My experience with people in recovery via the Twelve Steps is that they can sometimes have a distorted understanding of the concept of “self.” And I believe that that misunderstanding is rooted, in large part, in the general poverty of the English language when it comes to issues of spirituality and spiritual growth. Here’s a …
Achieving major life goals is an important element of life’s journey. I enjoy it. I enjoy helping people I work with to achieve theirs. However, I have a nagging concern about goal achievement, especially as it is presented within the Life Coaching community. My experience is that, very often, perhaps most of the time, achievement …
External Goal Achievement vs. Internal Spiritual Growth Read More »
There’s an old joke about a little boy digging his way through a railroad car full of horse manure. Somebody asks him why he’s doing it, and the little boy answers excitedly: “There’s gotta be a pony in here somewhere!” This well-worn joke contains a message for many of us who are called to a …
What does it mean to “let go and let God”? And, why is it important? Here’s the core issue: Addiction is based in the illusion of control and an overpowering need for control – control of the object of our addiction(s), control of others and control of situations. Underneath this overwhelming need for control is …
The “Itty-Bitty Shitty Committee” is a humorous, but all too accurate name for the chorus of negative, self-sabotaging, critical voices most folks in recovery carry around in their heads. These inner critics continually tell us, with a great deal of urgency, that we are not good enough, we are an impostor or fake, a loser, …
Dealing With Your Inner Critics: The “Itty-Bitty Shitty Committee” Read More »
I don’t know about you, but in my experience, very often verbal sharing and written documents about recovery tend to idealize it; i.e. to focus almost exclusively on the positive or happy side of recovery and to focus on the elegant and idealized spiritual principles underlying recovery. To me, this gives newcomers and even people …
