Tuesday, November 29, 2022
What kind of person do you want to be? Reflect on that often, but in times when you’ve got some distance from triggering, addictive behaviors. Do you want to be that person? Do you want to be one who cannot control their mouth? Do you want to be one who cannot live without that substance? Do you want to be the one who creeps around in dangerous places on the internet? From what’s unwanted, the darkness, you have to look up.
When you’re looking up ask, “What do I want?” Envision the kind of person you want to be. Cherish the person who doesn’t need the behavior. Cherish the person who is free from the substance. Cherish the person who can help others who are drowning in their own compulsions. Cherish the person who understands when people cannot control their unwanted behavior. It’s not as easy as “stopping.”
We all know that at some level, the animalistic tendency is strong in all of us, and it pulls us away from our right minds. People are addicted to lying, to cheating, to hurting others, to stealing, and to thinking compulsively. To some extent we all know that dirty, little secret of addiction. It’s a dark place, a blind-spot in humanity. Are you unaware of how much you are hurting yourself and others? You can snap out of it, but not right before the triggering behavior has already started. At that point, it’s an ensuing battle of sheer willpower. In moments of lucidity and physical clarity, envision the person you want to be. Return to that vision, and the compulsions will lessen their power, over time. Be compassionate with yourself, and with others. The struggle is real, but the battle is not a fight, per se. It’s in gaining the right perspective, beginning your day by envisioning who you really are, and staying “up there,” forever.