October 31

DISCIPLINE MONTH: DAY 31: “The difference between great people and everyone else is that great people create their lives actively, while everyone else is created by their lives, passively waiting to see where life takes them next. The difference between the two is the difference between living fully and just existing.” – Michael E. Gerber

Another difference is between a victim mentality and being a peaceful warrior. We cannot choose all of the events in this life, but we CAN choose how we respond to them.

I can determine my way of viewing everything that happens to me. If I see it as a random act of evil, directed at making me suffer, I am doomed to suffer for the rest of my life.

We are all going to die…that is our only destiny here. And in that process, we get a specific number of days in which to live with what is on our path. Changing the path does not mean we get to determine the events that are going to happen, only changing our minds about the events does.

So, I can view life as a series of random events, set out to break my heart, or I can see life as a series of miraculous events, designed by my Creator to set me on a healing path that I am not currently walking. This is something that never ceases to amaze me.

Life has some big stuff for us to walk through. We all get sick, some of us with crippling and disabling diseases, some of us are injured in horrible accidents that maim or permanently disable our bodies. Some of us are making poor choices in how we treat our bodies and do grave damage to ourselves with poor lifestyle choices or the way we hold onto anger, fear, anxiety and depression.

While some may suffer with these afflictions, we have all met those who manage to overcome physical limitations to do amazing things, because their hearts are strong and determined to do those things. A great example, to me is Helen Keller. She inspired and motivated generations of blind, deaf and mute people, as well as those of us who have full use of these senses.

We get to choose whether we sit with adverse conditions and work through them, or if they get to rule our lives and beliefs.

When I understand some of the causes and conditions of my bad attitudes and behavior, recovery means that I do what is presented to me to overcome those adverse conditions in my thinking and life to achieve the stance of the peaceful warrior.

This is very different than being angry and resentful about conditions. It means I accept them and see the truth of them and work to overcome and conquer MY attitudes and behaviors. I am always going to be powerless over EVERYTHING else. Not just alcohol, drugs, etc.; but every single aspect of life. As I come to this kind of acceptance of what IS, I can adjust my thinking and behavior to fit the path of recovery I want to walk.

Oh! This is not what I hear a great deal of in meetings. But it is what my personal path has taught me along this journey. I am powerless, period. As I come to that acceptance, I stop trying to control and manipulate the world around me to fit my plan or to keep me comfortable. And I have a great deal fewer amends to make and less time spent talking about my “wrong” behavior.