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Writer's pictureMike and Glenn

List(s)

One little unexpected can ruin a good role. For non-drinkers, occasional sippers, or full-fledged alcoholics, bumps in the road can throw us right off the path. With our heads down and focused on the good, bad can and does creep in to sabotage the plans we make—if we let it.


When we were out there wreaking havoc with ourselves and those around us, fueled by the drink and the drug, we didn’t hold much to a plan. Sure, we were the creators of the grandiose, the gimmicks, and the game-changers, but without clarity of mind, they were just poofs of insignificant. We momentarily saw, yet we could not capitalize because there was never a plan. The plan was to drink, so the ideas died.


In sobriety, we have learned that responsibility leads to opportunity. Courage, combined with integrity, produces openings beyond our imagination. Awareness with a dose of discipline delivers on dreams. And honesty fused with love grants greatness beyond measure. To maximize meaning (purpose), a willingness to serve a greater good with the right amount of humility provides the necessary pillars to prosper (emotionally, physically, and spiritually).


Adhering to the foundational principles laid out above helps to fend off distraction, scheduling conflicts, dishonesty, uncontrolled debt, motivation, fear, lack of kindness, poor health, buying into rumors, missed deadlines, irresponsibility, detail blindness, slop, laziness, blame, hate, holding onto grudges, anger or selfishness.


We have learned to work our strengths and fend off our weaknesses. We have made it habit to expect the unexpected. We list daily what we hope to accomplish in the name of our goals and also keep a list of what could go wrong. We anticipate problems as difficulties are part of every success story.


Change defines our transformation. It is not the lack of liquids and pills, but the structural alteration that we have experienced that makes the conversion the miracle that it is. It is the injection of hope, a belief that the big picture will be as it will (acceptance) and that what we are left with is to do but what is the next right thing.


In the end, we are left with the choice to consume. We are left with the option to construct or destroy. We pick positive or negative. We select from frowns and smiles.

We are given only this day, this moment. In each instant before us, there are so many unexpected factors that it is laughable that we might keep up – that all would go the way we desire is absurd.


The greatest of all our lists is the piece of paper that presents what we are grateful for. Our thankful list puts perspective on our pursuits. It turns out that we have more than we had ever imagined. Upon review, we have all we need.


Men plan – God laughs. So true, and though we live in the moment, we keep an eye on the future. We now have something that we wish to give to the next guy or gal. We now have a belief in ourselves, the better version, that has the power to improve the place in which we exist.


So, today, we make a list.



 

Thoughts and ideas for this blog post were taken and built upon from a sober.coffee bonus podcast #188 titled "Project 10 - How to roll with the punches!" The podcast dropped on 10/30/2024. Click here to hear the podcast.


Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash


BLOG DISCLAIMER:

Alcoholics Anonymous and AA are registered trademarks of Alcoholics World Service. Inc. References to AA, the 12 steps, and 12 traditions does not mean that AA has reviewed or approved the contents of this publication nor that AA agrees with the views expressed herein. This publication is intended to support personal growth and should not be considered a substitute for healthcare professionals' advice. The author’s advice and viewpoints are their own.


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