The ideas for the daily topics for our meetings many times are taken from incidents or ideas or discussions right here at our meetings. Such is today’s topic, Our Powerful Thoughts. The study of Spirituality shows us that our thoughts are the most powerful thing that we possess. Absolutely nothing is done that does not begin with thought. Nothing Includes our feelings about other people, places, and things. The Serenity Prayer reminds us to know the difference of what we can change and what we cannot. We further learn that the only thing that we can change is ourselves. We can change no one nor anything else. The verbiage is very simple but the practice is oftentimes very difficult, if not seemingly impossible.
Who has not had someone who was close that was causing problems with the sanity of the people closest? These problems came from the thoughts from their addiction or other problematic situation. I remember the AA adage that once was repeated a lot at meetings. It was “You can carry the message but not the man.” This is just another way of saying the 3rd part of the Serenity Prayer. This has us know the difference between what we can and can not change. We can not change anyone but ourselves!
When we use C.B.A., we know that we first CONCEIVE an idea. Then BELIEVE in it. And then we can ACHIEVE it. This is true when we apply it to ourselves. But we can not change or alter another. This is what The Serenity Prayer has advised us. This also applies to our emotions and feelings about others. Remember, we are not responsible for the 1st thought that pops into our minds. It is how we react that we should take seriously. It all comes down to choices. What do we CHOOSE to do with this thought or emotion? If it involves us, we can CHOOSE to either do something about it or not. If doesn’t involve us, we should CHOOSE to not try to change a thing. Accept that the right thing will happen.
No matter what the “right thing” is and how much OUR thoughts on the matter are ‘right’ and their thoughts are ‘wrong,’ it will be right. We are here to love others. We are not to judge and manage others. So simple! But we make it so difficult. It is not difficult but we CHOOSE to make it so. I decided that I wanted to be Happy, Joyous, and Free and help others to be the same. To do this, I must uncomplicate my own life by letting others do whatever they wish without my “tremendous knowledge” and insistence that I am right and they are wrong. With our mind’s thoughts, we have tremendous, total power and ability to change ourselves to be as good as we really wish. We also have tremendous, total power to change ourselves to be as overbearing, wicked, evil, obnoxious as we really want.
When we choose the latter, it seems like we see misery all around us and want to make others as miserable as we are. It all comes down to choice, doesn’t it? Do you want to be Happy, Joyous, and Free or do you want to be miserable and see how many others you can bring down with you. The choice is yours. So please choose wisely!
More can be found on our other pages. We have an AA Zoom meeting, blogs, and a podcast, in addition to our Facebook page. They are updated regularly. We hope that you will join us on these sites and comment so that we can share with each other our experiences, strengths, and hopes. The Zoom meeting is every Monday through Friday, 3:00 PM EST. Meeting ID is 6035280704, Password 399778. To locate the blogs and Facebook pages, simply search @Spiritualityandrecovery. For the podcast, search Spotify.com for Spiritualityandrecovery. On iPhone say “Hey Siri, Play the podcast Spiritualityandrecovery”
