Women for Sobriety, Inc. You Are FREE TO MOVE FORWARD ҉  “Negativity spreads faster than any Justin Bieber song.”  -Vanilla Ice “I think when I look out and I see there’s so much negativity in the world and a lot of people are anxious, it just feels like that’s one view of the world.  But you don’t have to always focus on that view of the world.”  -Chris Hardwick “If you find yourself plagued by a recurrent worry, train yourself to think of something else.  Your conscious mind can concentrate on only one thought at a time, and driving the negativity away will free you up to move forward again.”  -Harvey Mackay ************************************************************ Statement #2, “Negative thoughts destroy only myself.” My first conscious sober act must be to remove negativity from my life. ************************************************************          Recently there have been some intense happenings going on in the world that we as human beings are naturally reacting and responding to.  WFS and our Statements continue to help me understand and move through intense thoughts and emotions.  In the past, I was actually drawn to inflammatory words, actions and events, almost feeling fueled by them.  Then I drank to try to escape all of the negativity that I had just witnessed, experienced or created.  It was a painful time.      With Statement #2 in hand, I am able to first recognize negativity and then disconnect from it.  It is not easy at times, especially when news organizations repeat the same traumas and obvious speculation or when my thoughts continue to repeat a loop of drama.  Today I know I can shift my perspective and maybe gain some valuable insight.      Training myself to release negativity is a daily action.  I need practice every day, NO MATTER WHAT.  If I am tired or angry, I may cling to negativity a bit longer but I can make that shift today with greater ease.  By recognizing, realizing and then releasing, I am able to move through negativity or I can bypass it altogether.  For instance, I can turn the news off by quieting the radio, television or Internet.  I don’t have to follow the crowd into drama.  I have control of my own OFF button.  Once engaged, I move away from negativity and reclaim my balance.  My thoughts brighten as I engage in life instead of negativity and compassion swells from within.  It’s like giving myself an inner hug! Is negativity becoming easier for you to recognize and release today? Hugzzz, Karen ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Hi 4C Women,      Many of you know that I was the queen of negativity and, when I first became involved in WFS, I thought that it would be impossible to ever turn my attitude around.  Over the weekend, I sprained a tendon on my middle finger right hand and ended up in the ER.  I could have sworn it was broken as I heard a crunch/crack and the tip of my finger was bent down.  Years past, I would have been frozen in the negativity of why me?  I would have been depressed and angry all at the same time.  I just told myself that I would deal with whatever the outcome would be.  What choice did I have?  WFS taught me that and I was actually happy that it was only a sprain and not broken.  I can still type (not as fast as usual), drive and the pain isn’t that awful.  To top it off, my granddaughter and I were watching a TV show and, even though I don’t recall which show, there was a woman who was responding to a situation and my granddaughter turned to me and said, “Grandmom, that’s you - always seeing things in a positive way.”      So for those who are struggling with a negative attitude, remember it does take awareness and then practice to see a situation in a different light.  Also, it really helps in learning to make healthier choices in handling difficult challenges.  Rather than thinking why me, consider how empowered you will feel when you respond differently.  It also freaks out those people who expect the same negative response.  Now that can be fun and in the end, life changing and healing for you and your relationships.  And that’s the changing force in becoming a 4C woman!  -Dee ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Thank you, Karen and Dee, for your words of encouragement and inspiration to start off our week! ~Becky Fenner, WFS Director

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