and you become too blessed to be stressed!
Change your thinking, change your life! This is so simple but mostly not easy at all. Check it out, though. If you have something to be thankful for, by definition, you should be happy!
Let’s add just a little onto this, now. If you have several things to be grateful for you should be even happier, right? Now, if you add many things and are grateful for them, what would be your limit for being happy, joyous, and free?
None! No limit! Now you would be too blessed to be stressed. Does this mean that you would be happy about something painful happening to you or another? No! But you would be grateful if you could handle the situation in a proper manner.
I can’t tell you or anyone how to work your program. All that I can do is tell you how I work mine. And then it is up to you to take what you want from that and get rid of the rest. Just like a cafeteria.
I am truly Happy, Joyous, and Free, and hope and pray that you all will also be if you are not right now. I have not always been so. When I was drinking and somewhat after coming into the program, I was a very large, very angry, very violent, well-armed, and trained man.
I had no hope that things would ever be different. Why? Because that was all that I knew at the time. I didn’t agree with you so I answered it with anger. I didn’t trust you so I answered it with anger.
I didn’t like you so I answered it with anger. I didn’t know if I agreed with you or not so I responded with anger. On and on and on, like on a wheel in a squirrel cage.
I didn’t like me so I hated you. I hated you so I hurt you. I hurt you so I felt guilty. I felt guilty and got remorse. I felt remorse and continued drinking and hurting you again and on and on and on.
This made me one who was always afraid of what was going to happen next. And, I saw no way out. I didn’t have a clue that it was being fed by my alcoholism. In fact, I didn’t know that I was an alcoholic until I came into AA.
When I first came into the program it was for all the wrong reasons. Where I was introduced to the AA program, How it Works was read before almost every meeting.
And I quickly really caught on to the 2nd paragraph where it said “If you want what we have and are willing to go to any lengths to get it then COD.” (Come On Down)
I had heard about this being a spiritual program and, not being religious, and was ready to listen to more. I saw what I wanted in your faces and actions at meetings and wanted it so bad I could taste it.
I truly was willing to go to any lengths to get the peace and serenity that I saw in you folks. I was advised to “Fake it ‘till I made it” so I acted “as if” and saw immediate relief, even if it was only a little at first.
WHAT HAPPENED NEXT AND HOW
I kept on “faking it” and things just continued to get better. I dug deep into Spirituality because my sponsors had told and showed me that the entire AA program’s base was Spirituality.
I soon got a copy of the 24 Hour book. I got all of the information that I could get from Emmet Fox, who I had been told had been the Spiritual Advisor for Bill W. and many of the earliest members of the program.
I read his Sermon on the Mount cover to cover quickly and often initially because I had been told that it was used by many of the original members of AA as the first Big Book.
Guess What? I was losing my anger and frustration and actually working on being a better person to everyone. The rewards were almost immediate. I was becoming happy, joyous, and free. I was staying happy, joyous, and free as long as I worked on my program.
I became so grateful for the changes that were taking place in me and I actually felt too blessed to be stressed. The beauty of this is that I have felt the same since then and continue to do so.
The bottom line is, when I work in my program, I truly know serenity and peace. Before the program came into my life, I was morally, spiritually, and physically bankrupt, Now I am a spiritually wealthy man.
The beautiful thing is that you, no matter what your present circumstances, can be spiritually wealthy too. How? Work your program to the best of your ability. That’s it!
Just Do It and come back and tell me all about it! If you don’t feel much better, we will work on it. When you do feel much better, don’t just tell me, tell and show everyone!
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