Someone once said that the mind’s direction is more important than its progress. If my direction is correct, then progress is sure to follow. We first come to Gamblers Anonymous to receive something for ourselves, but soon learn that we receive most bountifully when we give to others. If the direction of my mind is …
All too often I unwittingly set standards for others in the Gamblers Anonymous Program. Worse yet, I expect those standards to be met. I go so far, on occasion, to decide what progress other people should make in their recoveries, and how their attitudes and actions should change. Not surprisingly, when things don’t work out the way I expect, …
Fundamental progress has to do with the reinterpretation of basic ideas, wrote Alfred North Whitehead. When we review the ups and downs of our recovery in Gamblers Anonymous, we can see the truth of that statement. We make progress each time we get rid of an old idea, each time we uncover a character defect, each …
My progress in recovery depends in large measure on my attitude, and my attitude is up to me. It’s the way I decide to look at things. Nobody can force an attitude on me. For me, a good attitude is a point of view unclouded by self-pity and resentments. There will be stumbling blocks in …
Many people we meet in Gamblers Anonymous radiate a kind of special glow—a joy in living that shows in their faces and bearing. They’ve put aside their obsession with gambling and have progressed to the point where they’re high on life itself. Their confidence and enthusiasm are contagious—especially to those who are new in GA. The astonishing …
When I say the Serenity Prayer, sometimes over and over, I occasionally lose sight of the prayer’s meaning even as I repeat its words. So I try to think of the meaning of each phrase as I say it, whether aloud or silently. As I concentrate on the meaning, my understanding grows, along with my …
When we allow our Higher Power to take charge, without reservations on our part, we stop being anxious. When we’re not anxious about some person or situation, that doesn’t mean we’re disinterested or have stopped caring. Just the opposite is true. We can be interested and caring without being anxious or fearful. The poised, calm, and faith-filled …
I remember once hearing someone in the Gamblers Anonymous Program say, Life is a series of agreeings or disagreeings with the universe. There is much truth in that statement, for I’m only a small cog in the machinery of the universe. When I try to run things my way, I’ll experience only frustration and a sense of …
Determination—our clenched-jaw resolve that we can do something about everything—is perhaps the greatest hindrance to achieving serenity. Our old tapes tell us, The difficult can be done immediately; the impossible will take a little longer. So we tighten up and prepare ourselves for battle, even though we know from long experience that our own will dooms us …
When I first read the Serenity Prayer, the word serenity itself seemed like an impossibility. At the time, the word conjured up images of lethargy, apathy, resignation, or grim-faced endurance; it hardly seemed a desirable goal. But I’ve since found that serenity means none of those things. Serenity for me today is simply a clear-eyed and realistic …