Live in the Answer, Not the Problem

July 31 - One of the most serious consequences of the me-me-me syndrome is that we lose touch with practically everyone around us - not to mention reality itself.  The essence of self-pity is total self-absorption, and it feeds on itself.  Rather than ignore such an emotional state - or deny that we're in it - we need to pull out of our self-absorption, stand back, and take a good honest look at ourselves.  Once we recognize self-pity for what it is, we can begin to do something about it.

Am I living in the problem rather than the answer?

Today I Pray - I pray that my preoccupation with self, which is wound up tight as a Maypole, may unwind itself and let its streamers fly again for others to catch and hold.  May the thin, familiar wail of me-me-me become a chorus of us-us-us, as we in the Fellowship pick apart our self-fullness and look at it together.

Today I Will Remember - Change me-me-me to us-us-us.

How to lose $1 million in 6 months

Avoid a Long Walk Off a Short Pier

July 30 - When we first come to Gamblers Anonymous, the most common variety of self-pity begins:  "Poor me!  Why can't I just gamble now and then, like everybody else?  Why me?"  Such bemoaning, if allowed to persist, is a surefire invitation for a long walk off a short pier - right back to the mess we were in before we came to GA.  When we stick around this Program for a while, we discover that it's not just "me" at all; we become involved with people, from all walks of life, who are in exactly the same boat.

Am I losing interest in my comfortably familiar "pity pot"?

Today I Pray - When self-pity has me droopy and inert, may I look up, look around, and perk up.  Self-pity, God wills, vanishes in the light of other people's shared troubles.  May I always wish for friends honest enough to confront me if they see me digging my way back down into my old pity pit.

Today I Will Remember - Turn self- involvement into involvement.

Avoid "Poor-Meism" Attitude

July 29 - The feeling of self-pity, which we've all felt at one time or another, is one of the ugliest emotions we can experience.  We don't even relish the thought of admitting to others that we're awash in self-pity.  We hate being told that it shows; we quickly argue that we're feeling another emotion instead; we go so far as to hide - cleverly - from ourselves the fact that we're going through a siege of "poor-meism".  By the same token, in a split second we can easily find several dozen "valid" reasons for feeling sorry for ourselves.

Do I sometimes enjoy rubbing salt into my own wounds?

Today I Pray - May I recognize the emotions I am feeling for what they are.  If I am unable to point them out to myself, may I count on others who know what it's like to be a feelings-stuffer.  May I stay in touch with my feelings by staying in touch with my Higher Power and with the others in my group.

Today I Will Remember - Stay in touch.

Meditation for Gamblers

July 28 - We learn the value of meditation in the Gamblers Anonymous Program.  As the beginning of the Eleventh Step suggests, we sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him.  One of the great values of meditation is that it clears the mind.  And as the mind becomes clearer, it becomes more capable and willing to acknowledge the truth.  Less pain is required to force honest recognition of defects and their results.  The real needs of the whole person are revealed.

Are prayer and meditation a regular part of my daily living?

Today I Pray - May God's truths be revealed to me through meditation and these small prayers, through contact with my group, which keeps me mindful of my need to clear my mind with daily meditation.  For only an uncluttered mind can receive God, and only a mind cleansed of self interest can acknowledge the truth.

Today I Will Remember - Meditation is a mind-cleanser.

How one woman found Gamblers Anonymous

Make Progress in Gamblers Anonymous

July 27 - Over and over, I see that those who make the best and steadiest progress in the Gamblers Anonymous Program of Recovery are those who readily accept the help of a Higher Power.  Once they can do that, it's easier for them to get out of their own way.  Their problems then seem to resolve themselves in a way that is beyond human understanding.

Do I realize that the effectiveness with which I use the consciousness of God in my daily life depends non on Him, but on me?

Today I Pray - May I know that my recovery and growth depends on my being in touch with my Higher Power, not just once in a while, but always.  It means turning to that Power several times a day to ask for strength and knowledge of His will.  When I understand that my own life is part of a Higher Play, I will be less apt to trip and fall, head off in the wrong direction, or just to sit tight and let life pass me by.

Today I Will Remember - To be God-conscious.