One Day at a Time in Al-Anon:
Before AA comes into the life of an alcoholic, and before Al-Anon reveals a new way of life to us, correcting one’s faults seemed to depend entirely on will-power, directed at eliminating them.
Bad habits and compulsions cannot be conquered by determined resolutions or promising ourselves that we won’t go on doing this or that. They cannot be rooted out — for what would fill that vacuum? They must be replaced — with their opposites. The secret is to substitute the positive for the negative — the I will for the I won’t.
Today’s Reminder:
If I am morose and discontented, I will deliberately cultivate happy thoughts. If I am prone to criticize, I will seek out what is good and pleasing and fix my mind on that. I will replace my fruitless doubts and fears with faith and confidence. If I am bored, I will learn something new — even a new way to make the same old chores more enjoyable.
“I stopped trying to force myself to eliminate my faults when I found it didn’t work. Then I realized that I had to replace them with something better.”