7th Step Prayer (Big Book P.76) My Creator, I am now willing that you should have all of me, good and bad. I pray that you now remove from me every single defect of character which stands in the way of my usefulness to you and my fellows. Grant me strength, as I go outContinue reading “Mashup 7th Step Prayer & Offer God Your Imperfections August 23rd Reflection By Henri Nouven”
Category Archives: Perfectionism
Gratitude – The Spirituality Of Imperfection By Ernest Kurtz (Excerpted from Chapter 12)
Gratitude can best be defined and understood as the only possible response to a gift, to something recognized as utterly, freely given. Gratitude is the vision—the way of seeing—that recognizes “gift.” Our culture seems on the verge of losing the meaning of the experience of gratitude, in part because we have lost all sense ofContinue reading “Gratitude – The Spirituality Of Imperfection By Ernest Kurtz (Excerpted from Chapter 12)”
What Anxiety And Rigorous Honesty Have To Teach Us? 12 Essential Insights For Emotional Sobriety By Dr. Allen Berger
There are many powerful forces at work in our lives in relation to our personal development, but some of the most significant ones are the desires to be loved, to be accepted, and to feel that we belong. Take a moment to think about the importance of those desires in your current life. Can youContinue reading “What Anxiety And Rigorous Honesty Have To Teach Us? 12 Essential Insights For Emotional Sobriety By Dr. Allen Berger”
Fear Of Success – Touchstone Reflection June 28th
We fear our highest possibility (as well as our lowest one). We are generally afraid to become that which we can glimpse in our most perfect moments.—Abraham Maslow In our daily lives, we may dream of success and achievement. We strive and compete in the workplace. We go to meetings and do our part onContinue reading “Fear Of Success – Touchstone Reflection June 28th”
Late-blooming Character Defects – Grapevine Article October 1984 By E.F.
What counts is what we learn after we know it all I NO LONGER believe in coincidences! Last fall, when I had been sober almost twelve years, an AA friend dropped by just at a time when I needed help and didn’t know exactly what was going on inside of me. I had received twoContinue reading “Late-blooming Character Defects – Grapevine Article October 1984 By E.F.”
Origins of ‘Progress Not Perfection’ & The Dangers of Absolutes & Perfectionism – Not God: A History of AA By Ernest Kurtz
In his outstanding book chronicling the history of AA entitled ‘Not God’, the author Ernst Kurtz emphasizes key differences between the philosophy of the Oxford Group and the reality of what has taken place in AA. The Oxford Group promoted the Four Absolutes – Honesty, Purity, Unselfishness, and Love. Our co-founder Bill W. was veryContinue reading “Origins of ‘Progress Not Perfection’ & The Dangers of Absolutes & Perfectionism – Not God: A History of AA By Ernest Kurtz”
Earthly Spirituality, Realism & Paradox – The Spirituality of Imperfection By Ernst Kurtz
This post is extracted from Chapter 1 ‘The Fragrance Of A Rose’ of the book ‘The Spirituality Of Imperfection’ “Those who know do not say; those who say do not know.” When the Master entered, they asked him what the words meant. Said the Master, “Which of you knows the fragrance of a rose?” AllContinue reading “Earthly Spirituality, Realism & Paradox – The Spirituality of Imperfection By Ernst Kurtz”
The Masks Have To Go – Just For Today July 24th
“…we covered low self-esteem by hiding behind phony images that we hoped would fool people. The masks have to go.” Basic Text, p. 33 ❖ Over-sensitivity, insecurity, and lack of identity are often associated with active addiction. Many of us carry these with us into recovery; our fears of inadequacy, rejection, and lack of directionContinue reading “The Masks Have To Go – Just For Today July 24th”
This Matter Of Honesty – As Bill Sees It #172
Only God can fully know what absolute honesty is. Therefore, each of us has to conceive what this great ideal may be—to the best of our ability. Fallible as we all are, and will be in this life, it would be presumption to suppose that we could ever really achieve absolute honesty. The best weContinue reading “This Matter Of Honesty – As Bill Sees It #172”
Persist Or Let Go – Touchstone Reflection July 3rd
Vitality shows not only in the ability to persist but in the ability to start over.—F. Scott Fitzgerald Many situations require fierce persistence, but in others we need to start over. Early in recovery, most of us haven’t had a good way of knowing the difference. Perhaps with every challenge we tried harder and heldContinue reading “Persist Or Let Go – Touchstone Reflection July 3rd”