As so many of you know, I am a student of the late great Stephen Covey. My journey in this elevated thinking began back in 1993 and it has been a part of my evolution as a person of recovery. One of the things that Mr. Covey taught was “making a break with the past is about living and working in ways that will enrich your life and the lives of those around you. It is an exploration into the natural laws that govern all our actions and how you can align yourself with those laws that you can then bring true power, energy, compassion and integrity into your life and the lives of those around you.“ This statement has revolutionized my thinking beyond what my initial plan of recovery would offer me. Stephen would go on to say, “every major scientific breakthrough was a result of a break with.” The question becomes what is interrupting my growth that I need to make a break from so what I needed to grow too would not be interrupted or stunted. It is a question that I have continually asked myself for the last 27 years. It is not that I don’t understand the question or have not grown, for I do fully understand the question. The most exciting thing about this challenge is that as I evolve, so does the question.
This type of thinking is not in conflict with my spiritual or recovery beliefs, but rather operates in complete unity. As part of most all monotheistic religions, and certainly the 12 steps of recovery, a personal inventory is recommended to be a daily practice. Every day I am personally obligated to examine where I am at, how I got here, what benefit is there for me and what is the next indicated step. If that next indicated step involves making a break from erroneous thinking, then I need to make a break from that to free up my mind and my spirit to incorporate truth. If it is not erroneous thinking but rather partial thinking, then I must break from thinking it is final and add to it the necessary ingredients to complete the thought which will lead to elevated behavior.
Along with this thinking I must understand that removing conflict is critical. It is impossible for me to live in a problem while saying I want to live in the solution simultaneously. Oil and water only appear to mix when shaken. When they are left to settle, they separate according to their chemical composition. The same goes for me. I must decide where I will live. If I decide I want to stay in the past and risk going backward then that is my choice. To say I want to move forward and live in a productive future Then I must break from that which keeps me from moving forward.
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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