January 29

”If you are not getting as much from life as you want to, then examine the state of your enthusiasm.” Norman Vincent Peale

Just as I have the choice each day to choose to be in recovery, I can also decide, or not, to be content with my life as it is presently. Realistically I have little control over where I am today. I cannot change the past that brought me to this morning, nor am I able to forgo the day and fast-forward into tomorrow. That leaves me the choice to accept my reality as it is, or avoid the truth and only see what I wish to see. My attitude is the determining factor as to whether I can be enthusiastic about the current state of my life, or if I will be miserable and discontent. Choosing the level of enthusiasm will not change where I am, my job, my friends, my finances, where I live – none of these will be different if I decide to be ecstatic about what has been provided for me. What will change is how I feel about myself, how I approach situations and certainly the day's challenges. Life happens, and will continue on whether I am happy, upset, frustrated, joyful or ignorant of what is taking place. Given this, isn’t in my best interest to be excited to be alive, to relish each and every breath, and to be thankful for all the wonders I am given the privilege of experiencing each day?

Affirmation Life is how you take it, which in turn will influence how I face it. Let me put a smile on my face and some spring in my step and fill my heart with gladness.

June 14

”Don’t save anything for a special occasion, being alive is the special occasion.” Anonymous

I believe in waking up with a smile on my face, and in facing each day with the enthusiasm of the opportunities that lay before me. My life in recovery has been something that I more often look forward to.  The tools and skills that I continue to gain as I work the Twelve Steps give me the confidence that I can face the challenges of each day. I am learning to be more spontaneous and to procrastinate less. I take the time needed as things occur to me to do them and act rather than trying to wait for the perfect moment. This holds for telling someone I love them to even more basic things like a chore or a to-do that I keep putting off. There’s less of a need to wait until tomorrow, making the time now to get things done makes me feel better and leaves less for me to worry about. Life’s little moments are what keep us going. It’s not that special occasions are not important; birthdays, anniversaries and holidays all have their place. But if we are not making all the little efforts to do the important tasks and spend time with the people who matter to us, celebrating only on special occasions won’t cut it.

Affirmation Today I will look for the little ways to keep life special and to let those who are important in my life know how I feel.