Blog entry for:

Thu, Dec 17, 2015 07:20:21 AM


☀ service motives ☁
posted: Thu, Dec 17, 2015 07:20:21 AM

 

motives, huh? for me, motives are always a sticky wicket and more than once, i did the next right thing for all of the wrong reasons. the nice part of that is, even when i do so, most of the time, things come out the way they are supposed top anyways.
so there is my out and i am sticking to it! i really am powerless in most service situations and gratefully my self-will usually does not prevail.
moving on, it is certainly true, that my motives were more than a little suspect for quite some time. before i was a member i had service positions, mostly at the group level and generally not those that had much effect on the “atmosphere of recovery.” i had various other service positions across the course of my recovery journey and there was once a time, when i had to truly look at my motives and see that i had become a service legend in my own mind. once again, i am grateful that my overbearing need to control the outcomes was matched by an equally zealous member and we pretty much cancelled each other out. i will never, ever get any kind of lifetime achievement award for my service to the fellowship, and today i gratefully relish that fact, as when i serve now, i do so on the down low. i have a sponsee, who seems impressed about how much and where i serve and it is true, that strokes my ego. in reality, these days, i serve because it really is the next right thing to do, and where and how i server, i can carry the HOPE that someone will get the seed of recovery planted and see that even they can escape the cycle of life that addiction has them locked within. for me, i get the satisfaction of seeing where i came from, the bottom of my spiral into oblivion, as it were. i get to allow myself the freedom to recall the feelings, the smells and the trials and tribulations, of those very dark days of forever ago. or was it just yesterday? i do not know how “pure” my motives are today, but i certainly know that there is a whole lot less self-promotion in when and how i serve the fellowship these days.
what i do not have, however, is anything left to say and ironically, yesterday when i wanted to get out of the house early, i did not make, but today, it seems that is how the universe id flowing. so i will serve myself well, and get rolling out into this cold late autumnal day.

∞ DT ∞

 

djtConsulting Brand
The views expressed on this page are solely the opinion of the author.
While the author is a member of a 12 Step recovery fellowship, these writings are not intended to endorse or express the published wisdom of any fellowship.
These writings are not meant to be socially or politically correct, and if you take issue with any opinions expressed, please seek the guidance of someone wiser than me.

Another Look!

↔ service work and motives ↔ 236 words ➥ Friday, December 17, 2004 by: donnot
∞ motive check?reality check! ∞ 288 words ➥ Saturday, December 17, 2005 by: donnot
δ when i find myself with an especially strong urge to do or have something, δ 378 words ➥ Sunday, December 17, 2006 by: donnot
μ when i decide to serve my fellowship, i make a decision to help addicts find and maintain recovery. μ 208 words ➥ Monday, December 17, 2007 by: donnot
∞ my motives are often a surprise to me, even after a bit of time clean! ∞ 505 words ➥ Wednesday, December 17, 2008 by: donnot
± it is much easier to frighten away using addicts than to convince them to stay ± 428 words ➥ Thursday, December 17, 2009 by: donnot
… my service efforts must be motivated by the desire to more successfully … 740 words ➥ Friday, December 17, 2010 by: donnot
≅ i will check my motives for the true spirit of service ≅ 478 words ➥ Saturday, December 17, 2011 by: donnot
« it is particularly important to check my motives » 592 words ➥ Monday, December 17, 2012 by: donnot
ƒ however, an unselfish desire to serve others ƒ 492 words ➥ Tuesday, December 17, 2013 by: donnot
→ everything that occurs in the course of service to this fellowship ↵ 621 words ➥ Wednesday, December 17, 2014 by: donnot
🌎 the true sprint of service 🌎 502 words ➥ Saturday, December 17, 2016 by: donnot
🌊 motivated by the DESIRE 🌌 798 words ➥ Sunday, December 17, 2017 by: donnot
👁 what i really want 👁 625 words ➥ Monday, December 17, 2018 by: donnot
✓ checking my motives ✔ 724 words ➥ Tuesday, December 17, 2019 by: donnot
🗦 an unselfish desire 🗧 329 words ➥ Thursday, December 17, 2020 by: donnot
🦚 game-playing, 🦚 477 words ➥ Friday, December 17, 2021 by: donnot
🤔 the desire 🤐 438 words ➥ Saturday, December 17, 2022 by: donnot
😑 patience 😑 372 words ➥ Sunday, December 17, 2023 by: donnot
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☯ The Tao that can be spoken is not the eternal Tao ☯

THE TAO TEH KING, OR THE TAO AND ITS CHARACTERISTICS
by Lao-Tse
Translated by James Legge

Book 1

5) Thus it was that when the Tao was lost, its attributes appeared;
when its attributes were lost, benevolence appeared; when benevolence
was lost, righteousness appeared; and when righteousness was lost,
the proprieties appeared.