The Language of Letting Go: June 19th

Making Life Easier

Life doesn't have to be hard.

Yes, there are times we need to endure, struggle through, and rely on our survival skills. But we don't have to make life, growth, recovery, change, or our day-to-day affairs that hard all the time.

Having life be that hard is a remnant of our martyrdom, a leftover from old ways of thinking, feeling, and believing. We are worthy, even when life isn't that hard. Our value and worth are not determined by how hard we struggle.

If we're making it that hard, we may be making it harder than it needs to be, said one woman. Learn to let things happen easily and naturally. Learn to let events, and our participation in them, fall into place. It can be easy now. Easier than it has been. We can go with the flow, take the world off our shoulders, and let our Higher Power ease us into where we need to be.

Today, I will stop struggling so hard. I will let go of my belief that life and recovery have to be hard. I will replace it with a belief that I can walk this journey in ease and peace. And sometimes, it can actually be fun.

From The Language of Letting Go by Melody Beattie ©1990, Hazelden Foundation.

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If I insist that recovery is 'too difficult', then I am setting myself up to fail. If I tell myself I 'can't do it', then I will put an obstacle in my path, preventing me from doing it! Our thoughts become our reality.  If life is so darn 'hard', then I feel justified and entitled to practice addictive behaviors.

We tend to create drama for ourselves, especially when there IS none.  We have trouble just 'being'.......we want to be doing, running, escaping, causing chaos and looking for some excitement to drum up.  The more bedlam we cause, the better reasons we have to overeat. Boredom is insufferable for a compulsive overeater..........we simply can't stand the 'down time' and MUST create entertainment for ourselves. In the past, overeating was the entertainment.  Shopping, cooking, having a binge.......running out to the store to stock up on junk food and then figuring out how to hide it so nobody could witness our gluttony. 

When we engage in the dance of addiction, we lose a bit more of our soul every time. We forget, or purposely ignore, who we ARE on the inside, while we pursue our drug of choice.

For today, I realize I have nothing to endure or struggle through.  I don't have to utilize my survival skills just to get through the day........as I did when I was a child.  Life is not that hard and for today, I choose to make it as simple and carefree as possible.

Positive effect

Though life on this day is already good, you can improve it. Though there is immense value in this world at this time, you can make more.

The way to most fully enjoy life's beauty is to add to it. The way to intensely experience life's richness is to make it even richer.

Your strengths and skills grow stronger the more you use them. Your knowledge is transformed into wisdom by putting it to meaningful, beneficial use.

Do something good for life today, and the next day, and the next. Get in the habit of looking for ways to make a difference and of following through on those opportunities.

You are an essential part of all of life. Discover and delight in how very much you matter by using your time and energy to make life better.

Have a positive effect on life. And enjoy the beautiful positive effect it has on you.

Ralph Marston - The Daily Motivator