For Today: January 5th

He does not believe that does not live by his belief.

Thomas Fuller

Do the principles I believe in have any relation to my daily life?  I may think the twelve-step program is great, but how can I say it works if I merely admire it rather than live by it? When I arrived in OA, what I heard rang true because it came out of experience, not theory.

Anyone can “learn” the program, but to achieve the recovery it promises takes more than intellectual understanding; it takes a sustained effort in every area of my life.  Only then---when I am practicing what I say I believe in---can I give it away to another compulsive overeater.

For Today:  I discipline myself by not “talking program” unless I am trying to work it.  If I believe that ours is a program of recovery, I will live by that belief.

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“Walking the Walk” vs. “Talking the Talk” If I don't work this program to the best of my ability, then I am practicing it in theory instead of in reality.  

Profound changes comes about only when I am willing to go to any lengths to stay abstinent.  That means working the steps, reading the literature, writing, involving myself with my fellow sufferers, and giving service.

If I want recovery and all the joys that go along with it, I will live by that belief in my everyday life.  I can't give away what I don't possess myself. Following the tenets of OA for the past 43 months has not only enabled me to give up my excess body weight, it's enabled me to give up the excess baggage I've carried around in my heart and mind.

For today, I will work this marvelous program to the best of my ability. I will not talk the talk without walking the walk.