Courage to Change:
In a meeting I heard someone say of Steps Eight and Nine, “I made the list of people I have harmed — and I put myself at the top of the list.” This had not occurred to me. Somewhere in my past I got the message that to think of myself first was wrong, that it was my duty to care for everyone else. As a consequence, I was never ready to take care of myself and so became a burden to those around me.
Have I harmed myself? Of course I have. That is ultimately what I am trying to recover from. In fact, improving myself is the only real action available to me. Now I know that to take responsibility for myself is the first thing I must do to make the world a better place.
Today’s Reminder:
Being true to myself is one of the greatest gifts I can give to those around me. Perhaps I will inspire them to do the same; perhaps not. Why should others bother to follow my example if I can’t take care of my own affairs? To give advice to others is to intrude; to give advice to myself is to grow.
“Most of the shadows of this life are caused by standing in one’s own sunshine.”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson