~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~
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Self-will
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"The first requirement is that we be convinced
that any life run on self-will can hardly be a success.
On that basis we are almost always
in collision with something or somebody,
even though our motives are good.
Most people try to live by self-propulsion.
Each person is like an actor who wants
to run the whole show;
is forever trying to arrange the lights, the ballet,
the scenery and the rest of the players in his own way.
If his arrangements would only stay put,
if only people would do as he wished,
the show would be great.
Everybody, including himself, would be pleased.
Life would be wonderful."
1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, pp. 60-1
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Thought to Consider . . .
It's not making a mistake that will kill me.
It's defending it that does the damage.
*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~* The full attendance of thousands of A.A.s at St. Louis, representing an accurate cross-section of A.A. opinion, now sat in convention before us. On the auditorium stage was the Service Conference of Alcoholics Anonymous, about a hundred men and women who were the named and chosen representatives of the whole fellowship. The Conference, having completed the fifth year of its experimental period with a record of high success, was no longer an experiment. It was the instrument destined to become the heart of A.A.'s Third Legacy of Service and the whole of A.A.'s conscience, world-wide. In the simple ceremony that followed, I offered a resolution to the effect that our society should now take its affairs into its own hands and that its Conference ought to become the permanent successor to the founders of Alcoholics Anonymous. Amid a roar of acclamation from the floor, the Convention carried that resolution. There was silence, and then we heard chairman Smith offer the resolution to the Conference for its confirmation. A simple show of hands expressed the consent of the Conference and marked the exact moment when A.A. came of age. It was four o'clock. [July 3, 1955] 1985, AAWS, Inc., Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, page 47
N U T S = Not Using The Steps
*~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~*
HELPING OTHERS
Our very lives, as ex-problem drinkers, depend upon our
constant thought of others and how we may help meet their
needs.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 20
Self-centeredness was my problem. All my life people had
been doing things for me and I not only expected it but I
was ungrateful and resentful they didn't do more. Why
should I help others, when they were supposed to help me?
If others had troubles, didn't they deserve them? I was
filled with self-pity, anger and resentment. Then I
learned that by helping others, with no thought of return,
I could overcome this obsession with selfishness, and if
I understood humility, I would know peace and serenity.
No longer do I need to drink.
Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
*~*~*~*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*~*~*~*
Virtue and Self-Deception
I used to take comfort from an exaggerated belief in my own honesty. My New England kinfolk had taught me the sanctity of all business commitments and contracts, saying, "A man's word is his bond." After this rigorous conditioning, business honesty always came easy; I never flim-flammed anyone. However, this small fragment of readily won virtue did produce some interesting liabilities. I never failed to whip up a fine contempt for those of my fellow Wall Streeters who were prone to shortchange their customers. This was arrogant enough, but the ensuing self-deception proved even worse. My prized business honesty was presently converted into a comfortable cloak under which I could hide the many serious flaws that beset other departments of my life. Being certain of this one virtue, it was easy to conclude that I had them all. For years on end, this prevented me from taking a good look at myself.
GRAPEVINE, AUGUST 1961
"We realize we know only a little.
God will constantly disclose more to you
and to us. Ask Him in your morning meditation
what you can do each day for
the man who is still sick.
The answers will come, if you own house is in order.
"But obviously you cannot transmit something you haven't got.
See to it that your relationship with Him is right, and great events will
come to pass for you and countless others.
This is the great fact for us."
- Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 164
*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~*~*~*~*
"Actually we were fooling ourselves, for deep down in every man,
woman, and child, is the fundamental idea of God. It may be obscured
by calamity, by pomp, by worship of other things, but in some form or
other it is there. For faith in a Power greater than ourselves, and
miraculous demonstrations of that power in human lives, are facts as
old as man himself."
Alcoholics Anonymous, 3rd Edition, We Agnostics, pg. 55
"We have three little mottoes which are apropos.
Here they are:
First Things First
Live and Let Live
Easy Does It."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, The Family Afterward, pg. 135~
*~*~*~*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*~*~*~*
A.A. Thought for the Day
A.A. is like a dike, holding back the ocean of liquor. If
we take one glass of liquor, it is like making a small hole
in the dike and once such a hole has been made, the whole
ocean of alcohol may rush in upon us. By practicing the A.A.
principles we keep the dike strong and in repair. We spot
any weakness or crack in that dike and make the necessary
repairs before any damage is done. Outside the dike is
the whole ocean of alcohol, waiting to engulf us again in
despair. Am I keeping the dike strong?
Meditation for the Day
Keep as close as you can to the Higher Power. Try to think,
act, live as though you were always in God's presence. Keeping
close to a Power greater than your-self is the solution to
most of the earth's problems. Try to practice the presence of
God in the things you think and do. That is the secret of
personal power. It is the thing that influences the lives of
others for good. Abide in the Lord and rejoice in His love.
Keep close to the Divine Spirit in the universe. Keep God
close behind your thoughts.
Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may keep close to the Mind of God. I pray that
I may live with Him in my heart and mind.
Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012
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