The material presented
here is not Al-Anon Conference Approved Literature. It is a method
to exchange
information, ideas, feelings, problems and solutions on a personal
level.
I came across this article today at work. It is written for a business audience, but it struck me how much of this is right in line with all that I've learned (and keep learning) here and in my Al-anon meetings. A link to the article is at the end. Enjoy!
1. You can do anything, but you can't do everything.
Life has an infinite number of possibilities and your ability to achieve success is limited only by your imagination. However, there are always trade-offs and sometimes moving in one direction prevents you from moving in another.
2. You can't argue somebody out of a belief.
Most people think their beliefs result from objective fact. Actually, people organize and interpret facts according to their beliefs. Therefore, the more facts that you marshal for your argument, the less the other person is likely to change beliefs.
3. Pressure creates resistance.
The natural human reaction to being pushed is to push back. This is why the "hard sell" doesn't work today and, indeed, has never worked. It's also why heavy-handed management techniques always fail.
4. All you can change are your thoughts and actions.
Most of the misery and disappointment in life and in business emerges from the fruitless quest to 1) make other people change and 2) change the course of outside events. All you truly control is how you think, what you say, and what you do.
5. You never know what other people are thinking.
Everyone in the world has three faces. The first they present to the world at large, the second they share with their friends and family, and the third they keep completely to themselves.
6. You live up (or down) to your expectations.
I once met a guy who was dead broke, on drugs, overweight, often drunk and who had drifted in and out of jail and bad relationships. On his right shoulder was a tattoo he'd gotten when he was 16. It read "Born Loser."
7. The "good old days" weren't all that good.
Many people wish they'd been born in a simpler time, like the 1950s, the Victorian period, or the middle ages. What utter foolishness! By any reasonable measure, we live in the best, the healthiest, and the happiest time in all history.
8. Great product ideas are a dime a dozen.
There are millions of great ideas floating around that, if implemented, could make somebody millions of dollars. But it's never the ideas that matter. It's the ability to implement one idea and make it something real.
9. Nobody has a monopoly on truth.
Politicians, priests, prophets, and pundits all claim that they (and they alone) know the truth. While they may be sincere, they are human beings and therefore their "truth" is a product of a fallible human mind, and therefore incomplete.
10. All you need is love.
The Beatles may have been seriously pot-addled in the 1960s, but they definitely got this one right. When it comes down to it, it's your ability to feel and express love that will bring you both the greatest happiness and success.
I came across this article today at work. It is written for a business audience, but it struck me how much of this is right in line with all that I've learned (and keep learning) here and in my Al-anon meetings. A link to the article is at the end. Enjoy!
1. You can do anything, but you can't do everything.
Life has an infinite number of possibilities and your ability to achieve success is limited only by your imagination. However, there are always trade-offs and sometimes moving in one direction prevents you from moving in another.
....................I am limited but that does not mean I am helpless..just have to pick my battles
2. You can't argue somebody out of a belief.
Most people think their beliefs result from objective fact. Actually, people organize and interpret facts according to their beliefs. Therefore, the more facts that you marshal for your argument, the less the other person is likely to change beliefs.
...............true.....I know if I truly believe something, noone is going to "convert" me
3. Pressure creates resistance.
The natural human reaction to being pushed is to push back. This is why the "hard sell" doesn't work today and, indeed, has never worked. It's also why heavy-handed management techniques always fail.
...............or like me dig my heals in and dont' budge, lol....now I give my ESH and let go
4. All you can change are your thoughts and actions.
Most of the misery and disappointment in life and in business emerges from the fruitless quest to 1) make other people change and 2) change the course of outside events. All you truly control is how you think, what you say, and what you do.
..............so true...the only things I can change are within my own skin......
5. You never know what other people are thinking.
Everyone in the world has three faces. The first they present to the world at large, the second they share with their friends and family, and the third they keep completely to themselves.
................absolutely, even with step 4 working w/sponsor, whom (rest her soul) I shared
most everything, there are still things i will take to my grave in pvt...only me and
my maker need to know..as long as i am honest w/me I figure I am ok
6. You live up (or down) to your expectations.
I once met a guy who was dead broke, on drugs, overweight, often drunk and who had drifted in and out of jail and bad relationships. On his right shoulder was a tattoo he'd gotten when he was 16. It read "Born Loser."
i was programmed by my parents that I was a born failure and I bought
it..i lived down to it as well....recovery showed me I am a born survivor and
really, I beat them and the other ones who put me down by being here and
learning to take care of me
7. The "good old days" weren't all that good.
Many people wish they'd been born in a simpler time, like the 1950s, the Victorian period, or the middle ages. What utter foolishness! By any reasonable measure, we live in the best, the healthiest, and the happiest time in all history.
...........i am in recovery b/c of my good ole days....I dont' agree that we are in the best
healthiest time, I think evil is worse..economy is never gonna improve b/c we are
an occupied country by big business...big money....BUT..I can still make a life for
me by making better choices, etc and taking care of me and using my program skills
8. Great product ideas are a dime a dozen.
There are millions of great ideas floating around that, if implemented, could make somebody millions of dollars. But it's never the ideas that matter. It's the ability to implement one idea and make it something real.
..............Yep...i agree
9. Nobody has a monopoly on truth.
Politicians, priests, prophets, and pundits all claim that they (and they alone) know the truth. While they may be sincere, they are human beings and therefore their "truth" is a product of a fallible human mind, and therefore incomplete.
...........AND their truth can be subjective or money oriented...everyone has equal access to ...........the truth...the truth is within
10. All you need is love.
The Beatles may have been seriously pot-addled in the 1960s, but they definitely got this one right. When it comes down to it, it's your ability to feel and express love that will bring you both the greatest happiness and success.
...............and LOVE begins within...if I don't love me, how can I love another???
THANK you for this great post.......Like a mini step four of sorts.....
