Recovery Connections Network

Wednesday, February 21, 2018

“Times of transition are strenuous, but I love them. They are an opportunity to purge, rethink priorities, and be intentional about new habits. We can make our new normal any way we want.” ~~Kristin Armstrong

“The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.” ~~Stephen Covey

“Nobody’s life is ever all balanced. It’s a conscious decision to choose your priorities every day.” ~~Elisabeth Hasselbeck

Statement #8

“The fundamental object of life is emotional and spiritual growth.”

I Daily I put my life into a proper order, knowing which are the priorities.

In our WFS February “Reflections for Growth” Booklet, Jean Kirkpatrick, Ph.D. writes “It was a severe adjustment for me—the change from a life of drinking to one of sobriety. It meant an adjustment to a different pace of life; it meant changing the people in my life from heavy-drinkers to social or non-drinkers; it meant adjustment to my new self, one who had to adjust to handling tension, insecurity and sometimes fear. Adjustments—a lifetime of challenge to us all. Today I will adjust to the adjustments.” From these insightful words, Jean understood the need to create a different set of priorities in her life.

In early sobriety, remaining sober took the highest priority, but everything felt so off and it was a struggle to think of anything else other than drinking. Trying to untangle my thoughts and readjust to a new sober life, I often asked myself, “Will this take me closer to or further away from sobriety?” As the months went on, I thought less and less of alcohol and more about who I was and where I was going. Growth, whether emotional or spiritual, began to ebb and flow much like in waves. In retrospect, this was the beginning of actively practicing Statement #8.

The WFS Statements in action enable the identification of priorities, and Jean became very adept in prioritizing not only her days, but her life. Setting targets over a year out or even 5 or 10 years away, Jean orchestrated her life beginning with her priorities. A clear path began to emerge, and through her efforts, Women for Sobriety went from a simple thought, to our well-loved recovery program!

What are the top ten priorities in your life right now?

Hugzzz

Karen

Hi 4C Women,

What's so refreshing about the WFS program is the freedom to choose our individual spiritual path. While WFS is not a faith-based program, my personal spiritual journey has been one of renewed faith. I appreciate the freedom within the program to walk the path that supports my sobriety. Each of us can choose our own individual path without judgment just as we grow at our own pace in our emotional healing. The past 6 weeks our pastor's message has been "Letting Go." I felt as though I was in a WFS meeting when he talked about letting go of the past, to forgive ourselves, to let go of toxic people, to honor ourselves and set boundaries.

Today the message was about Lent and adding positive growth to our lives that will enhance it, nurture it and help us become more loving, compassionate people. He said that Lent is not about punishing ourselves for being human. I was so glad to hear that because that inner critic, who likes to visit me every once in a while, was starting to whisper his negative words in my ear about what I need to do to be more acceptable. When the pastor said we reach a point in our lives when we say to ourselves, Time's Up, I thought of the decision I made to quit drinking. Time was up of trying to please everyone, saying yes when I wanted to say no, not loving myself, not setting healthy boundaries. I needed to have authentic meaning in my life, hope and a purpose that would make my life count to me. I wanted to prove myself worthy to others because I didn't believe it myself. Time was up for that kind of thinking. And this message came just in time to swipe that inner critic off my shoulder.

Here's the question posed to us - What do you give pieces of your heart to?

Do you give pieces because it's expected, to persuade others that you are worthy to bolster your self-esteem, to feel important or impress others, a distraction to escape from working on your emotional well-being or because you genuinely love those you are giving pieces of your heart to? That's when Karen's question comes into play. Do your top ten priorities fit within the pieces of your heart that you give away?

Bonded together,

4C WFS Member