The Man in the Glass

[srfranci]

The joy associated with success is a wonderful aspect of recovery. Some of the success points for us that others may not understand include:

- Waking up in the morning remembering what you did the night before
- The first thought of the day being about other things than alcohol and drugs
- Getting to work on time...and straight
- Not always looking over your shoulder
- Having control over your emotions
- Having control over your body
- Feeling more in control of your environment
- Being able to accept failure and to accept responsibility for our mistakes
- Being able to love again
- Looking in the mirror and liking what you see
- Getting to the end of a day without using or drinking

Success is a very individual perspective, and has brought many a good soul to rack and ruin. With our energy levels raised and motivation at an all time high, we can achieve great things. The old saying "pride before a fall" becomes very relevant. I'm not saying that we should hold back our ambitions and dreams, for they have been on the back burner for too long in our lives - But if success makes us feel invincible, then the parasite within will begin to stir.

The key is being true to yourself and examining your motivations on a daily basis. Remember that there are only two motivations in life, fear and love. Everything we do during our time on Planet Earth can be traced back to these two simple emotions. And we know where fear took us before.

The following poem was a favorite of my dads. After his death I was given many journals that he had written through out the years. It became a bit of an affirmation for him.

~The Guy in the Glass
by Dale Wimbrow

When you get what you want in your struggle for pelf,
And the world makes you King for a day,
Then go to the mirror and look at yourself,
And see what that guy has to say.

For it isn't your Father, or Mother, or Wife,
Who judgement upon you must pass.
The feller whose verdict counts most in your life

Is the guy staring back from the glass.
He's the feller to please, never mind all the rest,
For he's with you clear up to the end,
And you've passed your most dangerous, difficult test
If the guy in the glass is your friend.

You may be like Jack Horner and "chisel" a plum,
And think you're a wonderful guy,
But the man in the glass says you're only a bum
If you can't look him straight in the eye.

You can fool the whole world down the pathway of years,
And get pats on the back as you pass,
But your final reward will be heartaches and tears
If you've cheated the guy in the glass.

In reading this it inspired me to read it over and over. It came to me that with these types of affirmations firmly in our minds, we can assure ourselves that it doesn't matter how many mistakes we make along the way - we will never really fail. For a number of us, "people pleasing" and peer group pressure were a couple of reasons that began our journey on the highway to hell in the first place. If we outwardly appear to be "wonderful", yet our hearts become full of resentment, bitterness and hatred; the latter will act as a cancer and destroy whatever we have built.

In memory of My dad who was an alcoholic and died of cancer in November 2008.