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NA Message Board -> Narcotics Anonymous Message Board -> There are no shortcuts
Post Info TOPIC: There are no shortcuts
Dave m


Veteran Member

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There are no shortcuts
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"There are no shortcuts to any place worth going" Beverly Sills.

I came across this saying yesterday and thought meditated and prayed on it in how it meant in my life. Wow If I could have learned this many years ago. I was always looking for the quicker easier way. I allways was blmaing others, and to a certain extent still am, for my character defects. I probably new this along time ago but in my disease I wouldn't sit still long enough to hear it.

Today I am not going to take shortcuts. I am going to live in the here and noiw. Today I will work on step 1 and not jump ahead to 13 stepping and getting away from what I need to do right now. The only thing I have is this exact moment. I do not have yesterday the last hour even the last minute to be able to control. I can not do the same for one hour from now one day or any other future event. The only thing I can control is my current actions. If I do the work and stay in the hear and now I will stay clean.

This also says to me that I need to do the work. So what do I need to do today?? It's very simple I need to admit my powerlessness and recognize how my life is umanagable. I need to call my sponsor.  I need to go to a meeting. I need to do the work and not look for shortcuts.

 Thanks for letting me share. i am an addict my name is Dave Msmile

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Just for today my thought will be on my recovery.
ItsAllGolden


Senior Member

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I heard a good one recently that I've thought about since: There is no result without first having a process. I thought a lot about it due to being told over and over that recovery is a process, not an event.

Another good one this guy said: Recovery is a journey, not a destination....but Man, sometimes it can be a real trip!

Recovering is a lifelong process, and some days, to me, that can be discouraging. Some days I don't like the fact that I can't just quit using and be normal, meaning: all of the sudden I know how to interact with people, all of the sudden I know how to pay my bills, all of the sudden I know how to do all this stuff in life that I'm just NOW learning how to do.

One day my sister-in-law and I were talking and she says to me, "I'm really proud of you." I said, "For what?" She said, "For getting clean." I replied, "I'm just doing the things I should have been doing all along; it's not this huge deal." She told me, "Well, you could still be doing drugs and getting into trouble. It is a big deal. You're doing things differently." Some days I forget that.

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"We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars." ~Oscar Wilde~
Raman


Guru

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nice sharings,,im enjoying this.
especially after bieng angry with myself for missing the Scotland Convention after preparing to go.
Sometimes lifes turns are trciky,,,,sigh !
This si when i need to remember most that its me whos responsible !
I have to face my problems and me feelings.

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Raman an addict clean and serene just for today in NA Worldwide ; live to love and love to live the NA Way !!!
BigV


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EXCELLENT Dave thanks for sharing that good to hear your determination, vigilant determination and desire yep thats a good recipe.

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It's all about spirituality...
dan h


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Thanks for sharing Dave.  I remember hearing or reading "Short cuts short circuit our recovery." I've shared privately with another member here that as we each proceed on our journey, it is OUR journey, and part of that journey is figuring out what works and doesn't work for US. Through the process of trial and error, I will eventually eliminate everything that won't work for me. If I SURVIVE all that, what I'm left with is what DOES work, which usually just happens to be what was suggested in the first place.  My sponsor once told me there are two ways I can learn something: I can listen to others and take suggestions, or I can go get my own experience. They both work equally well. One is just a lot less painful than the other. Today I try to choose the less painful way. Sometimes, however, I THINK I know something, or I think I'm different, and I get a painful lesson. Truly, I'm grateful for all the lessons I'm learning, but especially the ones I learn by experience. I never forget those. One more quote from Sponsor: "All the suggestions in NA are FREE, it's the ones I DON'T take that end up costing me."  Love You Guys and Girls, I"ll keep coming so I can keep growing.

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"With a sweet tongue of kindness, you can drag an elephant by a hair." ~Persian Proverb
kitizzy


Senior Member

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I like this thread.

It is true, if you look at today and be responsible for you actions today, then tomorrow will take care of itself.

 

The best thing about NA is there is no time frame. All change and growth is in yours and God's time.

It is just a matter of working the steps and applying the principles.

For myself my biggest downfall is self criticism. My expectations for myself are usually so high that

failure is the only option.

My daughter is 5 and has started school. She is in a spanish emersion program. This means that in her class,

70% of the content is spanish. Although she spoke no spanish when she started, she is learning the language

by leaps and bounds.

We were walking to the store and she was counting from 1 to 29 in spanish. On Monday, she could only count to 10....

She got to 19 and couldn't remember the word for 20 for a second.

She looked disappointed. So I said "That's okay, practise makes perfect."

She looked at me quite seriously and said, "No Mom, practise makes BETTER." "Perfect is for God."


Sometimes I forget that I have a 5 year old. Wisdom comes in many forms.

I wish someone had told me that when I was little, it might have saved me a lot of heartache.

But now it is a mantra in my head.

Practice makes better. Practice makes better... Practice makes better....

I have nothing left to knock myself down about if I am striving to be better, not perfect.

I am an addict named Kathleen. Thanks for letting me share.



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Yes, I bought a ticket on the crazy train.....Good thing it was a return ticket.
ashlee


Newbie

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I really liked what you had to say. I have two girls and two boys; but only one living with me. He's six. My other three I get on weekends.
When I was reading what you said, I thought about something my son asked me. I often try to complicate things, like this program. I been trying to stay clean for eight years. Here lately I've been doing the worst. (this past year) Its hard enough just to get a month under my belt. Now I'm doing my best by trying even harder by making an attempt to talk to you people when I am at home.
My son asked me why hamburgers weren't called beef burgers cause ham is part of a pig. You are right! kids can be so smart.

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dan h


Senior Member

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Thanks for sharing that, Ash. I got a chuckle remembering when I was small, I used to think the same thing. BEEF-burgers. LMAO!! Wonder where the HAM in hamburger comes from? LOL Thanks for posting.

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"With a sweet tongue of kindness, you can drag an elephant by a hair." ~Persian Proverb
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