For many of us, being in recovery means that we saved our own lives.  What an accomplishment! 

One day, I just knew I had reached the place that was the very bottom.  I knew there was no option for me to go further down the deep, dark hole I had made of my life.  It is quite remarkable for me to think how powerful that moment was, when I made the decision to reach out and ask for help.  180-degree turn around!  So many of us have made that decision and yet I don't think we totally grasp the importance of what that means.

We celebrate our recovery, one day at a time, probably because we have a support system that teaches us to do so.  Yet, I see so many men and women in recovery keeping an image of themselves as a failure.  Come on, you guys!  You are awesome human beings who refused to give up!  You are true warriors of the heart!

It is time to change our self-image.  We are not just "recovering" people, we are amazing, powerful, beautiful human beings.  We are highly successful on our spiritual path.    Most of my life, I saw myself as a bad person.  I was filled with shame for my entire life and well into the first few years of my recovery.  With lots of therapy, I gradually cleansed myself of that shame. Building a healthy self-esteem was my new focus in life. Today, over 21 years into it, I have evolved from building self-esteem to embracing an image of myself as a successful person.   As I am focusing on shifting my self-image (the way I see myself, from the inside-out) I just had a breakthrough: when I was a kid, we used to play Monopoly with my brothers and my mother.  I remember clearly wanting to win the game.  It wasn't because i wanted to be better than the others, it is just that I really valued success!  My mother shamed me for years and years about that.  She said I was cheating and kept ridiculing me.  So I went on in my life feeling like a bad person destined to fail at anything.  Today I realize how vibrant and joyful my spirit was!  Yes, I loved success because it was for me a way to let my true Spirit out!

So, I am now embracing that part of me again.  Yes, I am a success, I always have been a success and I will always be a success,as long as I continue to let my Spirit shine through me.  How about you?  Do you see yourself as a success?  What will you do today to let that wonderful Spirit in you shine?