The Recovery Guy Podcast

Episode #103 - Tuesday The Fix: Healing While Hurting

If there is anything I have learned about life is that it occurs with or without my permission. Obviously, if it only occurred with my permission only what I wanted when I wanted would it worked for me.

Since that is not the case, I learned early on in recovery that I had to live life on life’s terms. I also learned that, for the most part, I could at least have say in life’s course based on what I did or did not do.

As Bill Wilson so aptly stated (page 133 Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous), "Avoid then, the deliberate manufacture of misery, but if trouble comes, cheerfully capitalize it as an opportunity to demonstrate His omnipotence." In other words, don’t be my own enemy, but if needed rely on God to see me through.

This might seem logical for the person who hasn’t suffered from addiction or a behavioral dysfunction, but to those of us who have this is something we have to learn as a child would learn how to walk. The great Zig Ziglar said "You can tell some of a man’s character when he wins and you can tell it all when he loses."

In recovery, I would paraphrase to say, you can see how a person says they handle life when everything is going their way and you can what they are really made of when their apple cart gets turned upside down.

What to do when life throws us a curve and we are left hurting.

1. Develop an unshakable relationship with God
2. Stay close to those who value add to your life
3. Always have a gratitude list ready to go
4. Be active in serving others
5. Get and maintain closure
6. Wash, rinse, repeat

If we do these things over and over and apply good decision making along the way, if won’t keep us from hurting, but it will be better equipped to Heal While Hurting.

Episode #102 - Friday The Checkup: Getting Out of Our Way

The original quote was “We have met the enemy and he is ours” was from Admiral Perry after his defeat of the British Royal Navy in 1813. The organizers of a 1970 Earth Day Celebration hijacked the quote to meet their purpose as “We have met the enemy and it is us”. Either way you view it there is some application. Sometimes the original quote is appropriate while a/t times the parody fits better.

I believe one indicates how we should view obstacles as something to overcome, where the other is more about getting out of our way.

• Objectively evaluate what our main objective is
• Consider and count our resources
• Develop a realistic timeline in achieving goal
• Monitor progress along the way
• Don’t be discouraged if progress is coming slowly
• Understand that smaller battles can win wars
• Share what we learn and have victory over

The enemy is only us we I give it permission to be. Victory is eventually mine when I see it as mine.

Episode #101 - Tuesday The Fix: Removing Boundaries/Barriers That Hold Us Back

Barrier something material that blocks or is intended to block passage
barricade, fence, hedge, wall

Barriers are good except when they allow the rise of boundaries that keep positive people, events or concepts to help us.

Boundary something that indicates or fixes a limit or extent
cap, ceiling, confines, end, extent, limit, limitation, line, termination

Boundaries are good except when they are barriers to otherwise healthy helps

• Trust incrementally in respect to others and what you share
• See what others do with the removing of barriers or bound
• Realize in most cases what people think of you can’t harm you
• The gains we can make most always exceed the discomfort
• Don’t let me something or someone be the reason you don’t succeed
• Surround yourself with people who can be trusted
• Give your eye on the prize/goal

Amanda Palmer, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Let People Help Me.

Episode #100 - Friday The Checkup: Recovery comes in many ways

The word recovery has different meanings to different people. In the clinical sense recovery refers to a condition that a person experiences when they have overcome a particular mental, emotional or physical diagnosis. When it comes to addiction and other behavioral choices recovery takes on a much more broad definition. There are so many different ways a person recovers and words we may use in describing the recovery.

I have listed below some words that would refer to or be part of your recovery journey. These are words that we can associate with a person who was pulled from a particular peril or life threatening experience or behavior.

Reclaimed -  to regain possession of
Redeemed - to extricate from or help to overcome something detrimental
Salvaged
Restored

Episode #99 - Tuesday The Fix: Follow Robert Along His Path to Recovery

Follow Robert on his 30 for your journey of recovery as he speaks to a group in the park in Bountiful, Utah. Robert explores all of the ins and outs of his personal journey and what he recommends to others as they seek life long recovery.

Episode #98 - Friday The Checkup: Random Thoughts

I hope you are looking at your recovery as an ongoing project. It has to be ongoing. If we stop doing what we did to get to where we are at we run the risk of falling to where we started and even further back. We must view our recovery as a journey. The minute we think it is a destination and consider ourselves as someone who has arrived we are in danger. Please understand and practice that our new found value needs to be used in helping others find their way. It is likely you got to your level of accomplishment with the aid of someone else. Let’s be that someone else to others as well. Most importantly, let us explore how many areas of our life this new found way can benefit.

Episode #97 - Tuesday The Fix: Staying Focused in the Now

Staying focused in the now (today) is more challenging than it appears. The easiest thing to do is get ahead of ourselves. Today is the bigger and more important than yesterday and even tomorrow. WE can change anything about yesterday any more than we can predict how tomorrow will turn. That leaves us to TODAY. Please use these 5 suggestions as a way to approach and process today. Also, check out this power reminder by Steve Harvey, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWDo-y-tK7k

 

Here are here suggestions Randy Garn advised us to adopt for Today’s approach

 

1. Today - Have a very clear detail execution plan for a successful day planed out and live it!

 

2. Today - Believe and act as if everything you want for yourself and your family is possible!

 

3. Today - Do not allow other people’s limited perceptions define who you are or what you are becoming!

 

4. Today - Do the best you can, with the best you’ve got!

 

5. Insure that you are living out your dreams and not living in your fears.

 

Please share this podcast and content for you and others to become more well.

Episode #95 - Tuesday The Fix: The Art of Becoming Whole

Kintsugi is the Japanese art of putting broken pottery pieces back together with gold — built on the idea that in embracing flaws and imperfections, you can create an even stronger, more beautiful piece of art. Every break is unique and instead of repairing an item like new, the 400-year-old technique actually highlights the "scars" as a part of the design. Using this as a metaphor for healing ourselves teaches us an important lesson: Sometimes in the process of repairing things that have broken, we actually create something more unique, beautiful and resilient. In my research, I came across this chef turned author by the name of Candice Kumai. Candice is best known for her clean green smoothies, matcha confections and healthy comfort foods. But in her new book, Kintsugi Wellness: The Japanese Art of Nourishing Mind, Body, and Spirit, the classically trained chef takes us on a different journey to healing and health by exploring the powerful message behind Kintsugi.

Kintsugi has elements of synergy. Synergy is the interaction or cooperation of two or more organizations, substances, or other agents to produce a combined effect greater than the sum of their separate effects.

Here are some things I thought were Kintsugi is relevant to our personal recovery.

• It is the perfect compare and contrast between what I did and what I do.
• Who I thought I was and who I really am.
• My ability to connect with others
• Those I connect with can use my restoration as evidence they can achieve this as well
• My reminder that I need to continue in my forward progress
• That absolutely anyone can be restored from whatever their past was
• If we can recover from this what else can we accomplish
• Knowing that we have a message that starts from within and moves outward

Episode #94 - Friday The Checkup: Steps For The Day

As a person who required and desires a set plan to help be successful, I strive daily to do the things necessary to help ensure my daily success. I hope the things on this list are things that you can incorporate into your life to aid you in elevating your life to make a difference in the lives of others.

1. Get a full night’s rest. Proper sleep helps give me the energy to stay focused during the day
2. Wake up early enough to take some personal time (even if it’s 5-10 minutes of quiet reflection)
3. Listen to podcasts or recordings of positive authors/speakers (automobile U)
4. Make a personal commitment to think on the things that bring a sense of joy and comfort
5. Think of all the reasons that working for Discover helps us achieve our goal of meeting our family/personal needs
6. Realize that merely waking up in America makes us part of 4.4% of the world population
7. Find 1-3 areas of our life that we are grateful for and let them be our fuel for the day
8. Make sure we eat a healthy meal
9. Proper Hydration throughout the day
10. Make sure the people for whom we care know that we care for them.
11. Know that whatever can wait for later doesn’t occupy the present
12. Make a point of making a positive difference in the life of at least one person
13. At the end of my day I express a deep sense of gratitude for what I was given

Episode #233 Tuesday the Fix; Control the Controllable

One of the most challenging things we would ever do in recovery is learning how to control in a healthy manner. One of the things that it says in the big book of Alcoholics Anonymous is “lack of control, that was our dilemma.”. It was not or was not intended for us number to control it is just from an unhealthy standpoint we were trying to control everything but our drinking and or using. We thought if we could control the things outside of us that which was inside would come back within our control. That was the furthest thing from the truth. The truth is and lives until we were able to control our desire for alcohol or drugs and other deviant behavior nothing else, we try to control whatever proves satisfactory. Once we set up on a journey of recovery, we then begin to understand which we can control and that which we either cannot or should not control period I hope you enjoyed this podcast. If there is anything that I can do for you, please let me know what that looks like. In the meantime, be blessed.