Excitement

odat · Senior Member

Excitement

justadrunk · MIP Old Timer

Plus, this is just one persons opinion. It does not mean that it has to be my opinion or even my definition of excitement, happiness, joy etc. Even the dictionary's definition is just one persons definition -a chosen person to write it as best they can. That doesn't make it perfect or set in stone, there is still humannes. Human interpretation and evolution that comes into play... change is inevitable. It's a very useful tool - but not my higher power.

What odat see's as defects of character, are not automatically mine, and don't have to be yours either. We each have our own program, our own Higher power, and there is no right way or wrong way that works perfectly exactly as it does for someone else.

Odat is doing a wonderful job of sharing what is working for her TODAY. It might change tomorrow - that's why I keep coming back. It's in the realm of my definition of excitement too Vix, just as you said - watching people grown in this program to me is very exciting, and for ME - that's okay. I'm sober so far today too, and we're all in this together.

-- Edited by justadrunk on Tuesday 9th of October 2012 12:37:35 PM

StPeteDean · MIP Old Timer

odat wrote:
Hi Vixen. Yes, excitement is different than happiness, joy or freedom. Whenever I question any word, I look it up.

Took your suggestion, looked at a couple of dictionarys. All seem to say the same thing. Like most words, there can be a positive and negative (depending on how you look at it) meaning. "Inspired" is pretty close to how I feel, each morning, about life. The synonyms I relate "Excited" to :

Amaze, arouse, awaken, delight, evoke, move, thrill..

notice the antonyms below. bore, calm, compose, deaden, lull, moderate,pacify, quiet, repress, tranquilize

Most of us would chose to check out early than to live a life defined by those terms. lol

And I didn't see "dishonest" as a definition in there either.

To:

inspire; upset

Synonyms:

accelerate, agitate, amaze, anger, animate,annoy, arouse, astound, awaken, bother, chafe,delight, discompose, disturb,

electrify, elicit,energize, evoke, feed the fire, fire, fluster,foment, galvanize, goad, incite, induce, inflame,infuriate, instigate,

intensify, irritate, jar, jolt,kindle, madden, mock, move, offend,precipitate, provoke, quicken, rouse, start,stimulate, stir up, taunt,

tease, thrill, titillate,touch off, vex, wake up, waken, warm, whet,work up, worry

Antonyms:

bore, calm, compose, deaden, lull, moderate,pacify, quiet, repress, tranquilize

-- Edited by StPeteDean on Tuesday 9th of October 2012 12:37:24 PM

StPeteDean · MIP Old Timer

justadrunk wrote:.

Odat is doing a wonderful job of sharing what is working for her TODAY. It might change tomorrow - that's why I keep coming back. It's in the realm of my definition of excitement too Vix, just as you said - watching people grown in this program to me is very exciting, and for ME - that's okay. I'm sober so far today too, and we're all in this together.

-- Edited by justadrunk on Tuesday 9th of October 2012 12:06:01 PM

I heard something early on, pertaining to stuff you hear, that folks are doing in "their program", outside of "approved AA literature".

"What keeps them sober, might get me drunk" biggrin

edit: And visa Versa smile

-- Edited by StPeteDean on Tuesday 9th of October 2012 03:12:23 PM

dolly · Veteran Member

Thanks so much Odat; your messages never fail to inspire me!

vixen · MIP Old Timer

I don't know if I completely understand this. I don't get how being excited to see someone or to do something fun would be a character defect. If I am to be happy, joyous and free, as I believe that is God's will for me, it seems reasonable to me that it is an exciting prospect, filled with moments worth looking forward to. I also get excited about the joy other people feel and experience. Maybe I am using the wrong word for what I feel? I will do some thinking on this.

God bless you as well, Odat.

StPeteDean · MIP Old Timer

vixen wrote:
I don't know if I completely understand this. I don't get how being excited to see someone or to do something fun would be a character defect. If I am to be happy, joyous and free, as I believe that is God's will for me, it seems reasonable to me that it is an exciting prospect, filled with moments worth looking forward to. I also get excited about the joy other people feel and experience. Maybe I am using the wrong word for what I feel? I will do some thinking on this.

God bless you as well, Odat.

I was thinking it was just a poor choice of words. Maybe odat is thinking of obsession. I wake up genuinely excited about life and it's possibilities every day.

odat · Senior Member

Hi Vixen. Yes, excitement is different than happiness, joy or freedom. Whenever I question any word, I look it up.

justadrunk · MIP Old Timer

Thanks Dean, very much appreciated.

odat · Senior Member

lol

Zoomtopz · MIP Old Timer

getting Aussie dictionary out confuse

This IS what I love about 'our' programme . It is 'our' .

Not mine , not yours , not something that was written in 1935 .

It is a 'guide' for Me to Live sober today , that's where I see "WE".

I can't , WE can , I alone Have to , I don't have to do It alone . So

many variables for me to work my programme .

I went to a meeting in Melbourne, Aussie . They changed their banner.

"Having had a spiritual awakening as a result of the result of these steps".

I looked at it for awhile , knowing something was different , but what .

Then I worked it out "of the result" , I thought ummm that could be better

for most people , it sounded right . I see my 'spiritual experience' from

step one , through 12 , not each individual step .

And yes I'm excited , I have an excitement for My future .

Today I HAVE a Future.

Rick

vixen · MIP Old Timer

Thanks for the input, you guys! It helps me to hear how others have thought on this topic. I think it is the choice of words that confused me. I believe healthy excitement has a place in my life...thank God! Obsession I will have to pass on though...not good for alcoholics like me. ;)

Mr_David · MIP Old Timer

Great message Susan. Keep that momentum going.

Rob84 · MIP Old Timer

Thanks Susan. Well put. I really don't think about excitement that much, I think I bundled it with being "emotional" which I really try to avoid.

With the excitement and emotions come expectations and projecting all of which I work to avoid.

I like to stay upbeat and enthusiastic I when doing presentations for work etc because I need to get others excited pumped up about a product etc. Have to keep the right perspective in your head.

Definitely never get excited about anything that's not capable of getting excited about you!!

odat · Senior Member

Good posts you guys...yeah, the emotionally unstable psychopath...*shivers* I hate to think of myself that way but it's part of this disease (another good word to look up!) And the page 52 character defects, no control over my emotional nature...it turns into the Step 9 promises. WoW! All within 30 something pages of action?? How simple...but not easy to resist temptation from things that excite :)

StPeteDean · MIP Old Timer

Try not to beat yourself up, enough of that already.