Just For Today
November 18, 2024 |
Self-discovery |
| Page 336 |
| "The Tenth Step can help us correct our living problems and prevent their recurrence." |
| Basic Text, p. 42 |
| Our identities, how we think and feel, have been shaped by our experiences. Some of our experiences have made us better people; others have caused us shame or embarrassment; all of them have influenced who we are today. We can take advantage of the knowledge gained in examining our mistakes, using this wisdom to guide the decisions we'll make today. Acceptance of ourselves means accepting all aspects of ourselves--our assets, our defects, our successes, and our failures. Shame and guilt left unaddressed can paralyze us, preventing us from moving forward in our lives. Some of the most meaningful amends we can make for the mistakes of our past are made simply by acting differently today. We strive for improvement and measure our success by comparing who we used to be with who we are now. Being human, we will continue making mistakes; however, we need not make the same ones over and over again. By looking over our past and realizing that we have changed and grown, we'll find hope for the future. The best is yet to come. |
| Just for Today: I will do the best I can with what I have today. Each day I'll learn something new that will help me tomorrow. |
| Copyright (c) 2007-2023, NA World Services, Inc. All Rights Reserved |
Spiritual Principle a Day
Addicts tend to be creative and bright, with brains chock full of . . . endless opinions. We are passionate and often have a strong sense of justice . . . the flip side of which can be profound self-righteousness. Lots of us are charismatic individuals blessed with considerable leadership qualities . . . who can be manipulative, giving others the smack-down with our encyclopedic knowledge of the Traditions. We are curious sorts who ask a million questions . . . about issues addressed in the subcommittee chair's report that we didn't read. We can be wonderfully flexible in weighing all the options about an issue . . . and change our minds and alliances many times in a single discussion. We can be calm, deep listeners who reserve offering opinions until all the facts are in . . . and then passive-aggressively subvert the group's conscience.
All of these personalities (and many more) are charged with ensuring that NA remains steadfast in its purpose to support the newcomer by carrying a message of recovery. Conflicts arise at group business meetings, during learning days, when planning a regional convention, and in NA World Services. Putting the principle of unity before personalities can be a challenge in practice. But it's our commitment to each other and to our shared purpose--the very essence of unity--that helps us grow as individuals and strengthens the Fellowship of NA.
At the end of the day, it's our relationships with each other that get us through personal upheaval, financial peril, professional concerns--through every aspect of our lives. We strive to safeguard those relationships, especially when we can't agree on whether or not it's cool to buy cakes with the Seventh Tradition cash.