MajestyJo
01-19-2012, 03:15 AM
Days of Healing Days of Joy
Stronger by weakness, wiser men become.
-Edmund Waller
There is a good bit of truth in the old saying, "Tell me your strengths, and I'll tell you your weaknesses." Every plus has its flip side. Efficient people, for example may tend to be so organized that they can come up with an answer before they hear the question. In the program, these sturdy souls often set about fixing their character flaws quickly. Then, just as quickly, frustration sets in. Their quick-fix problem-solving techniques always worked before. Why should this be different?
Highly intelligent people may tend to be arrogant and impatient. All their lives they have wondered why others are so slow to catch on. But when recovery calls for wisdom instead of intelligence, they're beside themselves with irritation. They've gotten A's all their lives, so why can't they figure this one out? How can it be that smart isn't right? Most of us think of our strong points as our treasures. It may be we would learn something if we check out the other side of the coin.
In taking my inventory today, I'll check to make sure I've correctly labeled my strengths and character defects.
For many years, I stayed sick because I played the blame game. If he didn't do this, If he hadn't done that, and I can remember my mother saying to me many years ago, "This is your fault, this wouldn't have happened if you hadn't done and said...."
Over the years, trying to identify my feelings has been a really big chore. I started stuffing feelings from the time I was three years old. People would say a lot of anger there, a lot of anger, when they heard my story, yet I never felt it. When I quit smoking, a lot of anger came out but under that was a lot of abandonment, rejection and security issues that I didn't know were there.
I also discovered by taking MY inventory, that a lot of things had been projected onto me, and I had taken them on as my truth not recognizing it for what it was. Often someone else looking to do for them, what they didn't want to deal with themselves. Along with that came false guilt, shame, blame and a false sense of self. It was important to define my space by setting boundaries so I knew were I began and the other person left off.
I had to take an inventory of me to find out who I was, what I liked about myself, things I wanted to enhance and what I needed to let go of and change.
Thanks for letting me share.
Stronger by weakness, wiser men become.
-Edmund Waller
There is a good bit of truth in the old saying, "Tell me your strengths, and I'll tell you your weaknesses." Every plus has its flip side. Efficient people, for example may tend to be so organized that they can come up with an answer before they hear the question. In the program, these sturdy souls often set about fixing their character flaws quickly. Then, just as quickly, frustration sets in. Their quick-fix problem-solving techniques always worked before. Why should this be different?
Highly intelligent people may tend to be arrogant and impatient. All their lives they have wondered why others are so slow to catch on. But when recovery calls for wisdom instead of intelligence, they're beside themselves with irritation. They've gotten A's all their lives, so why can't they figure this one out? How can it be that smart isn't right? Most of us think of our strong points as our treasures. It may be we would learn something if we check out the other side of the coin.
In taking my inventory today, I'll check to make sure I've correctly labeled my strengths and character defects.
For many years, I stayed sick because I played the blame game. If he didn't do this, If he hadn't done that, and I can remember my mother saying to me many years ago, "This is your fault, this wouldn't have happened if you hadn't done and said...."
Over the years, trying to identify my feelings has been a really big chore. I started stuffing feelings from the time I was three years old. People would say a lot of anger there, a lot of anger, when they heard my story, yet I never felt it. When I quit smoking, a lot of anger came out but under that was a lot of abandonment, rejection and security issues that I didn't know were there.
I also discovered by taking MY inventory, that a lot of things had been projected onto me, and I had taken them on as my truth not recognizing it for what it was. Often someone else looking to do for them, what they didn't want to deal with themselves. Along with that came false guilt, shame, blame and a false sense of self. It was important to define my space by setting boundaries so I knew were I began and the other person left off.
I had to take an inventory of me to find out who I was, what I liked about myself, things I wanted to enhance and what I needed to let go of and change.
Thanks for letting me share.