy success. When we apply the hurry-up rule to our own recovery, we brand ourselves fools, failures, and frauds if we don’t get freedom from the old bondage now. But immediate recovery is impossible. The only thing we need to do immediately is to relax. I am learning to say no to the inner voice that demands superhuman efforts. Today's reading is from the book Days of Healing, Days of Joy, Daily Meditations for Adult Children |
January 11
It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye. ~Antoine de St. Exupéry A tuning fork is a small tool that is used to tune musical instruments. It is tapped softly and then set down. As it vibrates, it gives off a musical tone. When its vibrations perfectly match the vibrations of the note played on the instrument, the instrument is in tune. When the note matches the tuning fork, this can be both felt and heard. Our hearts work like a tuning fork. When the heart feels completely in tune with a decision or thought or action in our lives, then we know it is the right one for us. We can actually feel the harmony inside our bodies. Sometimes what we know deep in our hearts gets clouded over by doubts and questions and other people's opinions and judgments. We need to clear away such clouds and listen to our hearts, for our hearts carry the wisdom of God. Am I in tune with my heart today? Today's reading is from the book Today's Gift, Daily Meditations for Families |
January 12
I demolish my bridges behind me. Then one loses no time in looking behind when one should have quite enough to do looking ahead. Then there is no choice but forward. ~Fridtjof Nansen In our recovery, our life of spiritual exploration, we burn all our bridges in the effort to leave our addiction behind. It takes courage to give up our old ways completely. One lure of addiction is its familiarity. Although living as an addict doesn’t work for us, we know how it feels and sometimes we settle for that. The world of recovery can seem like uncharted territory. Only the Twelve Steps; the experience, strength, and hope of others; and our Higher Power can guide us. The risks seem great. What makes them worth taking is our realization that there is no other real choice. We go forward or, in some sense, we die. We need to trust that we can do it. In recovery we are truly explorers, and everything we discover will help others after us who want to recover from addiction. I can see the rewards of my hard work every day as I change and grow. Today's reading is from the book Answers in the Heart, Daily Meditations for Men and Women Recovering from Sex Addiction |
January 13
Those Who Listen When you do all the talking, you only learn what you already know. ~Anonymous One of the secrets for finding answers to any emotional problem is to talk with fellow members we can confide in fully. We don’t need to look any farther than our sponsor or the members who are part of our recovery. We quickly find those who always hear with a complete understanding about how we feel. Such friends are perfect listeners because they have suffered and survived the same types of problems. They are compassionate and sympathetic. They listen to us patiently while we completely describe our emotions. Only then do they share details about how they survived. Just knowing that they understand is comforting to us. My listeners can’t solve my problems for me. But they do show how they used the tools that are available in the program to work through the same kinds of problems. Today's reading is from the book Easy Does It, A Book of Daily Twelve Step Meditations |
January 14
The best things in life are appreciated most after they have been lost. ~Roy L. Smith Humankind has made such great technological progress, developing marvelous tools and instruments to make our life easier, that it is hard to imagine the struggles our ancestors endured. We are so used to these protective and labor-saving devices that we take them for granted. We fail to appreciate them. So it is with our loved ones, our fellow workers, our friends, and our acquaintances. We are so used to the help, the cooperation, the moral support, and the love we get from them that we may take them for granted. And then we wonder why our relationships don’t always go smoothly. What if we were to show them a little appreciation? What if we were to ask God to bless them? Today I will give thanks to my Higher Power for the people around me and tell them, one by one, how much I appreciate them. Today's reading is from the book In God's Care, Daily Meditations on Spirituality in Recovery |
January 15
…it is a peaceful thing to be one succeeding. ~Gertrude Stein Success is at hand. While we read these words, we are experiencing it. At this very instant, our commitment to recovery is a sign of success, and we feel peace each time we let go of our struggle, turning to another for help, for direction. Because we strive only for perfection, we recognize nothing less; we block our awareness of the ordinary successes that are ours again and again. Thus, the serenity the program promises us eludes us. But we are succeeding. Every day that we are abstinent, we succeed. We can think of the times—perhaps only yesterday—when we listened to a friend in need, or finished a task that was nagging at us. Maybe we made an appointment to begin a project we've been putting off. Success is taking positive action, nothing more. Many of us, in our youth, were taught that success only came in certain shapes and sizes. And we felt like failures. We need new definitions; it's time to discard the old. Luckily for us, the program offers us new ones. Every person, every situation, can add to my success today. My attitude can help someone else succeed, too. Today's reading is from the book Each Day a New Beginning, Daily meditations for Women |
January 16
When you aim for perfection you discover it’s a moving target. ~George Fisher In our desire for control, we seek the ultimate control of perfection. We try to relieve our anxieties and self-doubts by achieving it, but in fact we perpetuate our unease by seeking what cannot be attained. Some of us say, “I’m not a perfectionist because I am far from perfect,” only proving that we are always measuring ourselves with that yardstick. The way to resolve this dilemma is to get a different yardstick. Instead of measuring how far we are from perfect, we could measure whether we are learning anything new. Or we can ask ourselves if we have continued to get back on the path when we veer off course. Knowing we will make mistakes, we can ask ourselves if we take responsibility for them. Knowing some things will go wrong, no matter how well we plan, we can include in our plans a vision to accept mistakes as part of the package. Today, I will try to learn from whatever happens, and when something goes wrong, I will accept it and deal with it. Today's reading is from the book Stepping Stones, More Daily Meditations for Men |
January 17
AA Thought for the Day You get the power to overcome drinking through the fellowship of other alcoholics who have found the way out. You get power by honestly sharing your past experience through personal witness. You get power by coming to believe in a Higher Power, the Divine Principle in the universe which can help you. You get power by working with other alcoholics. In these four ways, thousands of alcoholics have found all the power they needed to overcome drinking. Am I ready and willing to accept this power and work for it? Meditation for the Day The power of God’s spirit is the greatest power in the universe. Our conquest of each other—the great kings and conquerors, the conquest of wealth, the leaders of the money society—all amount to very little in the end. But he who conquers himself is greater than he who conquers a city. Material things have no permanence. But God’s spirit is eternal. Everything really worthwhile in the world is the result of the power of God’s spirit. Prayer for the Day I pray that I may open myself to the power of God’s spirit. I pray that my relationships with others may be improved by this spirit. Today's reading is from the book Twenty-Four Hours a Day, A Spiritual Resource with Practical Applications for Daily Life |
January 18
He who is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid of the power of love. ~Martin Luther King Jr. We heal through forgiveness and love. We learn to forgive others by learning to let go of resentments. We learn to forgive, often by watching how others forgive us for the wrongs and hurt we have put on them. The Ninth Step is very helpful in showing us how other people are willing to forgive us even before we are willing to forgive ourselves. Over time we also come to learn how to forgive ourselves for the pain and damage we created during our active addiction. Forgiveness is a powerful spiritual principle. It helps us accept that the past will never be different. Forgiveness frees up lots of our energy so we can direct it toward building our new sober life. We come to see that forgiveness—of others and of self—is an act of love. Prayer for the Day Higher Power, help me to forgive others and myself for our weakness. Help me see weakness as humanness and our reason for needing you. Today's Action Today I will make a list of the people toward whom I have resentments, and I will pray for each person. Today's reading is from the book God Grant Me, More Daily Meditations from the Authors of Keep It Simple |
January 19
Happiness is not a goal; it is a by-product. ~Eleanor Roosevelt Most of us want to be happy. We just don’t know how. We aren’t sure what happiness is. We’ve learned the hard way that some things we wanted didn’t make us happy. We’re learning that happiness comes when we live the way our Higher Power wants us to live. That’s when we’re honest. When we do our best work. When we are a true friend. We make happiness; we don’t find it. Sometimes we don’t even know we’re happy. We’re too busy with our work, our recovery program, our friends and family. We need to slow down and know that when we do what we need to, happiness comes. Prayer for the Day Higher Power, help me know that I’m most happy when I listen to You and do Your will. You know better than I do what will make me happy. Action for the Day What parts of my program am I most happy about? Today I’ll think of these and enjoy myself. Today's reading is from the book Keep it Simple, Daily Meditations for Twelve Step Beginnings and Renewal |
January 20
Any idea, person, or object can be a Medicine Wheel, a mirror for man. The tiniest flower can be such a mirror, as can a wolf, a story, a touch, a religion, or a mountaintop. ~Hyemeyohsts Storm The ancient spiritual teachings of the Cheyenne people tell us that we meet ourselves in almost everything we confront. In a group of men spending a night on a mountaintop, each person will each have a different experience. One may be overcome with a sense of awe, another may spend every moment gripped by fear, and another may sleep the night away. While the mountain is the same, each man brings himself to it and has a different experience. When we meet an animal, feel a touch, or take a hike down the street, we see a reflection of ourselves and of humanity. This day is a Medicine Wheel for each of us. Our response to today’s circumstances will tell us more about ourselves. We need not waste energy judging ourselves harshly but learn from our feelings and reactions. Our reflections point the way for further growth. Today, I will look for my own reflection in what I meet and for the reflection of all humanity. Today's reading is from the book Touchstones, A Book of Daily Meditations for Men |
January 21
Living according to principles If we live according to spiritual principles, we will know harmony in our lives. If we ignore these principles, our harmony will be destroyed. Fortunately, the principles are constant. Once we recognize our mistakes, our task is to once again apply the principles we learned, and harmony will return. Am I living according to spiritual principles? Higher Power, help me to be aware of and live according to principles. Today I will apply my spiritual principles by… Today's reading is from the book Day by Day, Daily Meditations for Recovering Addicts |
January 22
Reflection for the Day Faith is more than our greatest gift; sharing it with others is our greatest responsibility. May recovery help me to continually seek the wisdom and the willingness by which I may well fulfill the immense trust that the Giver of all perfect gifts has placed in our hands. If you pray, why worry? If you worry, why pray? Today I Pray My Higher Power is a mighty fortress, a bulwark that never fails us. May I give praise for my deliverance and for my protection. My Higher Power gives me the gift of faith to share. May I pass it along to others as best I know how and in the loving spirit in which it was given to me. Today I Will Remember My Higher Power never has and never will fail me. Today's reading is from the book A Day at a Time, Daily Reflections for Recovering People |
January 23
Attitude is everything! Today will be what we make it. Regardless of the weather, the kinds of work to be done, the personalities crossing our paths, we’ll feel joy and peace if that is our choice. Agonizing over circumstances that aren’t to our liking or dwelling on our failure to control other people, whether friends or foes, has robbed us of the happiness that is always ours to experience. Depression, anger, fear, and frustration shadowed our steps because we didn’t take control of the only thing that’s ever been in our control absolutely—attitude. It’s so easy to blame others for every wrinkle in our lives. But as we grow accustomed to the idea of taking full responsibility for how we think and feel, we’ll be empowered. No longer will our sense of self feel diminished. And, as Abraham Lincoln is credited with saying, we will be just as happy as we make up our minds to be. Nobody can mess with my attitude but me! Today's reading is from the book A Life of My Own, Meditations on Hope and Acceptance |
January 24
Balance The goal is balance. We need balance between work and play. We need balance between giving and receiving. We need balance in thought and feelings. We need balance in caring for our physical self and our spiritual self. A balanced life has harmony between a professional life and a personal life. There may be times when we need to climb mountains at work. There may be times when we put extra energy into our relationships. But the overall picture needs to balance. Just as a balanced nutritional diet takes into account the realm of our nutritional needs to stay healthy, a balanced life takes into account all our needs: our need for friends, work, love, family, play, private time, recovery time, and spiritual time—time with God. If we get out of balance, our inner voice will tell us. We need to listen. Today, I will examine my life to see if the scales have swung too far in any area, or not far enough in some. I will work toward achieving balance. Today's reading is from the book The Language of Letting Go, Daily Meditations on Codependency |
January 25
They may not deserve forgiveness, but I do. ~Anne P. Forgiveness is an act, not a feeling. Though it may generate feelings, forgiveness is an exercise of the will. When we forgive, we refuse to be further damaged by the wrongdoing of others. A refusal to forgive is called a resentment. And the victim of resentment is always the one who carries it. The people we refuse to forgive may neither know nor care about our resentment. To hang on to a resentment is to harbor a thief in the heart. By the minute and the hour, resentment steals the joy we could treasure now and remember forever. It pilfers our energy to celebrate life—to face others as messengers of grace rather than ambassadors of doom. We victimize ourselves when we withhold forgiveness. Today, I will remember that forgiveness is a giver and resentment is a taker. Because I deserve it, I will forgive old hurts. I will see forgiveness as a gift to myself. Today's reading is from the book Days of Healing, Days of Joy, Daily Meditations for Adult Children |
January 26
Make new friends and keep the old; one is silver and the other gold. ~Joseph Parry Friendship is wonderful. But what is true friendship? This is a question we encounter in early recovery, and it will be important for the rest of our lives. A friend is someone we know, like, and trust. When we first get sober, we should look at the people we call friends. Are the things we like about them important to our healthy self or things our Inner Addict likes? We become like our friends. That is why it is important to choose friends we want to be like. It takes work to sort this out when we first get sober because we have collected “friends” who are bad for us. Where do we find good friends? First we can look to the people we knew, liked, and trusted before our addiction. Next we can look in our recovery groups. When we are a friend to the right person, then we will have a friend. Prayer for the Day Higher Power, help me to choose friends, old and new, who help me be the person I really want to be. Help me be that kind of a friend to them, too. Today's Action I will list the five people who have been my closest friends in my life. What do I like about each of them? Would I trust them to help me be my best? Today's reading is from the book God Grant Me, More Daily Meditations from the Authors of Keep It Simple |
January 27
Self-love, my liege, is not so vile a sin as self-neglect. ~William Shakespeare We will never achieve a feeling of true safety by seeing our self-image in terms of our character defects. To give our shortcomings such power is to ensure that we will never have enough faith or strength to go forward; we are either condemned to trying to change the past or trying to control the future. The only safety is in the present, affirming the positive qualities we possess. Even if we’re in deep sorrow this moment, we can feel safe by appreciating that we have the ability to grieve, which takes courage and passion for life. Appreciating our many good points is a way to counteract the fear that eats away at our security. There are a number of ways we can affirm our worth. We can write affirmations, ask others for positive support, list our good qualities, and include our progress in recovery in our daily inventory. We deserve to have the freedom that comes from feeling safe within ourselves. What am I saying to myself right now—“I’m a failure” or “I’m wonderful, and I love you”? Today's reading is from the book Answers in the Heart, Daily Meditations for Men and Women Recovering from Sex Addiction |
January 28
AA Thought for the Day In the story of the Good Samaritan, the wayfarer fell among robbers and was left lying in the gutter, half dead. And a priest and a Levite both passed by on the other side of the road. But the Good Samaritan was moved with compassion and came to him and bound up his wounds and brought him to an inn and took care of him. Do I treat another alcoholic like the priest and the Levite or like the Good Samaritan? Meditation for the Day Never weary in prayer. When one day you see how unexpectedly your prayer has been answered, then you will deeply regret that you have prayed so little. Prayer changes things for you. Practice praying until your trust in God has become strong. And then pray on, because it has become so much a habit that you need it daily. Keep praying until prayer seems to become communion with God. That is the note on which true times of prayer should end. Prayer for the Day I pray that I may form the habit of daily prayer. I pray that I may find the strength I need as a result of this communion. Today's reading is from the book Twenty-Four Hours a Day, A Spiritual Resource with Practical Applications for Daily Life |
January 29
Just because your voice reaches halfway around the world doesn’t mean you are wiser than when it reached only to the end of the bar. ~Edward R. Murrow Sometimes we believe anything from an earlier generation is outdated. With technology, this may be true. But people are not necessarily wiser today. Some time-tested wisdom is sliced to slivers on the cutting edge of what’s new. Old-fashioned honor and morality too often are made to seem hopelessly archaic. The widespread attraction of mind-altering chemicals, the restlessness of many people, the search for a simple, fast spiritual fix—all testify to a hunger that many newfound beliefs have failed to satisfy. We are fortunate to have found in our program an answer to the malaise that afflicts so many people. In its simplest form, it’s called love; in its purest form, God. I thank God that the wisdom of the ages is still relevant today. Today's reading is from the book In God's Care, Daily Meditations on Spirituality in Recovery |
January 30
It is only when people begin to shake loose from their preconceptions, from the ideas that have dominated them, that we begin to receive a sense of opening, a sense of vision. ~Barbara Ward A sense of vision, seeing who we can dare to be and what we can dare to accomplish, is possible if we focus intently on the present and always the present. We are all we need to be, right now. We can trust that. And we will be shown the way to become who we need to become, step by step, from one present moment to the next present moment. We can trust that, too. The past that we hang onto stands in our way. Many of us needlessly spend much of our lives fighting a poor self-image. But we can overcome that. We can choose to believe we are capable and competent. We can be spontaneous, and our vision of all that life can offer will change—will excite us, will cultivate our confidence. We can respond to life wholly. We can trust our instincts. And we will become all that we dare to become. Each day is a new beginning. Each moment is a new opportunity to let go of all that has trapped me in the past. I am free. In the present, l am free. Today's reading is from the book Each Day a New Beginning, Daily meditations for Women |
January 31
Between stimulus and response, man has the freedom to choose. ~Stephen R. Covey Ancient wise men first identified that crucial gap in time between the moment we first sense something and the response we give. They taught meditation principles focusing on this distinction and spent hours in contemplation that led to deep inner peace and serenity. Most of us, in our busy lives, do not devote hours and days to that focus, but we can learn to practice the crucial wisdom of chosen response instead of instant reflex. Reactivity is like a knee-jerk response. It comes from a primitive part of our brains. If we haven’t learned of that brief gap between the stimulus and our response, then we don’t even know we have a choice. We might say, “I couldn’t help it. If he hadn’t done that, I wouldn’t have done what I did.” At that point, we are still immature and weak. When we gain awareness of this tiny bit of time to choose the best response, we step from immaturity into the strength of a grown man. Today, I will become more aware of that moment of choice between a stimulus and my response. Today's reading is from the book Stepping Stones, More Daily Meditations for Men |
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