The Promises Only Happen to the Degree You Stop Looking Back – Brad C.

Victor, not a victim. During the many years that I have been a musician, I have spent countless thousands of hours practicing. From the time that I first started to play at the age of five years old, it was impressed upon me the importance of practice, that the performance would be the result of those hours of practice or rehearsals. The same precept holds true in our everyday life. every minute of our waking hours our brains are running a tape of our thoughts this constant stream of mental conversation with oneself is a rehearsal of what we are thinking about ourselves the mental self image we have and it becomes the basis for the image we carry of ourselves the waking hours that the tape is running become actually hours of practice or rehearsal for the person we are envisioning in our minds. A continuous barrage of negative thoughts in our minds will surely result in actual negative qualities being exhibited, and negative results in our daily activities. Although having achieved a period of time without drinking, a life of sobriety is not a happy, secure, peaceful life if our minds are constantly rehearsing the negative thoughts about our drinking experience. In our conversation with others, as well as our reactions to daily events, a continual outpouring of negative statements and detailed descriptions of our sordid past result only in preventing us from enjoying the peace and happiness we should be experiencing in our sobriety. In other words, don't be looking back all the time. oh that does not mean that you should forget you're an alcoholic that should never be forgotten what is meant is that we should stop letting the past be a burden to us stop carrying that weight around with you God has great plans for your life when? it will begin when you stop looking back nothing will keep you from the good things you'll experience sober as much as living in the past compare the size of the rear view mirror in your car with the size of the windshield you only need that small mirror to give you an occasional glance of what's behind you but you need that big windshield to see all the wonderful sights that are there before you no doubt you have read the promises in AA if you haven't, you should but keep in mind that the promises will happen in your life only to the degree that you stop living in the past and move forward into an entirely new life. When I first came into AA back in 1958, they told me I must change my friends, the places that I hung out, my attitude, in fact, my life. So I did as I was told. Turning everything over to God and trusting implicitly in AA and my sponsor, I embarked on a totally new life free from the terrible burden of alcohol this new life resulted in a new career soon a new wife and then a new son everything became brand new and entirely different from anything I had ever dreamed I found that this new freedom did not mean that I had to slink around fearing that if I got within 10 feet of any alcohol it would strike me No, I had a higher power now controlling my life. A God who was far more powerful than alcohol. So alcohol no longer had any control over me. And I could be near it with complete impunity. Not only had I stopped drinking, but I was set free. If you've taken the step to stop drinking alcohol, what are you doing with your freedom? Are you happy with your life as it is now? If not, it may be because you don't have the right attitude and your thoughts are not going in the right direction. Many people after succeeding in stopping drinking continue to be unhappy in life in spite of being sober. Many wallow in self-condemnation with a sense of unworthiness and low esteem. Lighten up. You don't deserve God's blessings if you are still leading an unhappy life with that stinking thinking, keeping you from enjoying life as it is meant to be. God always wants to give you a new beginning. When one door closes, God will always open another. True, you can't change your past, but you can move forward into a new concept of yourself as the wonderful creation that God intended you to be Through prayer, you should be continually moving forward. Good enough is never good enough. Don't be conned into believing any of those lies that there is something flawed in your character or that God doesn't love you. The only thing wrong with you now that you have embarked on the program of AA is a poor self-image. You can change that. Do it right now. See yourself as a favored child of God, His heir, able to enjoy all the wonderful blessings he has for you. Then move forward with a calm sense of serenity and purpose, knowing that as long as you have God on your side, you will have everything you need. Scripture tells us, call the things that are not as if they already were. Reject the saying, seeing is believing, and believe what God says. Believe it, and then you will see it. Speak affirmatively all the time, and you will soon find that your life just keeps getting better and better every day. Give your dreams a new beginning and discover your destiny. Be positive toward yourself, breaking free from your past and stretching to the next level. You must learn to like yourself, have confidence in yourself, and make a habit of feeling happy. Soon you will find that you develop better relationships and bring out the best in the people with whom you associate. Keep progressing forward. Remember, as Bill W. says on page 25 of the book, as Bill sees it, change we must, we cannot be still, and we have to grow or else deteriorate. And another quote by Bill W., in the book 12 by 12 and 12 Bill says when we are willing to play spiritual growth first then and only then do we have a real chance so don't be a victim be a victor