Relevant Big Book quotes are:
"Your job now is to be at the place where you may be of MAXIMUM helpfulness to others. p102 Big Book.
"OUR VERY LIVES, as ex-problem drinkers, depend upon our CONSTANT thought of others and how we may help meet their needs. p20 Big Book.
"If an alcoholic failed to perfect and enlarge his spiritual life through work and self-sacrifice for others, he could NOT survive the CERTAIN trials and low spots ahead. p14 Big Book.
"How can I BEST SERVE Thee-Thy will (not mine) be done.” These are thoughts which must go with us CONSTANTLY." p85 Big Book.
"Then we resolutely TURN OUR THOUGHTS TO SOMEONE WE CAN HELP." p84 Big Book.
" Keep on the firing line of life with these MOTIVES and God WILL, (not might) keep you unharmed". p102 Big Book.
If you PRACTICE 'constant thought of others' plus, MOTIVE of maximum helpfulness, in your BRAIN. (Which is actually not NEARLY as difficult as it sounds), it FEELS like MAGIC FAIRY DUST is EVERYWHERE. Wel I find that to be the case anyway, and so do other people when they do the same thing. So there you go.
How cool is that!!!!
Whatever Its quite difficult to explain how to actually PRACTCE 'constant thought of others' combined with 'maximum helpfulness' MOTIVE, so I'm not going to do that just here. Suffice to say I will provide you with a recent case history that shows how POWERFUL this PRACTICE is.
I've seen it work its MAGIC, MANY times over the years, but this one is recent and fresh in my mind so I will share a bit of it.
Basically, I !! Bullied a AA lady I met recently into re evaluating the way she was doing the programme lately, and she is STUNNED by how DIFFERENT she feels in such a short time. The effect is INSTANT really, if I'm honest. But she said the same herself, AT THE TIME I EXPLAINED THIS TO HER FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME.
Weirdly enough, just HAVING THE INFORMATION as to how to practice 'constant thought of others' is ENOUGH to IMMEDIATELY ALTER YOUR MIND STATE. Cool!
That's why 'The Six Things' are SO powerful. And the cool thing is, you can do it from the VERY BEGINNING of your sobriety!! Right from the week of meetings. That's what's so great about 'The Six Things'. ANYONE can do them.
I was saying to her. "Can you see?, that when you do this stuff, it feels like 'Magic Fairy Dust' all the time or something? And she said ..'yeah..."
I said, "Well it STAYS like that, if you keep your thoughts kind of 'pointing in that direction', (The direction being, 'What can I do for others', 'What's the MOST I can contribute here?' etc etc)
Cool!! I am GLAD I 'confronted' her on her old approach. I ! Didn't like it much at the time!! But it was worth it. But then 'going to any lengths' "to give it away to keep it' ALWAYS is. Provided you MOTIVE is good that is..
Yeah I know I sound like a bit of a freak here, but you just have to bear with me on this one. I've seen it happen so many times now, that I kind of take it for granted.
Yes I PROMISE I will TRY to do a post explaining EXACTLY how I tell people to 'do' constant thought of others', but that will be a bit of work. So later! Trust me, Its quite a bit of work to explain it! Normally I do it verbally.
NONE of us will be able to say, 'oh yeah, you know I just don't have negative thoughts or behaviors', but what we CAN do is become REALLY good at getting on top of hem when they show up, and creating a mind state which is pretty DAMM !! Impenetrable to negative s**t. Good karma, or what I like to call 'constant thought of others' creates a FORTRESS of good energy around you, which protects you and insulates you from the 'slings and arrows of outrageous fortune' LIKE YOU WOULD NOT BELIEVE.
I love it. You can get sort of 'high' on it actually. Whatever. That's another post really.
About Me
- An Irish Friend of Bill
- I have recovered from the disease of Alcoholism. I believe there is only one person really,.. everybody. And that peace of mind is everything. -So treat your neighbor as you would treat yourself, because your neighbor IS yourself. I think most of recovery is what I would call common sense, but that learning to be ordinary is a true gift very few people acquire. My ambition is to accept everything unflinchingly, with compassion, and therefore be intrinsically comfortable in my own skin, no matter what. I am comfortable being uncomfortable and am willing to go to any lengths to improve my life. I believe the Big Book was divinely inspired, and is extraordinarily powerful. Unfortunately AA's best kept secret a lot of the time. (In my opinion). I just try to do what works, no matter what it is.
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5 comments:
yeh I agree, Practicing/trying to be of maximum helpfulness, Constant though of others really puts a "positive spin" on everything. Its not false or a veneer, or a disregard to anything uncomfortable, it IS like someone sprinkled magic fairy dust over me, other people seem bogged down with the so much stuff, i just deal with it NOWADAYS. Those suggestions are a way in, penetrating the thick skin, years of self will, fear etc has build up. They are the way into the heart "Living the Spiritual life" Like anything though, just doing it for one or two days, may get a good result, to get the Best it requires discipline, there are no days off. The Fairies Rock dude!! Good work.
a question... surely you cannot do that too much, cause then you neglect yourself and never do anything for yourself? or where do you find that balance. am i missing something???
Hi there Ms Shad. Yeah EVERYONE thinks that, but there IS a way to do it WITHOUT altering your lifestyle very much at all. That's what's SO cool about it. What its describing is essentially an ATTITIUDE more than a specific series of actions. Same life, (so to speak) different MOTIVE.
In order to make sense of it, you have to apply some other AA principles in conjunction with it, like 'happy joyous and free', primary purpose, easy does it. There's actually quite a lot to explaining it. But yes. You are right. it does NOT involve, becoming a MARTYR. Because AA tells us VERY specifically that martyrs are INCREDIBLY UNspiritual. You would SERIOUSLY endanger your 'fit spiritual condition' if you were to decide to play the martyr. So no. The AA 'Rules' are that GOD WANTS YOU TO BE HAPPY JOYOUS AND FREE, and WE ABSOLUTELY INSIST ON ENJOYING LIFE. No exceptions. So, as long as you are HJ&Free, you can help as many people as you like! As SOON as your attempts to help others STOP feeling HJ&Free, then you KNOW you must be off track in some way. Either you are doing it WRONG, or you are doing it TOO MUCH.
As you can see there's a lot to it. Basically the only way it works is if you DO NOT IGNORE previously mentioned AA instructions (such as HJ&F, EASY DOES IT, Insist on enjoying life etc) when you practice 'constant thought of others'. People run into problems with it because they assume all the things AA told them previously no longer apply, or something. Well they don't! That's the secret! Its a very cool thing actually. I'm in the process if TRYING!! to explain it in a post...
NOT easy!. Right I'm off. see y'all later..
hey and thanks...
hooray - like minded people. i was given 'six things' by my sponsor on day one (only he told me it was one suggestion; to do them ALL on a daily basis). He told me that i would be starting to get principles contained in the Big Book into my life by taking immidiate actions. On a personal level, the obsession was removed as soon as i started taking these actions - and combined with working the steps to the best of my ability i have not had to take a drink for over ten years. Selfish and self-centred is the route of my problem; constant thought of others is MAGIC FAIRY DUST (God's Grace). thank you for your post
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