Balance has always been my problem; I seem to have always been so 'all-or-nothing' with everything in my life... I focus on one area of my life at a time, then scurry around trying to make that one area work perfectly and be without blemish... Perfectionism??? ahhhh...
A wise person once told me, "If you practice perfectionism, you must think you can actually ATTAIN it!!!" How futile and also arrogant!!
At 16 months of continuous, after some other periods of sobriety for the past 10 years, I want to be more balanced. I will never achieve 100% balance; the days are too short and too many factors are out of my control (thank God...)
Relapse has occurred in the past when one side of the plate tipped waaaay tooo far in one direction... occupation, relationship, etc...
Keeping all this in mind as I start to look for part time occupation now. My plate was tipping with the last job; God took it away from me just in time, I believe. The big Book talks in the Family Afterward chapter, how the alcoholic often tries to feverishly gain back material things lost to drinking. But this kind of thing is empty and not condusive to enlarging on one's spiritual condition.
I get to be somewhat of a workaholic at times. Either here at home with endless repairs and such, or on the job, and I let everything else go by the wayside.
"Lord, help me keep my sobriety #1 each and every day, for without it, there IS nothing else for me!!!"
The idea of Balance in all our affairs, is very difficult, I think of it a walking on a tightrope, up about 500 ft. off the ground.
Mindfullness, to me translates into being Completely Concious of our Actions at all times.
So my friend you are not alone. I just received in the mail, a book I had sent away for, A gentle Path through the 12 Steps, each Step is a written step, and I would like to complete this workbook, before my Sobriety Birthday on the 12th of September. As my gift to myself, honoring this Program, and what I believe can pull us into the Balance you are speaking of.
In that book, I do recall, (I have had about 6 copies) it contains a good "Read" on the Goal of Recovery - is Balance. I will copy and print it into MIP, later today.
There was a silent movie (with music) that came out about 12 years ago, it was on the Indian word, that I cannot recall, that meant "World- Out of Balance" This movie showed the Contrast of of all the beauty in this County, Grand Canyon, all the natural beauty of many National Parks, and then it zoomed into our Cities, the freeways, the shopping centers, the industry with its greenhouse gases. Then went back and sped up the freeways and shopping malls to a crazy fast pace. A very Powerful movie on being out of Balance.
We can take that same formula, and zoom into our own lifes and document where, we, are completely "out of Balance" and then make efforts to restore that Balance in our lives. Since you made this a Post, a very Great Subject to me, you have inspired me to do just that, put down on paper where my life is out of Balance, 5 hours of sitting at Computer will be at the top of the list.
Someone here said, that the way to Balance that would be to make MIP, the same as a "Meeting", 1 hour a day, or even, 1 early morning "meeting", like right now, and then 1 hour "meeting" later at night. Sounds good, but have not achieved that to date.
Applying the Principles and Steps of the Program, is so great in THEORY, but the application is the Goal, not a lot of "lip service", the doing, the ACTION.
Thanks, (I think) to this very great and challenging Subject.
And my take on the word "Perfectionism" is completely different than yours. I see it as a word, that will guarantee Miserable Failure, so I try really hard to never consider that word.
A Giant hug this Morning from Baloney ------! haha
Hope you have a great, day, with your new pain free body.
O.K. let's see if I can now get off PC, in 5 minutes, Challenge No. 1.
Hi, Don't know if this will help, but I had to stop looking at the 100% mark to be there at the end of the day----(Bedtime) I did much better setting a lower % mark for myself....
It was always time to leave the rest of the dirty dishes, leave the dishsoap on the sink....hey...I'd just get it back out in the morning ! Time to tuck kids in bed....read 'em a story.... Other stuff could be left undone....too. If we look for perfect, we're never done.
