living the soul of recovery
This is reprinted from my 11/11/11 Newsletter:
It is afternoon break time and I’m sitting in the sunlight with a glass of acai juice, looking back through my journal. I don’t get to do this often enough, and today it seems especially enjoyable. A pleasant surprise shows up in the form of this touching little poem I wrote a few months ago and had forgotten about till now:
This quote from the Hopi Elders came to my mind as I was with a client, whom I’ll call Jane. Jane had been waiting most of her life – for the right time, the right job, the right man, the right pretty much everything. In the session, I asked her if she’d rather continue to wait for the right whatever or be happy. She responded rather indignantly, “Well how could I be happy with something that isn’t right, that isn’t the way it should be?” I said that is a great question, and the answer ought to come from her heart, not her head.
(*H.I.G.H. = Honesty, Integrity, Gratitude, Humility)
Good, strong recovery from addictions and self-limiting habit patterns is built on four primary pillars:
Success means something different to everyone. To some people it may mean financial wealth, to some it may mean having a loving family. Some people may define success as having good health and well-being, while others may say it is fame.
But whatever one’s personal definition of success is, at the heart of it we all seem to have one thing in common: when we feel fulfilled in a personally meaningful way, we consider ourselves successful. At the same time, we usually find that success tends to feel hollow or shallow unless it is in service to something greater than purely personal gain. Physical or mental success eventually fails us when we lack a spiritual connection to it.
First, this issue launches the rebirth of my newsletter, online, free, with a new look and a new name: George Herrick’s LifeLetter. Each issue will bring you inspirations, features and recommendations you can use to enhance your life and follow your dreams.
The hard-copy version will remain quarterly and will comprise selected articles from the online version. It will continue to be distributed to the offices of therapists and other coaches, and you can also get a subscription mailed to you for $19 per year.