Healing is a matter of time, but it is sometimes also a matter of opportunity
10. Perseverance
Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan, ‘press on’ has solved, and always will solve, the problems of the human race.–Calvin Coolidge
defined as:
the action or condition or an instance of persevering : steadfastness…
I don’t know how many times in my life I have started something with great enthusiasm, only to have my desire dampened by loss of focus, boredom, or I have something else to obsess about. This happens to many of us in recovery. We come in with fire in our eyes, excited about our life with all its great opportunities it brings. Some call this the “pink cloud”. Depending on each individual this pink cloud usually lasts a very short time. It seems to dissipate about the time that real life events become a true reality. Family responsibilities, relationships, finances, time management tasks start to get out of balance, which causes stress, worry, frustration, and sometimes anger. Recovery for me is like a big plate of equal portions of food, a balanced meal. I hear people say that they have too much on their plate, and the common tendency is to take one of the portions completely off to make room. When in fact that portion is just as important as the other portions on the plate. What gets me in trouble is when I stop doing something that has been a vital piece in my success of staying clean and my life improving. The basics is what I started with, such as developing a meeting habit, working with my support and a sponsor, prayer and meditation, and being willing to do anything to stay clean, no matter what. But how do you stay excited about doing the same old thing, over and over each day? Consistency seems to be a boring idea at first sight. It lacks glamour and excitement. But, when I look more closely, consistency is anything but boring. It contains the secret of achievement and success. It is the key to an almost magical power that has transformed my life. Consistency means repeating the same behaviors regularly and without exceptions. Consistent behavior is the opposite of erratic behavior. Skipping my meetings, and not calling my sponsor is an example of erratic behavior. Consistency creates powerful habits; lack of consistency and exceptions means that I have to start building the habits all over again. Consistency allows the seeds to grow and the fruit to arrive. I believe , that is why we are challenged to work a program “one day at a time”. It is a daily, not a life time commitment. I have been told that, when I get off balance in my recovery, I need to get back to the basics. If I want to achieve a black belt in my recovery, I need to show up and participate in my life one day after another whether I feel like it or not. I have achieved some great things from staying clean, but at times I have lacked patience and only showed up sporadically. When my progress seems too slow I am prone to giving up and I disappear. Much of my success in life today, can be attributed to just showing up. Champions do not give up when they feel tired or bored or when results seem painfully slow. Working with others and sharing my recovery keeps the fire burning. It has been said that the newcomers to recovery are the most important people. They bring that fire, that desire, and excitement to me. They encourage me to not stop, and to continue the good fight. I am grateful for the newcomers today!!!…
Love and Respect, Bruce M.
defined as:
the action or condition or an instance of persevering : steadfastness…
I don’t know how many times in my life I have started something with great enthusiasm, only to have my desire dampened by loss of focus, boredom, or I have something else to obsess about. This happens to many of us in recovery. We come in with fire in our eyes, excited about our life with all its great opportunities it brings. Some call this the “pink cloud”. Depending on each individual this pink cloud usually lasts a very short time. It seems to dissipate about the time that real life events become a true reality. Family responsibilities, relationships, finances, time management tasks start to get out of balance, which causes stress, worry, frustration, and sometimes anger. Recovery for me is like a big plate of equal portions of food, a balanced meal. I hear people say that they have too much on their plate, and the common tendency is to take one of the portions completely off to make room. When in fact that portion is just as important as the other portions on the plate. What gets me in trouble is when I stop doing something that has been a vital piece in my success of staying clean and my life improving. The basics is what I started with, such as developing a meeting habit, working with my support and a sponsor, prayer and meditation, and being willing to do anything to stay clean, no matter what. But how do you stay excited about doing the same old thing, over and over each day? Consistency seems to be a boring idea at first sight. It lacks glamour and excitement. But, when I look more closely, consistency is anything but boring. It contains the secret of achievement and success. It is the key to an almost magical power that has transformed my life. Consistency means repeating the same behaviors regularly and without exceptions. Consistent behavior is the opposite of erratic behavior. Skipping my meetings, and not calling my sponsor is an example of erratic behavior. Consistency creates powerful habits; lack of consistency and exceptions means that I have to start building the habits all over again. Consistency allows the seeds to grow and the fruit to arrive. I believe , that is why we are challenged to work a program “one day at a time”. It is a daily, not a life time commitment. I have been told that, when I get off balance in my recovery, I need to get back to the basics. If I want to achieve a black belt in my recovery, I need to show up and participate in my life one day after another whether I feel like it or not. I have achieved some great things from staying clean, but at times I have lacked patience and only showed up sporadically. When my progress seems too slow I am prone to giving up and I disappear. Much of my success in life today, can be attributed to just showing up. Champions do not give up when they feel tired or bored or when results seem painfully slow. Working with others and sharing my recovery keeps the fire burning. It has been said that the newcomers to recovery are the most important people. They bring that fire, that desire, and excitement to me. They encourage me to not stop, and to continue the good fight. I am grateful for the newcomers today!!!…
Love and Respect, Bruce M.
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