Getting High on Recovery

“Never be afraid to try something new. Remember that a lone amateur built the Ark. A large group of professionals built the Titanic.” Dave Barry, nationally syndicated columnist

I don’t do New Years resolutions. If I need some resolution, it’s probably not on January 1st. Instead, I use the first few weeks of the new year to take stock of the past year and then set some new directions. What usually happens is that I need to restart things. I take time to re-do some of the same directions from last year because somewhere along the way I took the wrong turn. And then I woke up and one more year has gone by.

Yesterday, I did an honesty list. It was pretty powerful. Later, I thought of even more stuff to be honest about. And boy did I sleep well last night. Honesty is hard work.

If you want an example of an honesty list, see this post by Joe Doe, “Keeping it Real in 2019.”

As I wrote my honesty list, I realized something.

There is a fine line between being honest and then taking yourself into the back alley and beating yourself up with what you just wrote. An honestly list is not the same thing as a ‘fix it list.’ When we move too quickly to fix things, we are just being reactive. Honesty should be uncomfortable, but it doesn’t have to be cruel. That’s the point.

3 Bucks and 3 things to be honest about

If you don’t have one, go and get yourself a notebook. Spend 3 bucks and then get a pen. Don’t hold back, write down everything that comes to mind. But don’t just write the mean stuff… write down what you are grateful about too. And be honest about where, and how you are doing some good… how you are making the world a little better for others.

1.Tell yourself the truth. The ugly truth. Be real. Be raw. Be honest.

2.Include what you are grateful for. Write down who you are grateful for in your life.

3.Write down how you have made the world a little better, where you have made things a little brighter for others.

You don’t have to share your list, but I recommend that you keep track of it. There is a part of me that likes to forget where I put my honesty list. If I can’t find my list, I don’t have to do anything about it. Being honest is a powerful thing when we take the time to just sit with what it.

Can you be honest, and then sit with it?

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For a related post, see “3 Things You Need To Know About Your Inner Critic.” I invite you to sign up for my blog by clicking “Follow Getting High on Recovery.” When you enter your email, you will get free access to the blog. I do not send spam or share your email with anyone.

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Geek Therapy: Getting High with Geek Therapy

In the new year, I will be offering Geek Therapy using popular culture and superheroes. My specialties include addiction and mental health recovery, parent-teen relationships, emotions and communication skill-building, family counseling, trauma support and spirituality in counseling. If you would like to experiment with Geek Therapy and how it can benefit you, contact me at smswaby@icloud.com.

Keep it Real

Photo by Andrew Butler on Unsplash