ChooseSobriety

Hello Family,

I hope this post finds all as well as they can be :-) I'm sitting here this morning very grateful for the things in my life. It's been over 15 years that I haven't made a choice to drink or do any dope, it's a good day! Here is one of the small exercise's that I had written for myself over the years as reminders as well as something to keep my mind off of my crap ;-)

"Today, I will focus on gratitude. I will learn to be grateful for all things in my life and always know that it is I who makes the choice to be grateful. I am grateful for the steps that I have taken to change my thinking. I will remember to love and forgive myself, be gentle with myself and most importantly be grateful for who I am."

Have a grateful day!!

Love,

CS

least

Gratitude makes the difference in my life for sure.

hypochondriac

I wish I was taught gratitude as a kid. I have spent my entire life focusing on the negative and it hasn't done me any good. It's amazing how much our focus can change things x

ChooseSobriety

Good morning hypochondriac,

Your words bring thoughts to mind especially what I was taught (not taught) as a kid. I have often wondered how much different the world would be if we were taught just basic coping skills. How much different would my life would have been just to know the power of my choices.

How do I deal with my emotions. Being grateful! Being taught the power of choice and the consequences that accompany them. It seems that we live in a world where most would prefer to be a victim in lieu of taking some accountability and responsibility in their lives.

Contrary to popular belief we are not without the power of "Choice", however we find it a lot easier to blame someone or something outside of ourselves for our demise, i.e.. (genetics, environment, weather, job, mom, boss) well you get the point. ;-)

Today, I choose to be responsible, accountable for my thoughts, actions, words, emotions, the list is infinite. I do not always have a choice on things that happen in my environment but I always have a choice on what I think, say or do.

I am not a victim. I have a choice. I will not blame others for my crap, own it and make the choices necessary to change it or stop whining.

Have a great day family :-)

Love,

CS

GracieLou

I agree and feel the same as you. I feel my family, by no real fault of their own, are negative in nature.

Today I try to express gratitude. I say thank you a lot more often. I smile more often and I surely laugh more often.

I have many issues to deal with but I am trying to deal with them with a lighter heart and not dwell in the negative.

dabrewsky

an attitude of gratitude to start and end the day

hypochondriac

Who was it that said I wasn't brought up but dragged up? Every kid at school is struggling with something emotionally and those basic things are not obvious to everyone. I remember studying Plato in my 'lifeskills' class at school aged 14 and thinking then that I am sure there must be something more useful we could have been doing. And I love studying philosophy, I just think we maybe started off a bit high...