The Dalai Lama said “Happiness is not something ready-made. It comes from your own actions.” And Ernest Holmes adds “The individual who will learn how consciously to change his thinking processes can remold his destiny.”
We have discussed before about the power of thoughts. Being happy, like love and sobriety, is a conscious CHOICE that we all must make for ourselves. If I didn’t drink or drug today, I can CHOOSE anything that I wish. This new found freedom is one that I CHOOSE to take very seriously at all times. I can now CHOOSE to rid myself of misery, depression, and that “I am a loser” attitude that chased me around for years. It takes courage to CHOOSE happiness because when I do, I meet all of those old beliefs that tell me that I don’t deserve to be happy.
All of that is changing now because I CHOOSE to change it. The more action that I take in this direction, the more my mindset assures me of my worthiness. On difficult days, being happy may just be getting out of bed instead of pulling the covers over my head. Drinking that first cup of coffee. On good days, it just helps to make a good day even better by CHOOSING happiness. The power of thoughts is demonstrated to me by my changing attitudes toward everything, making none an insurmountable obstacle.
Enter CBA! I Conceive the idea that this is going to be a great day and that I am going to be happy. I then use the shortened version of the 3rd Step by saying “God, Help Me.” I then can Believe that my Higher Power will assist me to accomplish the greater day. Then, TA-DA, I Achieve a day that, although may not be laughs and giggles all day long, it becomes one that I can handle.
Do yourself a favor and just give it a try for a week and see what happens. What do you have to lose besides misery, depression, that feeling of helplessness and hopelessness? You will surprise and amaze yourself as your days become easier to deal with. They finally become days that are eagerly awaited. This is how you can become Happy, Joyous, and Free. It is by shaking off the chains of old, habitual thinking and taking on new, time proven attitudes. Please get back with me or us and tell us how it worked and we can go on from there and work on making it even better. If you tell me that something either worked or didn’t, others will learn right along with the rest of us and we can work it out.
Don’t make these your secrets, too, because remember that we are only as sick as our secrets. Don’t be afraid of living. Be happy with the fact that you can now truly live and enjoy life. If you didn’t drink or drug today, you now have choices, maybe for the first time in your life. Do you choose to be miserable or do you choose to be Happy, Joyous, and Free? The choice is yours and nobody else’s. Choose wisely!