Thought for today:
Newcomers to our program find it hard to imagine a life without feelings of deprivation, insatiable binge overspending, or exhausting overwork. But our experience proves it is not only possible, but likely that we will live a life with abundance if we follow simple Steps and Tools.
Working the program brings us a life beyond our often-limited imagining. We can build on DA‘s simple promise a life of joy.
DA Promise #3:
3. We will live within our means, yet our means will not define us.
A member shares:
“Before I came into recovery, I had crates of paper files. Old bills, receipts, junk mail – that stuff piled up for years because I was afraid to let it go. My clothes and shoes had holes. My living space was more like a storage space.
“When I started keeping my numbers and having Pressure Meetings at my house with my spouse, I realized I was a clutterer, and it was impacting my earning ability.
“They suggested I start purchasing one article of clothing a week for six weeks. It was hard to do, because I had deprived myself of these things in order to pay my creditors, but I followed their lead.
“I was also directed to start letting go of the things that did not bring me joy – like old clothes, old books, papers, or collections that I stopped being interested in. Focusing on what brought me joy inspired me to appreciate life in new ways.
“Today I find beauty in living simply. I enjoy the things I own and the place I live.”
12 benefits of decluttering:
Consider the myriad benefits we receive when we de-clutter, and when we cut wasteful habits:
1) We find freedom when we discard things we don’t want or need. Everything that remains is of greater value simply for us having noticed it.
2) Donating items of value to charity, gifting a great book to a friend, selling our large home at a reasonable price to someone who needs it so we can find something that better suits us – these things are “win-win” opportunities, bringing joy to ourselves as well as the other person.
3) In the process of letting go of excess we discover what we truly need to survive and thrive.
4) We have money saved from eliminating a mortgage, car or storage payment.
5) We have increased clarity from having fewer distracting stacks of “things”.
6) Giving up a little time to do our morning meditation, affirmation, and prayer yields knowledge of our life’s purpose, and we receive abundant healing.
7) When we “keep it simple” we receive happiness. Nobody is looking for more complexity in their life, yet we fool ourselves into believing complexity is better for us. Looking for ways to simplify our lives never leaves us disappointed. The less clutter for us the better.
8) As clutter leaves our lives, our minds, our filing systems, our living space, our possessions, and our relationships, space opens up, and we have room for amazing life-moments.
9) As we simplify our needs we become happier. We intuitively begin to focus on what is truly important: our relationships, each present moment of our lives.
10) We want to enjoy life while we are here, don’t we? Joy comes in knowing we have focused on what truly matters. Not on a stack of newspapers nobody reads.
11) When we live within our means everything we do becomes super-relevant.
12) It is easier to love when our hands are not clenched around things. “It’s just stuff”.
Ask:
Can I add to this list?
Meditation for today:
We have everything we need in order to make this world a better place. We need only follow the principle of sharing our abundance.
All of life is a process of letting go in order to become something new and more to what we need: We let go of the womb to breathe new life. We let go of unnecessary things to make room for new and finer things. We surrender our character defects in order to experience recovery in the program. We let go of our children so they can blossom into adulthood. Letting go in this sense is caring, loving and selfless.
Affirmation for today:
“As I let go of the obsessive thoughts and behaviors in my life, I become the person I really want to be. As I follow examples of great love and compassion by giving whatever I can to bring about greater good, this giving makes me a better person.”
Recommended Reading:
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing
Here is a #1 New York Times best seller that correlates with the theme of this blog. After reading Marie Kondo’s book, we naturally re-create our living and working spaces, and find joy along the way…
Books from Alcoholics Anonymous:
For basic texts on recovery from addiction, check out the free version of the Big Book Alcoholics Anonymous here. Also, read the free AA Twelve and Twelve. Hard copy or kindle versions are available by clicking on the book image below:
Here is a link to the basic text of Debtors Anonymous:
See our Fourth Step Template which helps us to take a fearless moral inventory.
Some members, with the help of their Pressure Relief Group, take a moratorium from debt payments in order to get their spending under control. See this Debt Moratorium sample letter to creditors for one example.
If you are new to this blog, check out our overview of the program of recovery from compulsive debting. If you like this post, please click one of the like/share buttons on the site. If you would like to receive daily “Thoughts for today”, enter your email and a username in the subscription form at the top of this page. Some links on this page bring you to other sites. Clicking a book title or image brings you to information about purchasing it. If you buy something it will help support this blog with a small commission – which does not add to your cost!
Copyright 2016, PlentyOfTimeMoneyAndLove.com.
You must log in to post a comment.