The longer a person who is in recovery the more clichés one will here. Today’s blog is regarding one of those clichés. So many of the things that I heard along the way were things like, “it’s not about me, it’s about we.” Another cliché’ I heard was “expect the unexpected” as well as “if you stick around long enough anything can happen.” What separates First Things First for me was that it was a book written by Stephen Covey. It was more than a cliché’. It was a philosophy. It was a blueprint for me to follow and a means for me to elevate my recovered life. I was first introduced to this author in 1993 with Principal Centered Leadership. PCL would introduce me to paradigms. Paradigms were a mental map I would incorporate as a new way of thinking. Mr. Covey is also the author of Seven Habits of Highly Effective People as well as many other books. First Things First is something that I first came across in 1996. One of the biggest challenges of any person in recovery is doing exactly that. Fortunately, I had 10 years of personal recovery when I was first introduced to this higher domain of thinking. The title can mean anything you want it to mean because its application is so universal. For me, it was my spiritual inspiration to take my personal inventory to a much deeper level. It further encouraged me to self-actualize to a higher degree than I had ever done before. It represented a new commitment to my personal growth. I had been around long enough to begin to understand my personal responsibility as a person of recovery within the Recovery Community. This arena was becoming a chosen vocation and advocation. My personal and professional responsibility was growing daily. It was one thing to have a degree in alcohol and drug studies and work with-in that profession. My personal responsibility was elevated because I was a member of that community as well. As a person who was now in double digits in personal recovery, I had a higher responsibility to those I would serve professionally because it had a direct correlation to my personal development. Learning how to understand What should come first and organize from that point forward and have a plan of action representative of that became critical in my professional life. I did not want to be a person who would say do as I say, but not as I do. What I did personally, would be the basis for what I would teach professionally. I hope you use this term to your advantage so it will be an advantage to others. What we choose to become will benefit or decrease our ability to serve others. First Things First helps me organize from beginning to end. Becoming the example to others that others were to me is my way of giving back what can never be repaid. Be blessed.
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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