from Touchstones
It is senseless to speak of optimism or pessimism. The only important thing to remember is that if one works well in a potato field, the potatoes will grow. If one works well among men, they will grow. That’s reality. The rest is smoke. — Danilo Dolci
We can get so mired in our pessimism and negativity! What is the point in it? We even get committed to our pessimism, and we challenge the world—or God—to give us reason for hope. In our pessimism, we don’t notice we have chosen a negative place to stand. Recovery means loosening our grip on negativism. We are then free to do the work we need to do. We can slowly take the risk of believing that positive things will happen too.
Any man can see the results in his own life. When we work well at this program, when we are faithful to it, we do grow. We see this truth in one another’s lives. The work is not always easy. We sometimes wish to avoid it or find a reason to not even try. But there is no doubt, when we look around us, that the effort is rewarded with fulfilling lives.
God, please remove pessimism from me so I may continue my work.
From Answers in the Heart
The usual drawback of success is that it annoys one’s friends so. — P. G. Wodehouse
Some of us really do fear success, partly because of the responsibility. But often the real reason is that we still do not feel worthy.
As practising sex addicts we feared disclosure. We often shunned the spotlight and led obscure, desperate lives. We may still tend to flee success because we might be subject to scrutiny…and perhaps be unmasked. Others would see us as we really are — or as we are afraid we are. And we are so used to thinking of ourselves as failures that we don’t see how we could possibly earn or deserve success. So how can we win?
We need to remind ourselves that we don’t have to fall back into our old, self-defeating attitudes. In recovery we can’t sustain these attitudes; our new friends won’t let us. Gradually, we find we are moving away from fear of failure and fear of success. As our self-esteem grows, we become more confident in our abilities to live a productive and joyful life.
I am beginning to feel happy and successful in whatever I choose to undertake.
Daily Meditation Books
Answers in the Heart - daily meditations for people recovering from sex addiction
Touchstones - daily meditations for recovering men
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