Live and let live
Tolerance, a fundamental value in AA, means that we acknowledge our personal shortcomings while letting others have their own. We focus on our similarities with other people rather than resenting our differences.
I was sent a link today to a page of wisdom sayings that are commonly used in Alcoholics Anonymous. Some of our clients are members of AA when they come to us, others start going as part of the work they do when they are working with us.
I read through the list of slogans and what they mean…and it seems they aren’t just for people who are trying to stop drinking…they are things we can all benefit from remembering and putting into practice:
Accept life on life’s terms
Many of us wish that the people and circumstances in our lives were different. This slogan reminds us to retreat from the world of our personal fantasies and deal with people and things as they are right now. Instead of trying to reform other people and remake the world in our own image, we can focus on changing our own behavior. Life is not changeable, but we are. A related slogan puts it this way, “If you pray for a Porsche and God sends you a jackass, ride it.”
Progress, not perfection
Alcoholics can be grandiose, holding that they must be right at all times. Bill Wilson, cofounder of AA, wrote, “We are all perfectionists who, failing perfection, have gone to the other extreme and settled for the bottle and the blackout.” A saner alternative is to make one simple change in our attitudes or behavior for today. Over time, small changes create major progress.
Seems to me they’re onto something…and we can all learn a lesson or two here.
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