Women for Sobriety

Monday Thoughts 2/4/2019

Monday Thoughts“Never underestimate the power of dreams and the influence of the human spirit. We are all the same in this notion: The potential for greatness lives within each of us.” ~~Wilma Rudolph

“Don’t limit yourself. Many people limit themselves to what they think they can do. You can go as far as your mind lets you. What you believe, remember, you can achieve.” ~~Mary Kay Ash

“Greatness is not measured by what a man or woman accomplishes, but the opposition he or she has overcome to reach his goals.” ~~Dorothy Height

Statement #6
Life can be ordinary or it can be great.
Greatness is mine by a conscious effort. 

Sobriety and Statement #6 provide the force for feelings of fullness. Whether reveling in the simplicity of the ordinary, or savoring determination leading into greatness, the contentment Statement #6 assists in creating can firmly cement a beautiful New Life.

“Sobriety is a rewarding experience for those who invest in the moments of each day” our Program booklet states. Some days it can feel difficult to invest in those moments, yet each of us has what we need within us to persevere, to use conscious effort to create the life we desire. An example of this happened this past week. I was getting my computer worked on, and what I was hearing felt conflicting. I kept questioning and made decisions based on my understanding. In the past, it felt impossible to investigate something or to stand up for myself which often resulted in feeling ineffective and invisible, anything but great or ordinary. But this week, I felt the greatness that Jean wrote about. Through sobriety and the WFS New Life Program, each of us are able to stand in our own strengths.

Instead of running away or relying on someone else to rescue, the practice of Statement #6 encourages daily conscious effort which can translate to greatness, even in an ordinary moment like computer repair.

Hugzzz
Karen

Hi 4C Women,

Oh, how I relate to computer problems. It took 3 weeks, many hours of frustration and a lot of support from a generous friend to get most of my email stuff worked out. There are still issues but at least I have my Bellsouth email account up and running. In this age of technology, I have to say it felt overwhelmingly wonderful to regain access to all the phenomenal 4C women who receive the Monday Thoughts. I persevered even when I didn’t understand most of what was being said and done. To me, that is the beauty of facing my fears of asking for help and doing the best I can.

As I mentioned in previous messages, I have started to organize the many years of WFS paperwork. In doing so, I have been reading messages from Nancy Cross, former moderator and board member, who inspired me and hundreds of others with her commitment to WFS. She is sorely missed but her words continue to encourage those working on their New Life in recovery. I consider Karen and Nancy powerhouses in the written word.

When I consider how I envision my life as ordinary and great, I came across an exercise presented by Nancy.

  1. What do you want to keep in your life?
  2. Let’s face it, some things are working and not everything has to be thrown out. I consider this a powerful question which requires total honesty.
  3. What do you want to change?
  4. This goes back to how you answered the first question. Knowing what you want to keep will provide knowledge for what you want to change.
  5. What do you want more of?

Now that you understand what you want to keep and what you want to change, answering this question could be used as a guide to creating plans to achieve what you want more of? Is it fun, more time spent with friends, adventures, alone time, building stronger relationships, volunteering at something that gives you purpose, reading a book that’s sitting on your night stand, go to more movies, learn a new skill, dancing – the list goes on. Now some of these suggestions could also be part of what you want to keep or change because you are doing them already or want to do. The important thing to remember is do you want more of them if that is the case? What can you add to this list of suggestions?

Bonded in making life ordinary or great and appreciating the ordinary moments,
4C WFS Member