Whether you are a deeply religious, more of a natural spiritualist, 12 Step Person doesn’t matter. What matters is discovering the value and need to elevate the importance of others. In the beginning our recovery journey it seems that the need is one-sided. Later down the down, we understand the importance we were to the person(s) helping us. Addiction, in and of itself, is the most self and self-centered thing a person can ever do. We are willing to forsake every positive aspect of our life to protect or conceal our addictive condition. Therefore, the opposite must be true in recovery. Others must become as important or more so in our lives. I want you to care about other people today. When we focus on caring for others, something profound happens to us. Your attention will shift. You will move from self-centered awareness to life-centered awareness. Believe me, life centered awareness is a much greater perspective. Here, you will find yourself making decisions based on what is needed; rather than, needs based on fulfilling your own personal objectives.
When we begin to realize that we are part of a much greater awareness, some of our personal challenges seem smaller. Why? You will notice that everyone has needs, wants, and desires. Many times, in life, we focus way too much on ourselves and not the needs of others. If you do this too much, you will become isolated and let no one into your life. Although there are times when you do need alone time to charge your batteries from so much outward focus, you will find that fully focusing on what you are doing for others is a distraction from self-centered awareness.
At the end of the day, do take some time for yourself. You will need to find ways to balance the needs of others with the needs of the self. In the end, you will notice that one of the greatest gifts we do have to give to others is to give our lives away knowing we have helped another person’s day a little bit better. This will also meet your own need to fulfill your reason for living or purpose in life.
I am most always stronger with you then I am apart from you. I want to experience the synergistic effect of what can occur when the combination of what we can accomplish together is realized. Therein lies the value of others.
Robert Pardon
Robert is the Recovery Guy. Getting clean and sober on April 25, 1986 has given me the insight and practical skill set to not only stay sober, but to also re-invent myself to the person I always wanted to become. Showing others how to do this is my life goal.
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