Only I Can Change My Life



Carol Burnett may be an American comedian, but she’s spot-on right with this quote. It’s not a joke. In Recovery, we learn that we are solely responsible for our lives. If we’re happy, it’s because we have taken ownership of our lives and made necessary changes.

If we’re whining through life it’s because we’ve chosen to victimize ourselves and to be the victim of the world. We’ve decided we don’t want to do the work that is necessary to change our thinking and behavior. And we’re still seeking someone else to fix our lives and make us happy.

Well, I love Disney movies, but there’s no magic prince, princess or fairy godmother who’s going to rescue me or you.

Nothing in this world changes or gets better until I decide to make the necessary changes within myself. I can do it. We all can do it. We have to pick ourselves up, work hard to be responsible for our lives and happiness, and rely on a Higher Power and trusted others to ASSIST us.

No one else can do for us what we need to FIRST do for ourselves. If we want our lives to change for the better, we need to take charge, not play the helpless victim. We need therapy, we need to get to support group meetings, we need to do recovery reading and we need to connect with a Higher Power. Once we are in charge, others can help us, but no one can ever help us before we take the first step.

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