Over a period of time recently I have been exposed to a lot of negative thinking from others. Today I got a boatload of it from someone. It made me think, how could I turn that around. I couldn’t. I could only take care of my side of the street.
I know that I was filled to the overflowing with negative thoughts, when I came to this program. In fact, they didn’t go away overnight. It took a long time to turn the negative into the positive. Always reminds me of the old Bing Crosby song. Accent the positive, eliminate the negative, and don’t mess with Mr. In Between.
What began to turn these thoughts around was first developing an attitude of gratitude for all I have been given in this program. This came when I recognized that I had found a higher power, the God of my understanding, who could do for me what I couldn’t do for myself. The beginning of knowing that I had been freed from the curse of alcohol in my life and was starting to be restored to sanity.
When I began to realize that I had all the promises of this program was another stage in the development of this attitude of being grateful. I was really happy and free. It was a new beginning for me. How could I be anything but filled with gratitude?
Another step in achieving positive thoughts in my life was the concept of living just a day at a time. It helped me from having to go into projection about the future (usually negative) and, of course, messing around with the past. I could live in the present and focus on right now. I found, if I thought about what was right in front of me, everything was all right.
None of this has been perfect, but it is an improvement from where I came from. Whenever I hear someone bathed in the negative, I think to myself that it’s just the opposite in my life today. What a relief. I owe all this to my higher power, my sponsor, the 12 Steps, the BB, all the old timers, who all helped me to turn the negative into the positive. It has helped me stay sober and happy in this way of life.
As I was riding along today, I got a barrage of negative. “Look at that sky! It’s probably going to rain. Look how heavy and threatening those clouds are!” Blah, blah, blah. I looked and thought how beautiful they were. Some change from what I was before. I appreciate this life I have today. Coming from near death from alcohol to a second chance at life. From insanity to sanity. From a drunk to sobriety. From sadness to the joy of living.