I remember my sponsor saying to me when we first met that I would be surprised at how EVERYTHING would change. My attitudes towards all sorts of things that had nothing to do with drinking. I sort of thought 'yeah, yeah, okay'. Well, I'm finding that to be true now (of course). I am really starting to doubt the path that I am on, career wise. Is this something that I really want to dedicate myself to? What was my motivation for going down this career path? Should I try something else?
I look at it like this RT....If I've made the decision to turn my life and my will over to the care of God....And taken the action...The steps....To make that happen.....And I have complete faith....That when I pray for knowledge of His will for me....That is what I'll get....The sky is limit.
Hi RubyT, ... ... ... in one of the promises it says we are 'going to know a new freedom and a new happiness' (pg. 83 I think) ... my thoughts are: If you're not working at a job that you enjoy, start looking for something, anything, that will bring you enjoyment ... doesn't have to be a 'high paying' job unless that is what you place value on ... I've been around long enough to know now, that money isn't everything its cracked up to be ... I know several 'very well off' people that are absolutely miserable and I know several that are 'happy as a lark' but are 'less fortunate' when it comes to personal fortunes ...
My feelings now are that the richest man in town is the one that gives love, gives of himself, and receives love back with great dividends ... ... ... When we have faith, God insures that we'll have everything we need ... actually it works out to much more than we need when our heart is in the right place ...
Love ya and God Bless, Pappy
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'Those who leave everything in God's hand will eventually see God's hand in everything.'
Hi Rubytuesday, I understand what you're saying about "Everything Changes". It does change in totally unexpected and undreamed-of ways. Sounds a bit like The Promises. As to the possible career change, here's my take: I found that, when I allowed God to change me into a new man, He made me into a better, stronger, more capable person. This means that we're capable of doing more and giving more to the world than we ever were before. Sometimes that can mean that we might take on something new in a brand new career, but it doesn't always have to mean that. It can also mean that we see our present career in a new light, and embrace it in brand new ways. That's what I did. It sounds like you're feeling like you could be doing more than you've been doing in the past. That's a good thing! But, I hope you'll get plenty of feed-back, and think long and hard before you change careers, and above all.....PRAY & LISTEN. Blessings to you, Mike D.
We left New York 15 months ago to move to Florida to help care for my in laws leaving our jobs(mine of over 34 years) after praying about it for over a year.I thought with my work history and my wife's experience we would hook up jobs quickly and move forward.We totally put our trust in our Higher Power and took the STEP. Almost as soon as we got here my mother in laws dimentia went into end stages and my father in law, became wheel chair bound losing all his ability to do even basic life skills left my wife as full time caregiver and finding myself still seeking work after much searching. We are living on my Social Security and some income from the Band I am working with hopefully in the near future.I keep applying and have put my full faith and trust in God. After so many years of good income from good jobs we still find the peace and happiness of being where we feel we are supposed to be.The fear and anxiety of starting over and seeking a new road is calmed by knowing that our faith in our God has brought us through so many storms and as I also meditate daily on our 3rd and 11th STEPS and put into application to the best of my ability I still believe all will be well. From the life I had during my 25 active years of addiction to the grace and mercy of my God each day is a blessing being free from active using .Their will be struggles but it is how we accept the struggles and not what they are has been the difference for us.I worked as a Manager in a workshop for People with Disabilities and loved my job and the people i shared my life with. Now I would be content selling drumsticks at Sam Ash and continue enjoying my 2 yr old grandaughter and the new baby to come in a few months. My wife is a little drained but she is happy to be here at this period and we share our happiness with each other,our JOY that comes from our relationship with our Higher Power and each day of LIFE that offers another opportunity to be all our God wants us to be.I can only suggest daily prayer,make the decision,take the action and leave the results to your Higher Power..Let us know how you are doing...
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Selfishness-self-centeredness! That, we think, is the root of our troubles.
The change for me came in the program from what I was doing to How I was doing it. That was the change. I've had many and varied work experiences...many. In program I learned to focus outward rather than inward and went from self serving perspective to helping others without the first consideration being money. HP was depended upon to help me do that and I went to college to understand this disease which almost took my life on several occasions. I was purplexed at the power of it and what was being said about it by many other alcoholics and needed to know. I found out about it and about it and me and my families and my choices and more. I was in mortgage financing at the time and attending Al-Anon. When I got out of college a fellow member in the program told me that the direction of an adolescent recovery program wanted to talk to me and so out of curiosity I went to see the man. When I knocked on his door and introduced my self he said outright "I've heard about you and want you to come to work for us". I was so taken back I thought it was a trick and I asked him what have you heard? "I've heard you work good with kids and I want you to work for us". I was an Alateen sponsor as a part of my service in program and that isn't clinical counseling. This man has something shorter than a month in recovery in AA than I had sober and asked me to come meet his boss, who was also in AA. His boss asked me a question. What is addiction to you? and I told him my perspective and the next thing I know I was no longer doing mortages I was doing counseling. The money is different...Mortgages = lots of money. Rehab...waiting on funding.
I had learned where I had come from and I know the disease intimately inside; outside and recovery taught me understanding, compassion, empathy, patience, courage and more. I worked with adolescents and their families and their parents and their parents marriages and the school districts and just about everything attached to the disease that destroys good things and people and kills without second thought. I turned myself over to my Higher Power and the 3rd step prayer has become "Place me where you want me...tell me what to do" and after that I never had to guess about "How I had to do anything". I came back home and went to work at an Auto Dealership...I didn't sell, I counseled and didn't worry about the outcome financially. That is a nasty disgracefull industry at times and it never took me off the program and away from my Higher Powers will for me. I did another short stint at a local rehab with a 5 month agreement to investigate each other. I left after 5 months...I don't give away the spirituality with its honesty and commitments to anyone. When the automotive business started to get sleazy I went on my own again...self employed and then God had another idea for a while. An ad in the paper...Alternatives to Violence mens case manager...only MAs or Higher should apply...I don't have a degree...I'm a worker ant only and I knew why the ad was there and went to apply anyway. I was told we have three applicants ahead of you all degreed...we will keep your application in file. Three days later I was called in to interview and was told none of the applicants showed up for interview could I come to work? Mysterious ways? wasn't the first time. I was blessed in that they needed the case manager in the cultural program mostly and while I am a Hawaiian National I had been away for 17 years up in the continent. I had missed and not used alot up there and the cultural program remade me...I am beyond gratitude to my Higher Power Akua for that and after that I was moved into the open program working with men of violence...perpetrators like myself who knew and knew that he knew that violence came from the tap root fear. I had learned that in recovery the numerous inventories...fearless, searching moral...I knew. I would sit with men who were sent to us from the courts...ATV or prison or ATV from prison. I knew violence at one time it seemed the only defense I had against my alcoholic/addict upbringing. I knew how to hurt people and make them afraid of me and HP had a use for it and still does. I'm on my own again. I left ATV because my supervisor...also a member of our fellowship...had a penchant for trying to trigger me. They had warned him he would be fired 5 times before I went to work with him and so I fired myself. I still see him in meetings from time to time. I have no resentments against him...I love him. So it's been a wild employment ride for me. Alcoholics are "Can Do" people...we are risk takers..."I can do that"!!! lol. It isn't what...It's how.
Did you know that psycological profile of the alcoholic does list risk taking as the second identifier. I believe the first still is extreemly self centered.
Anyway...as a child of God, which we are and the understanding God First 1-3, We're second 4 - 8, others there after 9 - 12 everything changes for the better. I love the post. Never ever could understand how a person could spend 34 or more years at the same job...always surprised me.
Wow! Thank you all for your wonderful replies. Jerry, I loved hearing about your journey.
I was feeling very very anxious about this, and about everything, earlier today, and having seen Stepchild's reply I decided to pray on it. Please show me where you want me to be. Not even twenty minutes later I was on a website I had been on previously and saw a job advertised that I had missed the first time around. It looks PERFECT for me. Ah, yes.
I think I've come to realize that the career path I have been on as of late was driven in part by my ego - proving to myself that I could do it, I could take the next step, get accepted to the next program, win the funding or the competition, etc. I feel exhausted.
Did you know that psycological profile of the alcoholic does list risk taking as the second identifier. I believe the first still is extreemly self centered.
I never knew that, although I suppose it makes sense for me as a drinking alcoholic. It was more stupid risk taking than thrill seeking.
I do see a lot of alcoholics who seem very risk averse in sobriety, so wrapped up in trying to stay sober one day at a time that they forget to dream. They stay in relationships and jobs they don't like, believing they are powerless over everything.
They forget that we have tapped in to a new Power. We can exercise our will in line with this Power all we like. It is the proper use of the will. It opens doors, offers new opportunities and all we need is a little faith to act.
The 9th step promises are great, fear of financial insecurity will leave us, but what about the 3rd step promises:
"We had a new Employer. Being all powerful, He provided what we needed, if we kept close to Him and performed His work well."
Could we possibly be in a better position? At about the same time in my sobriety a came across such an opportunity. I was academically the least qualified, but I got the job, as a trainee, ahead of 40 other applicants. I learnt so much in that job and it was so much fun I would have done it for half the salary.
Go for it Ruby, God has a much better plan for us than we could dream up ourselves. all we need is a little faith.
I was feeling very very anxious about this, and about everything, earlier today, and having seen Stepchild's reply I decided to pray on it. Please show me where you want me to be. Not even twenty minutes later I was on a website I had been on previously and saw a job advertised that I had missed the first time around. It looks PERFECT for me. Ah, yes.
It's amazing how that works....I'm praying with you...That His will be done for you.
Nice post Ruby and others. Pray and then move my feet! More will be revealed. Head in a direction and God will reveal more. If I'm on his path he will provide proof that's his will for me, if not... he will reveal more to change my coarse. I don't need to worry about not seeing his sign post, he will pound me over the head until I great it! Been there too! Painful....... but pain brings on willingness to change....
Nice post Ruby and others. Pray and then move my feet! More will be revealed. Head in a direction and God will reveal more. If I'm on his path he will provide proof that's his will for me, if not... he will reveal more to change my coarse. I don't need to worry about not seeing his sign post, he will pound me over the head until I great it! Been there too! Painful....... but pain brings on willingness to change....
I found that my drunk self was a horrible distortion of somebody... Not sure who. But not someone I wanted to be. I had ACOA issues raging, my own insanity. Train wreck.
I got divorced, changed jobs a few times.
Enter sobriety. I heard of alanon and was working AA. the first year was clearing fog. Not any real growth to who I would become aside of clearing rubble.
Next year started dating at BB and sponsor blessing. It was a humbling and fun adventure dealing with adult women sober and sane. I found they were not all evil wenches! Some were outrageously fun.... And smarter than me at times! Wow.
I went to night school for a BS and ha a few promotions. Really started to understand me enough to be part f a healthy relationship. Had some actual friends.
Sponsored people. Saw others go back out and die. This stuff is real. Staying sober 5 years is a big deal. So many don't make it.
Become a professional. Have a chance to help people in their careers. Had to judge people, hire and fire. Came to understand no everyone a a meeting is in the same place, and that is ok. Common ground is always there.
Now I really never think of drinking. I think of resolving other issues related to ACOA, ALANON. The program of recovery applies to all of my life.
This is a program of constant growth, change, and new perspectives. There has been some pain. It comes to everyone. But here has been a new capacity to love and be loved. And for me, that is what life is all about.
Enjoy the ride my friend :)
-- Edited by Sober Strummer on Friday 13th of September 2013 09:20:00 PM
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"I spent a lifetime in hell and it only took me twelve steps to get to heaven."
"Experience is not what happens to you; it's what you do with what happens to you."
