*October 9th*

Philosophers, clear back to the ancient Greeks, have always made much of the idea of correcting bad habits by daily practice of good ones. We cannot go on functioning as we have been, impulsively and automatically, if we hope to improve our lives.

If we really want peace of mind, the first thing we must know is that it does not depend on conditions "outside" us, but conditions that are "inside" us. An honest look at our own motives may show that we relish our martyrdom, or that we fear subconsciously that we deserve the pain we create.

When we find the causes of our distress and frustration, we can establish correcting habits to overcome them.

Today's Reminder
A program of self-recognition and self-change "reads easy", but "does hard." Many failures come from trying to do too much too fast, and from expecting results overnight. I will search out just one fault, one bad habit, and work to eliminate that one. As I observe the changes this effort brings about in my outside circumstances, I will find the courage to keep on changing myself for the better. This, in turn, will also influence for the better both my spouse and children.

"It is no easy thing for a principle to become a man's own, unless each day he maintain it and work it out in his life." (Epictetus)

[Taken and fashioned from "One Day At A Time In Al-Anon"
for general family relationships by Jim Hogue, MA, MFTI]