THE BEST FOR TODAY
The principles we have set down are guides to progress.
-ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 60
Just as a sculptor will use different tools to achieve desired effects in creating a work of art, in Alcoholics Anonymous the Twelve Steps are used to bring about results in my own life. I do not overwhelm myself with life’s problems, and how much more work needs to be done. I let myself be comforted in knowing that my life is now in the hands of my Higher Power, a master craftsman who is shaping each part of my life into a unique work of art. By working my program I can be satisfied, knowing that in the doing the best that we can for today, we are doing all that God asks of us.”
Trees Don’t grow to the sky
ProgressRelease from a compulsion can be a dramatic experience. It may also mean immediate release from vexing problems caused by the compulsion. This time can bring such a sense of well-being that it’s sometimes called the HONEYMOON or CLOUD NINE period.In any growth process, however, we must remember that a law of diminishing returns sets in. This is expressed in the saying that trees don’t grow to the sky. At some point, we will discover that our joyous feeling of pleasure has cooled down to an ordinary state of feeling well, that we are not becoming increasingly joyous by the day.There’s nothing wrong with such a mental plateau. If we’re practicing the Twelve Step program, we’re still moving forward, onward, and upward. Diminishing returns must still be counted as returns.I’ll accept today’s progress with gratitude and humility. I won’t expect more than a reasonable feeling of well-being and contentment, but that is considerable.
It is most discouraging to many of us to find, after many weary months of trying to work on our moral inventory and studied efforts to eliminate some of our worst character defects, that the more we do the more we find to do. It is not that we are not making progress, but as we steady ourselves from a coldly analytical viewpoint, we find more defects than we ever realized we possessed.Do not become discouraged when this situation exists. It is very evident proof of progress that you have come to a conscious realization that these new defects exist and you are at least bringing them out in the open where you can get a crack at them.Hazelden Foundation
We are who we are, shaped and molded by the times, by the events, and by the persons we encounter on our way, and no one ever changes very much or escapes entirely from that mold.
~ Ruth Casey ~
Everything we experience today is woven with all that has gone before. We are a tapestry in progress. We grow and change, heightening some of our patterns, successfully diminishing others, and maintaining still others. We need feel no shame for this person we’ve become; we’ve done our best. From this point forward, with the help of the program, our Higher Power, and the wonderful friendships that sustain us, we will add many new colors and stronger threads to the tapestry that continues to be us.
Even though there is often much we want to change in ourselves, there is much that will and should stay the same. Let’s trust that God will guide our efforts in changing those traits that deserve our attention now, leaving the rest for another time. We have been loved, guided, and protected even though we are not perfect. That will be true always.
All that has gone before will help me handle whatever today offers. I am in God’s keeping now and forever.
© 1994 by Hazelden Foundation
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Reflection for the DayWhen we make only superficial changes in ourselves and give only lip service to The Program, our progress is slow and the likelihood of relapse great. Our regeneration must take the form of a true spiritual rebirth. It must go very deep, with each character flaw replaced by a new and positive quality.Am I being completely honest with myself in uncovering the faults which hamper my spiritual growth? Am I beginning to replace them with positive qualities?Today I PrayMay God‘s protective hand lead me out of the darkness of my deepest fear – that I could return to being what I do not want to be. Please, God, give me courage to make an honest appraisal of myself. Please help me cultivate my positive qualities and begin to be free of my fears.
Today I Will RememberI must be reborn in the Spirit.
Hazelden Foundation
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Our common knowledge
Progress
One guiding factor in 12 Step groups is the sharing of experience and knowledge. The fact that a few people seem especially gifted as speakers and workers doesn’t relieve us of the need for every person’s participation.
Such group efforts are important to all human progress. For every outstanding person, there are hundreds who contribute to the success of any venture.
What we bring to the group is our experience as well as a strong commitment to the group’s purpose. This makes our meetings warm, interesting, and helpful. The group can always be such a center if its members really are part of it.
I’ll remind myself today that I can draw stength from the group and also make it stronger with my participation.
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“. . .In All Our Affairs, p. 94
“The chief purpose of A.A. is sobriety. We all realize that without sobriety we have nothing.
“However, it is possible to expand this simple aim into a great deal of nonsense, so far as the individual member is concerned. Sometimes we hear him say, in effect, “Sobriety is my sole responsibility. After all, I’m a pretty fine chap, except for my drinking. Give me sobriety, and I’ve got it made!’
“As long as our friend clings to this comfortable alibi, he will make so little progress with his real life problems and responsibilities that he stands in a fair way to get drunk again. This is why A.A.’s Twelfth Steps urges that ‘we practice these principles in all our affairs.’ We are not living just to be sober; we are living to learn, to serve, and to love.
Letter, 1966
© 1967 by Alcoholics Anonymous ® World Services, Inc
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A.A. Thought for the DaySince I’ve been in AA., have I made a start toward being more unselfish? Do I no longer want my own way in everything? When things go wrong and I can’t have what I want, do I no longer sulk? Am I trying not to waste money on myself? And does it make me happy to see my family and my home have enough attention from me? Am I trying not to be all “get” and no “give”?Meditation for the DayEach day is a day of progress, steady progress forward, if you make it so. You may not see it, but God does. God does not judge by outward appearance. He judges by the heart. Let Him see in your heart a simple desire always to do His will. Though you may feel that your work has been spoiled or tarnished, God sees it as an offering for Him. When climbing a steep hill, people are often more conscious of the weakness of their stumbling feet than of the view, the grandeur, or even of the upward progress.Prayer for the DayI pray that I may persevere in all good things. I pray that I may advance each day in spite of my stumbling feet.© 1954, 1975, 1992 by Hazelden Foundation
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“ALMOST” PEOPLEIf a man has a talent and cannot use it, he has failed. If he has a talent and uses only half of it, he has partly failed.
~ Thomas Wolfe ~Every step of progress that we make in our Program takes us farther away from being one of the “almost” people. We know today that we cannot settle for “almost” living up to our potentials and capabilities.We used to think that near-misses meant coming close to victory. This was satisfying, we thought. But we actually were making sure our efforts always got worse, never better.In recovery, we see the wisdom of “half measures availing us nothing.” Today when we miss, we learn from a “near success” and try again, harder.Even the slogan “Easy Does It” can encourage me to see worth in almost-good efforts, but I must quickly add to that “But DO It!”©1990 by Anonymous. All rights reserved. Published by Hazelden®.
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IF IT WORKS, DON’T FIX ITAccepting LifeA lot of things in life are all right just as they are. This is hard to understand in a world that puts high value on improvement and progress, but since there are so many things that do need fixing, it’s best not to tamper with things that are working.Sometimes we think something should be changed in another person’s life. Two AA members decided, for example, that a mutual AA friend de-served higher status employment than what he was doing. They seized upon an unusual profession that seemed to fit his talents and interests, and were disappointed and even a bit offended when he decided he wasn’t interested. He continued to follow his regular trade until his retirement thirty years later.In truth, there had really been nothing that needed “fixing” in his choice of a vocation. He had been earning a living doing very honest but difficult work. It was somewhat presumptuous of his friends to outline a new career for him, and it could have led to considerable harm.Let’s leave people and things alone unless our help is requested and something really does need fixing.I’ll look around today and notice the things in my life that are working well and really don’t need changing. Then I’ll focus my attention on the things that really should be fixed.
© 1996 by Hazelden Foundation
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I don’t train for a marathon when I simply want to run five-mile races.~ Patricia Roth Wuertzer Our insecurity, our fear that we’re inadequate, pushes us to overextend ourselves. We spent many years using alcohol and other drugs rather than fulfilling our dreams and aspirations. We may try to make up for lost time by demanding too much of ourselves now.Making some progress every day is the best way to succeed at our goals. We’ll discover almost immediately how good it feels to say we’ll do some-thing and then do it. But we must be wary of the compulsion to do too much. We’re still addicts, after all.Life is a process. Recovery is a process. Every day we get chances to learn whatever we didn’t master yesterday. No one is keeping score. Let’s ease up, make some progress, and leave time to smell the roses.Today I’ll remind myself that I don’t have to complete a big project every day. Making some progress is enough.© 1994 by Hazelden Foundation
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PROGRESS, NOT PERFECTION
“The maxim “Nothing but perfection” may be spelled “Paralysis.”
~ Winston Churchill ~
I can’t count the number of times I’ve heard the expression, “progress not perfection” from my sponsor and used it with my sponsees. We take little steps – one day at a time – which gradually leads to greater steps. Small successes eventually will lead to bigger successes. Often though, we want it all and we want it NOW!
Recovery is a process – not an end result. It requires a kind of a balancing act – if we try to juggle more balls than what we’re capable of comfortably balancing – we will crash and this can lead to relapse. So rather than juggling five balls and crashing – it’s better to juggle three really well and gradually work in a 4th or a fifth.
One Day at a Time . . .
I will focus on making progress rather than trying to be perfect.
~ Rob R. ~
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We are who we are, shaped and molded by the times, by the events, and by the persons we encounter on our way, and no one ever changes very much or escapes entirely from that mold.~ Ruth Casey ~Everything we experience today is woven with all that has gone before. We are a tapestry in progress. We grow and change, heightening some of our patterns, successfully diminishing others, and maintaining still others. We need feel no shame for this person we’ve become; we’ve done our best. From this point forward, with the help of the program, our Higher Power, and the wonderful friendships that sustain us, we will add many new colors and stronger threads to the tapestry that continues to be us.Even though there is often much we want to change in ourselves, there is much that will and should stay the same. Let’s trust that God will guide our efforts in changing those traits that deserve our attention now, leaving the rest for another time. We have been loved, guided, and protected even though we are not perfect. That will be true always.All that has gone before will help me handle whatever today offers. I am in God’s keeping now and forever.© 1994 by Hazelden Foundation
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SOLITUDEI never found the companion that was so companionable as solitude.~ Thoreau ~Before the activities of any day begin, we dress our minds as carefully as we dress our bodies. Each day requires both planning and examining if it is to be helpful in our 12 Step progress. We perform such duties in solitude. Otherwise we will be lacking in the ability to cope and get the best from each day.
At the end of the day, silent and alone in thought, we weigh our words and actions of the past hours so we may understand how well we measured up to the hopes and expectations we had at the day’s beginning. That way, we can enrich tomorrow’s plans by the successes or mistakes we uncover.
Daydreams are not worthless if I have hope they can come true and faith that they will materialize. Solitude is my companion when I plan and evaluate.©1990 by Anonymous. All rights reserved. Published by Hazelden
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PROGRESS
” … I was taught that the way of progress is neither swift nor easy.”
~ Marie Curie
I have always been the queen of quick fix, so if I wanted something to happen, it had to happen today if not yesterday. So coming into the program was very hard for me, in that for the first time I have had to realise that recovery is not an overnight thing. For a perfectionist like me, that has been a very hard lesson to learn, in that I don’t have to have perfect recovery. My journey in this program has been an up and down one, with many slips along the way, and everytime I have slipped, I have had to remember that I may think I’m a failure, but I’m only a failure if I fail to pick myself up. In the past if I made a mistake, I was a total and utter failure, but I know now that all I have to do each time is to pick myself up, dust myself off and start over.
The other thing I’ve learned in the program is that I also always need to remember where I came from, and when I look back, I can see the progress I have made. My self-esteem is growing, and even though I still seem to slip back into the old character defects from time to time, they are nowhere near as bad as in the past. I am able to forgive people whom I thought I would never be able to forgive, and I make amends whenever the need arises, and as a result my relationships with people have improved dramatically.
One Day at a Time . . .
May I remember that in this program, it is always progress and not perfection that counts.
~ Sharon
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PROGRESS” … I was taught that the way of progress is neither swift nor easy.”~ Marie Curie I have always been the queen of quick fix, so if I wanted something to happen, it had to happen today if not yesterday. So coming into the program was very hard for me, in that for the first time I have had to realise that recovery is not an overnight thing. For a perfectionist like me, that has been a very hard lesson to learn, in that I don’t have to have perfect recovery. My journey in this program has been an up and down one, with many slips along the way, and everytime I have slipped, I have had to remember that I may think I’m a failure, but I’m only a failure if I fail to pick myself up. In the past if I made a mistake, I was a total and utter failure, but I know now that all I have to do each time is to pick myself up, dust myself off and start over.The other thing I’ve learned in the program is that I also always need to remember where I came from, and when I look back, I can see the progress I have made. My self-esteem is growing, and even though I still seem to slip back into the old character defects from time to time, they are nowhere near as bad as in the past. I am able to forgive people whom I thought I would never be able to forgive, and I make amends whenever the need arises, and as a result my relationships with people have improved dramatically.One Day at a Time . . .May I remember that in this program, it is always progress and not perfection that counts.~ Sharon
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Trees Don’t grow to the sky
Progress
Release from a compulsion can be a dramatic experience. It maqy also mean immediate relase from vexing problems caused by the compulsion. This time can bring such a sense of well-being that it’s sometimes called the HONEYMOON or CLOUD NINE period.
In any growth process, however, we must remember that a law of diminishing returns sets in. This is expressed in the saying that trees don’t grow to the sky. At some point, we will discover that our joyous feeling of pleasure has cooled down to an ordinary state of feeling well, that we are not becoming increasingly joyous by the day.
There’s nothing wrong with such a mental plateau. If we’re practicing the Twelve Step program, we’re still moving forward, onward, and upward. Diminishing returns must still be counted as returns.
I’ll accept today’s progress with gratitude and humility. I won’t expect more than a reasonable feeling of well-being and contentment, but that is considerable.
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Onward On The Journey
“The progression of recovery is a continuous uphill journey”
Basic Text, p. 79
The longer we stay clean, the steeper and narrower our path seems to become. But God doesn’t give us more than we can handle. No matter how difficult the road becomes, no matter how narrow, how winding the turns, there is hope. That hope lies in our spiritual progression.
If we keep showing up at meetings and staying clean, life gets… well, different. The continual search for answers to life’s ups and downs can lead us to question all aspects of our lives. Life isn’t always pleasant. This is when we must turn to our Higher Power with even more faith. Sometimes all we can do is hold on tight, believing that things will get better.
In time, our faith will produce understanding. We will begin to see the “bigger picture” of our lives. As our relationship with our Higher Power unfolds and deepens, acceptance becomes almost second nature. No matter what happens as we walk through recovery, we rely on our faith in a loving Higher Power and continue onward.
Just for today: I accept that I don’t have all the answers to life’s questions. Nonetheless, I will have faith in the God of my understanding and continue on the journey of recovery.
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Reflection For The Day
Over and over, I see that those who make the best and steadiest progress in The Program are those who readily accept the help of a Higher Power. Once they can do that, it’s easier for them to get out of their own way. Their problems then seem to resolve themselves in a way that is beyond human understanding. Do I realize that the effectiveness with which I use the consciousness of God in my daily life depends not on Him, but on me?
Today I Pray
May I know that my recovery and growth depends on my being in touch with my Higher Power, not just once in a while, but always. It means turning to that Power several times a day to ask for strength and knowledge of his will. When I understand that my own life is part of a Higher Plan, I will be less apt to trip and fall, head off in the wrong direction, or just to sit tight and let life pass me by.
Today I Will Remember
to be God-conscious.
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PROGRESSIVE GRATITUDE
Gratitude should go forward, rather than backward.
-AS BILL SEES IT, p. 29
I am very grateful that my Higher Power has given me a second chance to live a worthwhile life. Through Alcoholics Anonymous, I have been restored to sanity. The promises are being fulfilled in my life. I am grateful to be free from the slavery of alcohol. I am grateful for peace of mind and the opportunity to grow, but my gratitude should go forward rather than backward. I cannot stay sober on yesterday’s meetings or past Twelfth-Step calls; I need to put my gratitude into action today. Our co-founder said our gratitude can best be shown by carrying the message to others. Without action, my gratitude is just a pleasant emotion. I need to put it into action by working Step Twelve, by carrying the message and practicing the principles in all my affairs. I am grateful for the chance to carry the message today!
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