Resolution

For the new Millenium & the 'age of Aquarius' it is fitting that the past should be wrapped in the resolution of forgiveness so, we can move forward.

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'.

So, Ricks resolutions will continue because, I love these words.

TEMPTATION

It is tempting to think that you can have something for nothing. It is tempting to think that you can take shortcuts. It is tempting to think that you can avoid the negative consequences of your destructive behavior.

When we're tempted to do what we know we should not, it is a deception. We see the reward, obsess over it, and mentally build it up bigger than life, completely out of proportion to reality. At the same time we fail to see the significantly bigger downside.

Being positive does not mean ignoring the negative consequences of our actions. Living positively comes from avoiding the negative consequences by refraining from the destructive behavior which surely leads to them.

The next time you are tempted to act against your own good judgment, remember that it is a lie, a deception for which you will ultimately and unavoidably suffer. Be positive by clearly seeing the negative and staying away from it.

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

SIMILARITY

"Whatever you may be sure of, be sure of this -- that you are dreadfully like other people." --James Russell Lowell

For many years I saw the differences and not the similarities. I was always considering how I was unlike other alcoholics, rather than perceiving the striking similarities. I kept myself on the outside, not only in recovery from alcoholism but also in life. Then I heard from another recovering alcoholic not only "my story" but also my feelings. I belonged. I was with people who knew my loneliness, isolation, confusion, guilt and despair. I had come home to live amongst my people.

Thank You for enabling me to see that I am a member of the human family and a recovering alcoholic.

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

BEAUTIFUL LIFE

The beauty you see around you is already inside you. If it were not, then it would not appear as beauty. As you delight in a magnificent vista, or an elegantly created work of art, remember that the beauty you admire is always yours. Its power is within you regardless of possession or physical presence. In this sense, the beauty in the world is mainly a reminder of the incredible beauty that is your life. It is great to have those reminders which renew and fulfill your sense of beauty and appreciation for it. Yet the essence of beauty is not in the objects which you call beautiful, it is in the wonder and magnificence of life itself.

The power of beauty is a living power, and it is yours to apply. The beauty you sense around you is merely a hint of the abundance of beauty that is your life. Yes, there are challenges. Yes, there are tragedies. Yes, there is pain. Still, through it all, every moment of every day, you have the beauty and richness that is your life. Feel the awesome power of that, and live it.

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

VALUE EVERYWHERE

Even in the negative aspects of life, there is positive value. In fact, the distinction between negative and positive ultimately depends not on events or circumstances, but on what you decide to obtain from them. There is value in fear. It helps to prepare you. It gives you energy to face those things which you fear. There is value in discomfort. It pushes you forward. It motivates you to seek something better.

There is value in disappointment. It teaches you. By illuminating what didn't work, your disappointment points the way to what will work. There is value in pain. It makes you stronger and more resilient. It give you the ability and the desire to do things which you never before thought you could do.

Value does not come to you, nor does it hide from you. It is always there for you to find and use, every day, every moment, in every situation. Seek value with sincerity and confidence, whether in times of trouble or in times of joy, and it will be yours.

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

FIND A WAY

How many times did a "yes" start out as a "no"? How many times has something which was considered impossible eventually been done? The history of civilization is a sequence of changing expectations, a continuing series of the impossible becoming possible.

There is really only one way for most things to be impossible, and that is by not attempting them. By contrast, there are many, many ways in which things can be made possible. In this regard, the odds favor the possible over the impossible, when there is resolve to take the necessary action. Success consists of deciding upon a possibility and then following it with commitment and persistence.

Attempts that do not reach the intended mark are not failures. Rather, they are growing, learning experiences on the way to eventual fulfillment. They equip you with knowledge and strengthen your resolve to find a way.

There is a path that leads from where you are right now to precisely where you wish to be. It may indeed twist and wind, yet if you continue to follow it with resolve, you'll reach the top of the mountain. And what was once thought impossible, will have been done.

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

THOUGHT

"Thought makes the whole dignity of man; therefore endeavor to think well, that is the only morality." -- Blaise Pascal

I think that human beings are very imitative creatures; we imitate clothes, hair styles, mannerisms and lifestyles. A man's mind will be influenced by what he listens to and what he reads. And what we think is very important to sobriety.

Today I make an effort to examine my thinking and check it out with a sponsor or in a support group. I know that my dignity in sobriety is connected not only with what I do but also with my attitudes and thoughts --- when my thinking begins to go crazy, I know I am in a dangerous place and I need to talk. God created me with the ability to think, therefore, I need to safeguard the information I put in my mind.

Let me learn to develop morality of mind.

Peace and Love, Rick
The greatest discovery of my generation is that human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of mind. -William James

INTUITION

Your perception probably goes much deeper than you realize. Have you ever had the experience of "knowing" in precise detail that something was going to happen, and then sure enough it happened exactly as you saw it in advance? Or have you ever suddenly thought about someone whom you haven't seen in a while, and a few minutes later they call you?

Though they may seem strange or supernatural, such perceptions are not really so mystical. They are simply a deeper level of perception. When you think about it, there are many things you can accurately see in advance. For example, when you plant seeds in your garden you know in advance that you'll soon have flowers there. Intuition merely integrates your substantial knowledge and experience of cause and effect, and supplies you with perceptions that are beyond the obvious.

We often discount intuition, failing to heed it or encourage it, out of a mistaken belief that we couldn't logically know such things as it tells us. Yet intuition can be just as natural, reasonable, and valid as the more direct kinds of perceptions. And it can be very useful.

Pay attention to your intuition. It will help you to see beyond the superficial. Respect what it has to show you and you'll gain a deeper understanding of the world around you.

Peace and Love, Rick
The greatest discovery of my generation is that human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of mind. -William James

FAITH

"Faith must trample underfoot all reason, sense and understanding." -- Martin Luther

An obstacle to my understanding the spiritual life was my intellectualization; my head was forever getting in the way of my heart. It was much easier to me to think rather than to feel; my faith was smothered by logic. My manipulating and controlling mind was stopping me experiencing the adventure of faith.

The poet in me grew as I began to trust others. God became alive in my confusion. The answer was in not having to have the answers. Today spirituality involves all the varied confusions and paradoxes of life that I have discovered in me and in others --- and it's okay.

Today the love I give and receive is beyond my wildest dreams, and I smile at the joy of my confusion.

May my head unite with my heart in the daily maze of life.

Peace and Love, Rick

The greatest discovery of my generation is that human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of mind. -William James