2014 Full Daily Blog Link: http://donoddylondon.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/alcoholics-anonymous-blog-video-july-19.html July 19 2012 | AA 12 Steps In Action | Step 7 Courage To Change Alcoholics Anonymous [ Full daily blog link: http://donoddylondon.blogspot.com/ ] Today’s AA daily reflection: “false pride…” Sometimes the difference between doing good because that’s what we do, and being a do-gooder, doing things because it looks good. False pride, sometimes thinking if I do something, as a direct consequence I will gain some advantage emotionally, spiritually and there I say it, financially or with romance in mind… Motives are key!
Usually false pride can be spotted quite quickly in ourselves, our motives and intentions. Step six deficits where on occasions fear, putting on a brave face and ego can make us take a back step into covering up, feelings of guilt and shame and inadequacy about something and a less than equal feeling. God and good conscience can come to the rescue, courage to change, faith in the next right step and confidence to not know what to do and ask the help…
False pride usually develops when we isolate and try and work things out all on our own. The old messages of how life used to be before recovery can become loud voices in our heads shouting “I deserve better!” The answer is the world is the way it is right now, and false pride will hinder our ability to seize the day, be open to all the hard knocks and all those precious moments of fun and laughter as well. Open and outward in our outlook, we can connect with reality as it is today…
When I can see the world as it really is today, most likely I am operating and living in the best way I can, open, honest and willing. And to be included where it is possible, to be able to love people, be loved back and useful. This is recovery, on a good day and still there will be other days where old tormenting memories may pull me backwards. Step six at any time of day, step seven at any time of day, and I can be “at sixes and sevens” in the reality and moment of now…
How am I feeling this morning? A week after the wisdom tooth being extracted, two weeks of a summer cold and a hacking cough, and waiting for the plumber to fix my WC. Emotionally I feel okay, but my best friend has got the cough. Physically, Iam a bit sore all over… I feel good in myself, happy in my own doings, cross with the ineptitude of government and their prejudice and hopeful about the Olympics, horrified about news from the Middle East, concerned for my best friend, concerned for my mum who has cancer, concerned for my sister, its the fifth anniversary of her partner’s death. Happy that the sky is lighter, concerned for an ex partner of mine, it’s her birthday soon, and it’s none of my business… Yes so easy to be at sixes and sevens with life, step six into fear and gloom, step seven doing the next right thing, can do and cannot do and keep on learning what the difference is, just for today… And serenity is probably possible by the end of this sentence…
DonInLondon [ Full daily blog link: http://donoddylondon.blogspot.com/ ]
AA Official Online Site: Daily Reflections http://www.aa.org/lang/en/aareflections.cfm
AA Official Online Site: Big Book And Twelve And Twelve http://www.aa.org/lang/en/subpage.cfm?page=359
Step 7 “Step 7 Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings” “The way we have come to look at humility is that it is a virtue, one of the principles that AA teaches us to live. The definition we have adopted pictures us as standing naked before God, without
pretense nor reservation. It means hiding nothing, being our real selves, both good and bad. A good synonym for humility is honesty.” BB Bunch
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Step 7 “Courage To Change” Reading Video Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agVuLKhdqk8
July Video Reading Step Seven Into Action Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueS51r5FzH4
July Playlist All About Step Seven: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL00B8ABECADC67C82
I do not speak for Alcoholics Anonymous I speak for myself. Alcoholics Anonymous is a fellowship of unique and authentic people who speak for themselves where they will to share experience, strength and hope about recovery on a daily basis. Anonymity affords
sanctuary to find how to live sober and be open, honest and willing to learn life day by day. For me “truth,” “love” and “wisdom” offer the best spiritual experience by living reality today. Into the fabric of recovery from alcoholism are woven the Twelve Steps and the
Twelve Traditions, steps to be open, honest and willing to learn, traditions to live unity, service and recovery.
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Spiritual principles ~ Forgiveness Acceptance Surrender Faith Open-mindedness Honesty Willingness Moral-inventory Amends Humility Persistence Spiritual-growth Service
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Email | don@doninlondon.com
Music | “music for airports” By Brian Eno | http://www.enoshop.co.uk/ |
July 19, 2013 step seven in mind: in my own personal opinion, and I
emphasise my own personal opinion, the 12 steps and the 12 traditions are
timeless principles which work in most conditions to liberate and free an
individual to make the best choices possible one day at a time. The big
book, “Alcoholics Anonymous,” explains the principles and then shares
stories of early recovery. These stories of early recovery show the
similarities and the diversity of how the principles of living work no
matter what has happened, the background of people and the diversity of
people. The principles are not tablets of stone, the principles work if we
work them and provide freedom of choice to any individual contingent on the
current conditions of the day.
Most of the time I find the greatest freedom and liberty by following the
principles, listening to people in meetings of Fellowship, finding the
wisdom of experience being shared helping me understand how best to
approach so many different and diverse situations that life can offer.
Sometimes we encounter people who have high control needs, feel the
necessity to lay down rules laws and regulations, and they can be
confounded by how Fellowship and groups find their autonomy through the
group conscience. The group conscience is not about laying down rules laws
and regulations, it is about ensuring good principles can be put into
practice and that no one takes control of others in the pursuit of
happiness. It is very difficult to violate suggestions, it is easy to
violate other people’s sensibilities, attitudes and behaviour on any given
day. Forgiveness, tolerance and love for oneself hopefully leads to
forgiveness tolerance and love of people generally who we encounter in the
world and in Fellowship.
Anonymity at the level of press radio and film can be a very hot topic. The
fear that the Fellowship can be undermined by the behaviour of people
associated with the Fellowship of AA can be a ghastly prospect. At same
time anyone who shares a message of experience strength and hope, and takes
this on as a way of sharing rather than instruction can probably be guided
most effectively by the understanding of what is attraction, and what is
promotion. Over the years of sharing, attraction equals: “what you see is
what you get,” and that is the same as you find in meetings. And promotion
equals: “an idea that I can fix you or that Fellowship can fix you in some
way,” which is absolutely not going to work, each person still needs to
work at sober living one day at a time. And simply, “one day at a time” is
the absolute measure of how we are doing. Spiritual: the ability to cope
with the reality of now, by the moment, minute, hour and by the day.
Recovery is and remains as good as it can be, “just for today.”
There is a meeting today which is called, “just for today.” And as part of
the meeting somebody reads out the just for today card, which has very
positive affirmations about how today can be if we have a positive attitude
and can behave equally well and keep sober. And there is good news and bad
news in this, I don’t always agree with all the things I read on the just
for today card, because sometimes I am a grumpy old sod. I am still an
emotional and spiritual being subject to the conditions of the day which
can be good, bad or ugly or all three happening at once. And sharing the
just for today card with a newcomer can make them apoplectic and very
disgruntled. Better just to start with step one and accept that in early
recovery life can be horrible indeed!
My first meeting of Fellowship was on a Sunday morning, driven without
knowing by my sister to a meeting locally and she told me, “go in there and
sort yourself out!” It was quite a shock, I did not know I was going to an
AA meeting, and surprised having got there to see some of my neighbours,
people from the arts club and my mother’s best friend in the front row, and
my mum’s best friend said, “About time you got here…” The message of
experience strength and hope did not stick too well, although one of the
attractive girls did give me her telephone number which I promptly lost at
the pub. I met her five years later, and was able to hear her words about
recovery. Fear, pride and ego kept me away for those five years. And even
then it was a rocky start from rock bottom…
Some people come to a meeting of the Fellowship and are immediately plugged
into the idea of recovery. Some people find they have to try one or two
other ways of trying to get sober, and you never know that might work. And
there are other ways to get into recovery. But most people seem to be like
me, happy to have found a place where it is okay to start over and try a
new way to live. However we get to a place of sobriety, however difficult
it might be, I feel we can all be assured of one thing, rock bottom is the
most unpleasant place in the world and anything which helps us find a path
of recovery is certainly worth pursuing.
Courage to change takes time, faith in doing the next right thing does not
happen overnight and our self esteem and confidence will grow as we make
mistakes and learn from experience, have successes and learn from those
experiences. And we keep on learning the wisdom of life. In my early days,
I was able to tolerate quite a few people telling me what to do, because I
thought they knew better than me. Fortunately I realised quite early on
that the people telling me what to do were those who had found their own
story of success and enjoyed imposing it on other people. I do like what
Richard Alpert used to say at the end of his lectures and presentations of
philosophy, “of course I could be wrong.” Richard Alpert is also known as
Ram Dass. And I do believe that he is right, “of course I could be wrong,”
this applies to me every single day if ever I tell you what to do, you know
what you can tell me to do, and I will do my best to accommodate your
reaction!
Alcoholics Anonymous Videos, AA is for Alcoholics, AA12 Steps, Addiction
And Recovery, DonInLondon, Don Oddy,
Alcoholics Anonymous Blog & Video July 19 2014
July 19 Video
Alcoholics Anonymous | July 19 | DonInLondon | Step 7 “Courage To Change”
Step six: trying to control the world, fear pride and ego kicking off can
be a real issue causing self-doubt and most dangerously it can lead to
self-harm. Step seven: letting go, understanding and acceptance that life
will keep on changing and changing again. Never fear what people do around
us because they too need their freedom to choose what is going to work for
them. Love people as they are, even when they may be disappearing into a
new world. As one door closes, many doors are open.
I needed a meeting and fortunately for me, it is on my doorstep. All about
the spiritual experience: feeling life in the moment of now, no matter what
emotions are coming up, they guide our thinking. Step six feelings of pride
ego and fear will make any day quite dark, step seven feelings of courage,
faith and confidence will lead to acceptance, and it may take more than one
day as we let go, and new beginnings are possible.
After the meeting, my favourite pastime of mooching and taking photographs
of people was my aim. Just before the meeting, outside Chelsea town Hall,
people getting married and photographs being taken. As the bride and groom
crossed the road to where I was standing at the entrance to our meeting, I
was clapping, applauding their new life. We had a great conversation, and I
shared my joy at seeing them happy and they wondered what I was doing at
the back door of the Methodist Church. I said I was a friend of Bill, and
they had friends of Bill in their lives as well. And we all agreed new
beginnings can happen any time. What a start to my meeting! You never know
what will happen when you engage people for any reason or no reason at all.
And then the meeting reminded me how important it is to start the day with
expectations set to zero and then see what happens. Some things can disturb
us, and we feel let go and loss and then a chance meeting with new people.
And new people in the meeting as well. Not everybody having a good day,
some restarting and recommitting to one day at a time. Some experiencing
great joy simply being sober and accepting that life on life’s terms is
forever changing and never controlled as we might wish.
When I was mooching and taking photos, engaging in conversations with
artists, what they see and how they express it through their work is so
different and yet always comes from the heart. Some with an eye to detail,
some expressing as Impressionists. All painting and developing an image
from the heart. Always from the heart, the feeling in the moment of now, or
once the painting is completed the feelings in that moment of now. I guess
this is why I love photographing London and people in the moment of now. I
have gratitude and perspective. Letting go opens up the world for everyone
to be free to make the right choices for themselves and that is all about
step seven and acceptance of the spiritual experience always in the ever
present, imperfectly perfect moment of now.
Step Seven Video 12 And 12
Alcoholics Anonymous | Step 7 Reading 12 & 12 |
Alcoholics Anonymous Videos, AA is for Alcoholics, AA 12 Steps, Addiction
And Recovery, DonInLondon, Don Oddy,