Resolution

Resolution is not something you can gain, it's an inner strength that
must be put into motion by a conscious decision of 'heart, mind &
soul'.

Rick has done this & has put resolution into words for
others to share, & hopefully gain for themself a little of his
introspection.

I love these words & will be adding a new one every week, for as long as
he lets me.

We cannot change our past. We can not change the fact that people act in a certain way. We can not change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is 'our attitude'. ~ Charles Swindoll ~

ATTITUDE

You can change your attitude without any muscular effort. You don't need any money, time, fuel, space or other resource. You don't need anyone else's permission. You don't need a detailed plan of action for changing your attitude. It's not complicated. You don't even need a lot of experience.

You can instantly change your attitude. When you do, you'll discover that there's a significant amount of leverage in that attitude. A small change in your attitude can make a big change in your world, in much the same way that a small change in the direction of a ship's rudder can make a big change in the ship's final destination.

So how is your attitude today? Is it anything less than entirely positive? What possible reason could you have for maintaining a negative attitude? It makes no sense to be negative, when there's no cost or effort involved in maintaining a positive attitude.

Develop an attitude that lets your setbacks move you forward, an attitude that turns your weaknesses into strengths and your mistakes into wisdom. You're already moving full speed ahead. Make sure your attitude guides you to the desired destination.

Peace and Love, Rick Ventis secundis, tene cursum - "Go with the flow"

Today let us truly enjoy and accept what we are. Knowing we have a chance to be more of the person we always wanted to be in due time.

PERFECTION

"I have offended God and mankind because my work didn't reach the quality it should have." --Leonardo da Vinci

How I used to beat myself up! I was not good enough. I was not attractive enough. I could not speak properly. I was too small. My family was not prestigious enough. I was boring. My breath smelled, etc., etc. I never saw my value in life. I could never see beyond my failings into my God-given virtues. Sin was all too evident in my life!

Today I catch an egotism in my past criticism of self and others! Who was I to think I should be perfect? I could find fault with the Archangel Gabriel if he came to be my neighbor. My compulsive disease extended beyond drugs to negative attitudes about life.

Today I see my value. Sobriety has restored my dignity. Today I am in touch with that part of me that is noble. Today in my sobriety I am a spiritual somebody, not a nobody.

Let my desire for "perfection" be tempered by reality.

Peace and Love, Rick Ventis secundis, tene cursum - "Go with the flow"

ENCOURAGEMENT

Give what you've got.
Do you want to really feel great? Then give your encouragement to someone else. You'll find it impossible to be discouraged after putting so much energy into encouraging another.

Do you wish to be wealthy?
Then find a way of adding wealth to the lives of others. Do you wish to be loved? Then give your love to another. Would you like to be more respected? Then show more respect for others.

Can a bright, shining light focus on itself?
Of course not. Light has no meaning unless there is something to illuminate. In the same way, you have plenty of energy and overwhelming abundance, yet these only become evident, only become useful, when they're radiated outward.

Send your energy outward, where it will truly do some good. Shine your light on others and it will, in turn, make you glow. Life will reward you precisely to the extent that you express yourself, in your own unique way, to the world. Give what you've got and you'll get whatever you desire.

Peace and Love, Rick Ventis secundis, tene cursum - "Go with the flow"

The price is the reward.

You are wholly complete and your success in life will be in direct proportion to your ability to accept this truth about you.

~ Dr. Robert Anthony ~

SUCCESS

For some reason, we like to think that something outside ourselves will cause us to be successful. We too often fall prey to fantasies of being lucky, or being in the right place at the right time, or getting in on a "ground floor" opportunity.

Those things happen, to be sure. Yet they are unreliable at best. The reality is that we really don't need to be lucky. While the chances of being in the right place at the right time are very slim, success is almost guaranteed for anyone who will do whatever it takes to achieve it.

Your success must come from you. What is success, anyway? It is the ability to live your life in the way that you choose, with purpose and meaning. No one can live your life but you. Success is not defined by the physical possessions to which you have legal title. It is defined by the way you live your life.

The only person who can make you successful is you. Sure, you might be able to acquire the tokens and appearances of success without putting yourself into it. But you will not have success. Success demands daily, moment-by-moment commitment and effort. Success requires that you put forth the best you have to give.

When success is achieved, it's interesting that those things which were previously considered the price of success -- hard work, effort, discipline, persistence -- also emerge as the key rewards of that very same success.

Peace and Love, Rick Ventis secundis, tene cursum - "Go with the flow"

A thought for our thought: if God created us with "free will" would that not be the way he wanted us to be??

CHOICES

"Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice; it is not a thing to be achieved." --William Jennings Bryan

It is so important for us to see that we create our destiny. We create our futures in the choices we initiate today. During my addiction I was like a ship without a sail. I drifted through life and was tossed in a thousand directions. Today I am able to point myself in the direction I want to go.

I do not believe that this attitude takes anything away from the power of God because He gave me freedom in the first place! He created me to be free and to have the gift of decision-making. He is not a dictator God, and I am not a puppet on a string. He loves me enough to allow me to learn from my mistakes and take personal pride in my achievements. Addiction made me powerless. Sobriety puts me in touch with my God-given power.

I am forever grateful and thankful for my involvement in my own life. I pray today that I might live responsibly a day at a time.

Peace and Love, Rick Ventis secundis, tene cursum - "Go with the flow"

FREEDOM

"Freedom is nothing else, but a chance to be better." --Albert Camus

Human beings are not puppets. Sometimes when you hear people talk about God and prayer, they imply that we have no choice and that all actions in life are determined by God alone: a moment's reflection should make us hesitate from such a viewpoint. Murder, rape, child molestation and prejudice do not stem from God but are the results of God's gift of freedom to mankind.

Addicts and alcoholics need to comprehend on a daily basis that prayers that are not accompanied by actions are mere words. God's love for man does not obliterate man's need to love himself through choice and decision. Sobriety and serenity should be experienced in our lives when divinity is revealed in our choice.

God, help me to appreciate my involvement in my desire to be a winner.

Peace and Love, Rick Ventis secundis, tene cursum - "Go with the flow"

The greatest waste in the world is the difference between what we are and what we could become.

~ Ben Herbster ~

COURAGE

You have it in you....

Within you there is courage. Within you is determination. Within you are focus, discipline, and strength. Within you are the qualities and abilities that can bring you anything you want to have, and take you anywhere you wish to go, and make you the person you choose to be. These strengths and abilities are within you, waiting to be called upon. They're ready for you to use them. They're available to you at a moment's notice.

All you must do is decide to use them. And that will happen when you find a clear enough, strong enough reason. Perhaps you've already glimpsed that reason. Perhaps you're already on your way.

The strength you need is yours. The courage, the discipline, the determination are already a part of you. When you are truly ready, they'll be there.

Peace and Love, Rick Ventis secundis, tene cursum - "Go with the flow"

GENIUS