Thought for today:

Abundance comes when we take stock of our lives, make tough changes, and plot a new course.  But it takes time to clear the wreckage of our past spending habits.

To start the process of getting better, we first need to turn the corner in our own attitudes, by letting go of the expectation for “instant gratification”.  Instead, we will want the steadier approach of the program of recovery.

A member shares:

“When I came in to the program of recovery from unsecured debting, I was extremely nervous and afraid.  I’m grateful that they simply recommended that I it ‘One Day At a Time’, one Step at a time, and one Tool at a time.  I couldn’t have done more than that at first.

“I admitted I was powerless over debt and started keeping my numbers.  I went to more meetings, where I learned life is more than debting.  I started to have hope again.

“As time went on, I found myself a vision for future.  It was my vision, not someone else’s, and not the one I thought people wanted me to have.  And the more I practiced the principles in the Twelve Steps, the more I experienced abundance.”

Accepting where we are at:

Sudden change can be deadly.  Think of how a quick lightning strike suddenly scorches the earth, damaging everything around it.  But when our eyes adjust gradually to a slow sunrise that warms us, it seems effortless.  Solid changes, like a sunrise, persist steadily, and have their own momentum.

The program of recovery is based on steady growth.  We start by accepting ourselves as we are, and stop denying our shortcomings, and start learning how to deal with them.

Each stage of transformation has to complete, with its lessons learned, before we are strong enough for the next stage.

Ask:

“Have I learned what I need to know from this stage in my recovery, so I can move on to the next?”

Meditation for today:

We all need to clear the clutter in our attitudes, our lives, and in our closets. By letting go of the things that don’t bring us joy, we become a new creation, like a caterpillar becomes a butterfly.

Affirmation for today:

“I invite wealth and abundance into my life.”

Recommended reading:

Mint is a free application written by Intuit (the makers of Quicken). You can register using this link: http://Mint.com. You can also download the app on the Apple app store, or using the Amazon app store here: Mint.com Personal Finance.

How to Use Mint.com (this is a Kindle book)

Great for de-cluttering:  Spark Joy: An Illustrated Master Class on the Art of Organizing and Tidying Up (a guide to finding joy in our surroundings)

Helpful links on PlentyTML.com:

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!

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