The Wisdom of the Rooms

January 2012
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Sat, 20 December 2008

Wisdom 43: Give all your problems to God - He'll be up all night anyway!

Hi, this is Michael Z with The wisdom of the rooms.com, and I’d like to welcome you to this week’s Wisdom quote. I’ll be reading today from my new book of Wisdom Quotes – “The Wisdom of the Rooms, Volume Two” which is now available on Amazon.com and from my website.

I’m offering a special on signed copies of this beautiful book when you place an order from my website right now. You can now enter the coupon code – volumetwo – that’s all one word – volumetwo - during check out and you’ll immediately save $2.00 per copy.

Remember, these books make wonderful gifts for those you know in and out of recovery, and now with this special coupon, they are just $12.95 for signed copies. Make sure and order yours in time for Holiday delivery and you and yours will enjoy them throughout the year.

OK, now on to today’s quote which is from this new volume of Wisdom Quotes and it is:

Give all your problems to God - He'll be up all night anyway!

When I first heard this saying I instantly thought of all the nights I used to lay in bed worrying, rehashing, or trying to solve all my problems. In fact, before recovery it was actually easier to sleep because I would use drugs or alcohol or even enmeshment with other people to help distract me. But when I entered the program, it seemed like it was just me and my problems - I didn't get a lot of sleep!

It took a long time for me to develop enough faith to turn my will and my life (and problems) over to my Higher Power. The idea of it sounded good, but it proved very difficult to do in practice. Oh I could turn it over in my morning meditation, but by noon I had usually taken it all back. And by night? Whew! It was just me and my problems again!

As I progressed in my recovery, I learned that the definition of faith is believing what you cannot see, and the reward of faith is seeing what you believe. Through faith and through developing a practice of turning situations, people and problems over to God, I've been rewarded with a life that is, for the most part, happy joyous and free.

And now when I go to sleep, I give all my problems to God because my faith tells me He will be up all night anyway!

Reflection Questions

Did I have problems getting to sleep in early recovery?

How did I deal with this?

Do I still lay in bed at night worrying about my problems?

How successful am I in turning my will and my life over to my Higher Power each morning?

What kind of a difference does this make for me?

Am I living a life that is happy, joyous and free?

I hope you have enjoyed today’s Wisdom quote from the new book “The Wisdom of the Rooms, Volume Two.” Once again, signed copies are available right now from my website for just $12.95 when you use the special coupon code – volumetwo. I have copies in stock and ready to ship today.

Also, please keep sending me some of your favorite 12-Step quotes. I welcome quotes from all 12 Step program. You can email them to me at: MichaelZ@thewisdomoftherooms.com and please put the word wisdom in the subject line.

Once again, thank you for joining me today, and I hope you enjoyed this week’s Wisdom Quote. I encourage you to subscribe to this podcast and please tell a friend.

Until next week, enjoy the peace of your spiritual journey.

Direct download: WisdomoftheRooms_043.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 12:14 AM

Mon, 15 December 2008

Wisdom 42: If I'm not the problem, then there is no solution

OK, now on to today’s quote which is from this new volume of Wisdom Quotes and it is:

If I'm not the problem, then there is no solution.

When I came into the program, I had a lot of problems and most of them were your fault. My girlfriend didn't understand me; my boss didn't appreciate me; the police didn't like it when I drove after just a few drinks (I was fine!), and on and on. If everyone would just get off my back, then I’d be fine I thought.

When I began working my program, I was introduced to the 4th Step - made a searching and fearless moral inventory - and my sponsor showed me how to make a list of all the persons and institutions I resented. Finally I could put down on paper and document how I had been wronged. Perfect! I thought. But then he slipped in a fourth column called, "My Part", and told me to document my role in all my resentments and interactions.

Now that was a tough pill to swallow. With his help, though, and a willingness to be fearless and thorough, I was able to see that I HAD a part in them all. And what a gift that turned out to be. I discovered that if it was all your fault, and I certainly couldn't control or change you, then I would forever be a victim and nothing would change. But if I took responsibility for my part, which was something I could control and change, then I was released from the bondage of resentment and was finally free to live a new and better life.

Today I understand the wisdom in the quote: "If I'm not the problem, then there is no solution."

Reflection Questions

How much finger pointing did I do before recovery?

Did I ever take responsibility for my part back then?

What was my reaction to my first 4th step?

How hard was it for me to come up with my part?

Was I able to see how taking responsibility for my part was the shift that set me free?

Am I quick to see my part in situations today?

Once again, thank you for joining me today, and I hope you enjoyed this week’s Wisdom Quote. I encourage you to subscribe to this podcast and please tell a friend.

Until next week, enjoy the peace of your spiritual journey.

Direct download: WisdomoftheRooms_042.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 9:51 PM

Fri, 28 November 2008

Wisdom 41: Keep the lesson, but throw away the experience.

Hi, this is Michael Z with The wisdom of the rooms.com, and I’d like to welcome you to this week’s Wisdom quote. I’ll be reading today from my new book of Wisdom Quotes – The Wisdom of the Rooms, Volume Two, which is now available on Amazon.com and from my website.

OK, now on to today’s quote which is from this new volume of Wisdom Quotes and it is:

Keep the lesson, but throw away the experience.

Boy this quote gave me a jolt when I first heard it. For years I'd been so wrapped up in the drama of my life, I never stopped to look at what I could have learned from it. Events seemed to descend on me, each like the one before it, but because I wasn't learning the lessons, I didn't know I was destined to keep repeating the experiences.

When I was new in recovery, I used to complain to my sponsor all the time. "And then this happened to me, and she didn't do this, and they told me this..." and on and on. He would listen very patiently then ask, "And what is your part again?" After I'd figure out where I was at fault, I'd find the solution - and that always led to the lesson.

Today I don't have to keep reliving experiences, and I don't have to drag the past into the future either. Because of the 10th Step, each night I get to review the experiences of the day, look at my part, and discover and grow from the lesson. It's always there if I'm willing to be honest.

Today, I've learned to keep the lesson but throw away the experience.

Reflection Questions

How often does the drama in my life obscure the lesson?

Have I made the connection between having to repeat experiences until I learn their lessons?

How quick am I to look at my part?

Do I see how my part leads to the solutions and hence the lesson?

How often do I write a 10th step inventory?

Have I learned to keep the lesson but throw away the experience today?

Once again, thank you for joining me today, and I hope you enjoyed this week’s Wisdom Quote. I encourage you to subscribe to this podcast and please tell a friend.

Until next week, enjoy the peace of your spiritual journey.

Direct download: WisdomoftheRooms_041.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 11:27 PM

Fri, 21 November 2008

Wisdom 40: Trying to understand God just makes His job harder.

OK, now on to today’s quote which is from this new volume of Wisdom Quotes and it is:

Trying to understand God just makes His job harder.

I can't tell you how much time I've spent trying to figure out who or what God is. I've spent years trying to understand the Catholic God I was raised with, and more years trying to define God from a philosophical perspective, then years denying the whole idea of God by becoming an agnostic and even a part time atheist. It seemed the more I tried to understand God, the further away from Him I got.

Even in early recovery I tried to figure God out - this time through the 'open assignment' of defining a God of my own understanding. You can imagine how that went. I thought about, analyzed and tried once again to understand who or what God was. After a while I grew just as despondent and felt just as far away as before. And that's when I finally surrendered.

Once I gave up trying to understand God and instead looked at the evidence of God's presence in my life, I began to develop a knowing that went beyond understanding. Suddenly I just knew that a force was working miracles in my life, that it was always available to me, and that it would never let me down.

This knowing is what I now call faith, and now I understand why trying to figure God out just makes His job harder.

Reflection Questions

How much time have I spent trying to figure God out?

How has this gone for me?

Did my experience change when I entered the program and worked steps two and three?

Have I given up trying to understand God yet?

What is my faith like today?

How would I describe a God of my understanding?

Once again, thank you for joining me today, and I hope you enjoyed this week’s Wisdom Quote. I encourage you to subscribe to this podcast and please tell a friend.

Until next week, enjoy the peace of your spiritual journey.

Direct download: WisdomoftheRooms_040.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 7:23 PM

Fri, 14 November 2008

Wisdom 39: Would you rather be right, or would you rather be happy?

Hi, this is Michael Z with The wisdom of the rooms.com, and I’d like to welcome you to this week’s Wisdom quote. I’ll be reading today from my new book of Wisdom Quotes – The Wisdom of the Rooms, Volume Two which is now available on Amazon.com and from my website.

OK, now on to today’s quote which is from this new volume of Wisdom Quotes and it is:

Would you rather be right, or would you rather be happy?

Now that was a hard one to answer when I was new. In fact, my answer back then was, "But I was right! He/she/they were wrong! It has nothing to do with being happy!" How wrong I was. By clinging to my self-righteous pride and ego, I fought a lot of people and a lot of things to maintain my right to be right.

And I paid a steep price for this stubbornness. Living in opposition to a lot of people, places and institutions takes a lot of energy, and it constantly creates a lot of resentments. And resentments will kill me. In order to stay alive, I've had to learn to forget about who's right or wrong, and instead to focus on my part. Mine is the only part I can control, and if my side of the street is clean, then I become open to the only real solution to any situation: forgiveness, surrender and acceptance.

Today I know that while I rarely have the opportunity to be right, I always have the choice to be happy. By doing a 10th step each day and looking at and correcting my part, I get to forget about who is right, and I get to be happy and free instead.

And today I'd rather be happy than right.

Reflection Questions

How did I feel about this question the first time I heard it?

Do I still righteously hold on to my right to be right?

What is my experience when I do this?

How often do I focus on my side of the street?

Do I now understand that I always have the choice to be happy?

Do I choose to right or happy today?

Once again, thank you for joining me today, and I hope you enjoyed this week’s Wisdom Quote. I encourage you to subscribe to this podcast and please tell a friend.

Until next week, enjoy the peace of your spiritual journey.

Direct download: WisdomoftheRooms_039.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 2:19 PM

Sun, 9 November 2008

Wisdom 38: Listen for the similarities not the differences.

OK, now on to today’s quote which is from this new volume of Wisdom Quotes and it is:

Listen for the similarities not the differences.

I was given this suggestion right before my first ever meeting, and not only did it allow me to pay closer attention, but it also helped me to identify and come to see how I fit in. I relied on this and kept listening for the similarities during other meetings, and each time I did I found pieces of myself and my story come out of the mouths of others.

Besides identifying with others in this way, I also began identifying with the different stages of recovery. Each time someone shared their experience of using the steps to meet life on life's terms, I could begin relating my own journey of recovery and this gave me hope and the strength to keep going.

Like many of the lessons I have learned in recovery, I now apply this one in all areas of my life. Listening for the similarities in others experience at work, at home, and in all my relationships has increased my empathy not only for others, but also for myself.

Today, I'm quick to see how my experience and life journey is similar to others and this helps keep me connected, humble and happy.

Reflection Questions

How often do I find myself listening for the differences rather than the similarities?

Can I see how I do this to judge others and build myself up?

How do I feel when I do this?

What is my experience like when I listen for the similarities instead?

Why don’t I do this more often?

Am I willing to ask God to direct my thinking each morning?

I hope you have enjoyed today’s Wisdom quote from the new book The Wisdom of the Rooms, Volume Two. Once again, signed copies are available right now from my website for just $12.95 when you use the special coupon code – volumetwo. I have copies in stock and ready to ship today.

Once again, thank you for joining me today, and I hope you enjoyed this week’s Wisdom Quote. I encourage you to subscribe to this podcast and please tell a friend.

Until next week, enjoy the peace of your spiritual journey.

Direct download: WisdomoftheRooms_038.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 7:14 PM

Fri, 31 October 2008

Wisdom 37: When one door closes, another opens, but it's hell in the hallway.

Hi, this is Michael Z with The wisdom of the rooms.com, and I’d like to welcome you to this week’s Wisdom quote. By the way, my new book, The Wisdom of the Rooms, Volume Two is now available, and this week’s quote is from this new volume of Wisdom quotes.

I encourage you to visit my website, www.thewisdomoftherooms.com where you can get a signed copy of the book, or visit Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble.com. With the holidays right around the corner, people tell me they make great gifts not only for yourself, but also for those you know in and out of recovery.

OK, on to today’s quote which is:

"When one door closes, another opens, but it's hell in the hallway."

Boy do we hate change. Before recovery I had few tools or healthy ways of dealing with change. If something ended in my life, it often felt like the end of my life. Once I entered the hallway, it was dark indeed.

As I worked through my program of recovery, I learned many valuable life lessons. The first was 'One day at a time.' Although seemingly simple, this reminds me that I can do anything just for today, and get through it if I keep my focus on today. The hallway doesn't look so long or so dark when I do this.

Perhaps the biggest lesson I learned is that "This, too, shall pass." No matter how bad things are, or what is happening, it too will pass and things will change. And with change will come new openings, new opportunities, and new beginnings.

Today, when one door closes, I have the tools to deal with the hallway while I wait and watch for the new doors to open.

Reflections Questions:

How do I feel about change today?

How do I currently deal with the hallway?

What tools do I use to keep myself focused on today?

When I’m deep in the hallway, am I able to remember that this, too, will pass?

What experiences can I draw on to remind me that new doors do indeed open?

Do I now embrace change and recognize it as the force of renewal and release that it is?

Wisdom End

I hope you have enjoyed today’s Wisdom quote from my new book of Wisdom Quotes: The Wisdom of the Rooms, Volume Two. Once again, it is available right now from my website and I’m offering $3.00 off if you want to get both volume one and two together. I do hope you’ll stop by and have a look.

Also, please keep sending me some of your favorite 12-Step quotes. I welcome quotes from all 12 Step programs… just email them to me at: MichaelZ@thewisdomoftherooms.com and please put the word wisdom in the subject line.

Once again, thank you for joining me today, and I hope you enjoyed this week’s Wisdom Quote. I encourage you to subscribe to this podcast and please tell a friend.

Until next week, stay close to your Higher Power, and I’ll talk to you then.

Direct download: WisdomoftheRooms_037.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 1:09 PM

Fri, 24 October 2008

Wisdom 36: Many of us get to Heaven by backing away from Hell

Well hello, this is Michael Z with The wisdom of the rooms.com, and welcome to week 36 of the Weekly Wisdom Quotes.

As you know, the wisdom of the rooms is dedicated to collecting and distributing some of the best 12-step quotes and saying that are heard in the rooms of recovery from around the world. I believe that these sayings are part of our “collective experience” as we work the spiritual program that is the 12-Step journey.

Again, I want to thank all those of who have sent me testimonials for the upcoming Vol. II. Of the Wisdom of the Rooms, they are wonderful. For those of you who are still thinking of sending me one, please do. Just email them to me at: MichaelZ@thewisdomoftherooms.com

I want to thank you in advance for all your support, and I’ll be on the lookout for them…

Today I will be sharing another new quote from the new Volume of the “The Wisdom of the Rooms, The Second Year of Weekly Reflections”, and the quote is:

"Many of us get to Heaven by backing away from Hell"

At a meeting the other day someone was going on and on about how he hated being an alcoholic. What a curse he kept saying, why couldn't he be like normal people? Someone else then shared about the extreme gratitude she felt being an alcoholic, and she said that if having alcoholism was the only way of finding and establishing a relationship with God, then she would have gladly chosen to be an alcoholic.

This made me think about my own journey and attitude about my disease. In the beginning, I, too, was resentful I had to work a program and attend meetings, and I could never understand when someone identified as a 'grateful alcoholic.' Grateful for what, I'd wonder.

Now that I'm sober a while though, I have come to understand and appreciate what the Big Book means about how our past becomes our greatest treasure. This has many implications, of course, but one is that if I hadn't been dying, and if alcoholism hadn't driven me to perdition, I may never have reached out for life, for the program and for God. It is indeed true that many of us get to heaven by backing away from hell. Today I know what it means to be a grateful alcoholic.

Also, please send me some of your favorite 12-Step quotes. I needs quotes from all 12 Step programs… Please email them to me at: MichaelZ@thewisdomoftherooms.com and please put the word wisdom in the subject line.

Once again, thank you for joining me today, and I hope you enjoyed this week’s Wisdom Quote. I encourage you to subscribe to this podcast and please tell a friend.

Once again, please send me your testimonials for the new Vol. Of Wisdom Quotes. In the meantime, I look forward to next week and hope you will tune in again, and in the meantime, have a great week!

Direct download: WisdomoftheRooms_036.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 2:37 PM

Fri, 17 October 2008

Wisdom 35: The degree of my anxiety is a measure of my distance from God.

Well, happy October everyone, this is Michael Z with The wisdom of the rooms.com, and welcome you to this week’s Wisdom Quote.

I have some exciting news for you today – my new book of Wisdom Quote is at the printers right now, and it is available for order on my website. This is a brand new volume of quotes and reflection questions, and it’s called, “The Wisdom of the Rooms, A Year of Weekly Reflections, Volume Two,” and it’s truly wonderful.

The people who have already read it just love it, and if you’ve been enjoying these Wisdom Quotes, then I encourage you to order your copies now. They make great gifts for the holidays for people you know in and out of recovery.

So visit my website, www.thewisdomoftherooms.com and you can read all about it.

In fact, today’s quote is from this new volume, and it is:

"The degree of my anxiety is a measure of my distance from God."

Before recovery, anxiety was the master of my life. Without a relationship with God, I faced life alone and was in constant fear of not getting my needs met or of losing something I had so desperately fought to get. The past was a constant source of regret and shame, and the future was filled with countless unknown dangers that would surely overwhelm me. All this made the present intolerable.

When I entered recovery, I brought my constant obsession with the past and future into the rooms with me. Thankfully my sponsor taught me about living one day at a time and showed me that was where I would find God - today, right here, right now. He told me that if I could get present, and so be in the presence of God, my anxiety would go away.

This was simple advice, but not so easy to do. The more I worked at practicing it, though, the more I found it to be true. Over the years I’ve found that the more I use the tools of the program – prayer and meditation, pausing and asking for God’s guidance, and acknowledging in the moment that God is here – the more I find myself in the peace and serenity of God’s presence.

Today I use the degree of my anxiety to measure my distance from God.

Reflection Questions

What was my anxiety level like before recovery?

How would I define my relationship to God before recovery?

When I entered recovery, did my anxiety level go up or down?

How hard was it for me to be present?

Is it still hard for me to be present?

How do I feel when I’m able to be in the presence of God?

I hope you have enjoyed today’s Wisdom quote from my new book of Wisdom Quotes: The Wisdom of the Rooms, Volume Two. Once again, it is available right now from my website. I do hope you’ll stop by and have a look.

Once again, thank you for joining me today, and I hope you enjoyed this week’s Wisdom Quote. I encourage you to subscribe to this podcast and please tell a friend.

Until next week, keep close to your Higher Power. I’ll talk to you then.

Direct download: WisdomoftheRooms_035.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 1:13 PM

Fri, 10 October 2008

Wisdom 34: I learn to stop trying hard, and learn to try different

Well hello, this is Michael Z with The wisdom of the rooms.com, and welcome to week 34 of the Weekly Wisdom Quotes.

I want to thank you in advance for all your support, and I’ll be on the lookout for them…

Today I will be sharing another new quote from the new Volume of the “The Wisdom of the Rooms, The Second Year of Weekly Reflections”, and the quote is:

"I learn to stop trying hard, and learn to try different."

We alcoholics are a stubborn lot. When I entered the program, there was only one way to do something - my way. And if that didn't work I would just try harder. Bolstered by a seemingly limitless supply of self will, I was convinced that I could and would get something done. Exhausting though it may have been (for me and those around me) sometimes I even succeeded.

When I entered the program, I was told I needed to change my thinking and abandon my old ideas. While I changed some of them, I still thought that my will, my determination, and my way of doing and getting things would still work. I tried hard to let go, and when that didn't work, I tried harder. In recovery, though, my tolerance for pain isn't as high, and I feel the affects of trying hard much sooner, and more importantly, recovery began to show me that there might be another way.

When my sponsor first suggested that I pray about a problem or situation, and then turn it over to my Higher Power, I first thought, "Well that's not going to work. I've got to.." When I tried it I found that it did work, and over the years I've discovered many other ways of handling things. Now when I'm struggling with a problem or situation, I stop trying so hard, and I've learned to try different. And it works (when I work it).

Once again, thank you for joining me today, and I hope you enjoyed this week’s Wisdom Quote. I encourage you to subscribe to this podcast and please tell a friend.

Once again, please send me your testimonials for the new Vol. Of Wisdom Quotes. In the meantime, I look forward to next week and hope you will tune in again, and in the meantime, have a great week!

Direct download: WisdomoftheRooms_034.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 6:40 PM

Fri, 3 October 2008

Wisdom 33: God is the answer, so now, what is the question?

Well hello, this is Michael Z with The wisdom of the rooms.com, and welcome to week 33 of the Weekly Wisdom Quotes.

I want to thank you in advance for all your support, and I’ll be on the lookout for them…

Today I will be sharing another new quote from the new Volume of the “The Wisdom of the Rooms, The Second Year of Weekly Reflections”, and the quote is:

"God is the answer, so now, what is the question?"

When I was new, I had a hard time with the God part of the program. "Higher Power" made it a little easier, and at first the group of drunks (G.O.D.) in the meetings were my Higher Power because they could do something I couldn't - stop drinking.

So in the beginning I became willing to turn that portion of my life over, but I held on to most of the other areas. I mean, "God wasn't paying my rent, was He?" I'd think. "I'm the one who has to make everything happen" was my early attitude. But this changed, slowly, as I saw that the more I turned over, the better things got.

Today I understand the wisdom of the third step, and prefer to turn all my will and life over to God. Without exception, any answer in my life that comes from God turns out to be the best for me and all involved. Now when I'm anxious or frightened or worried, I turn to God, and if I dwell there long enough I usually forget the reason why. God truly is the answer, so now, what was the question?

Once again, thank you for joining me today, and I hope you enjoyed this week’s Wisdom Quote. I encourage you to subscribe to this podcast and please tell a friend.

Once again, please send me your testimonials for the new Vol. Of Wisdom Quotes. In the meantime, I look forward to next week and hope you will tune in again, and in the meantime, have a great week!

Direct download: WisdomoftheRooms_033.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 3:57 PM

Fri, 26 September 2008

Wisdom 32: How do you know when you've hit bottom? When you stop digging.

Well hello, this is Michael Z with The wisdom of the rooms.com, and welcome to week 32 of the Weekly Wisdom Quotes.

I want to thank you in advance for all your support, and I’ll be on the lookout for them…

Today I will be sharing another new quote from the new Volume of the “The Wisdom of the Rooms, The Second Year of Weekly Reflections”, and the quote is:

"How do you know when you've hit bottom? When you stop digging."

For years I was driven by an obsession to drink. In the beginning I tried to control it, but after a while it had complete control of me. Alcoholism took me to a deep emotional, spiritual and physical bottom, and only when I surrendered to this program did I begin to recover.

In sobriety I've found that the obsessive thinking of this disease is still with me, and there have been other areas in which I've hit a bottom. In early recovery the obsessive thinking often took me down, and when I finally did let go there were usually deep claw marks in whatever it was that I was releasing.

One of the gifts of my recovery is that I've learned that I have the choice of when to stop digging. When my obsessive thinking starts, I now have tools I can use to be restored to sanity. By turning my thinking over to my Higher Power, sharing my thoughts in meetings, with my sponsor or others, I avoid the old bottoms and can live a much freer life. How do I know when I've hit bottom today? When I choose to stop digging!

I hope you have enjoyed today’s quote and once again I’d like to thank you all for joining me. Please encourage your friends to sign up for these quotes by going to my website. By signing up they’ll receive a free Wisdom Quote each Monday morning. As many of you know, it’s a wonderful way to begin the week.

Once again, thank you for joining me today, and I hope you enjoyed this week’s Wisdom Quote. I encourage you to subscribe to this podcast and please tell a friend.

Once again, please send me your testimonials for the new Vol. Of Wisdom Quotes. In the meantime, I look forward to next week and hope you will tune in again, and in the meantime, have a great week!

Direct download: WisdomoftheRooms_032.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 1:26 PM

Fri, 12 September 2008

Wisdom 31: My recovery changed when I forever gave up the hope of having a different past.

My recovery changed when I forever gave up the hope of having a different past.

Well hello, this is Michael Z with The wisdom of the rooms.com, and welcome to week 31 of the Weekly Wisdom Quotes.

I want to thank you in advance for all your support, and I’ll be on the lookout for them…

Today I will be sharing another new quote from the new Volume of the “The Wisdom of the Rooms, The Second Year of Weekly Reflections”, and the quote is:

My recovery changed when I forever gave up the hope of having a different past.

I have spent a lot of time thinking about my past. Alternately feeling sorry for myself or being outraged at the wrongs - real or
imagined - that were done to me, a constant theme in my thinking is how much different, better, happier I would be if only I hadn't had these parents, or stepparents, or those siblings, or on and on.

But it will never be different. My past will be my past always, and, good or bad, it is uniquely mine. When I got to the program I was taught that in recovery we stop fighting everybody and everything, in other words we surrender. One definition of surrender is to lay down our arms and join the winning side. By surrendering my old feelings about my past, I start to see it in a new light, and a new miracle has begun.

By working my program, I am able to make peace with my past, to look at my part and see the lessons and gifts it has to offer. In time, I come to see how valuable my experiences are, and how I can use them to help another. "One's deepest wounds, integrated, become our greatest power." Once I have healed my past, I begin to see how it can help heal another.

Once again, thank you for joining me today, and I hope you enjoyed this week’s Wisdom Quote. I encourage you to subscribe to this podcast and please tell a friend.

Once again, please send me your testimonials for the new Vol. Of Wisdom Quotes. In the meantime, I look forward to next week and hope you will tune in again, and in the meantime, have a great week!

Direct download: WisdomoftheRooms_031.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 7:43 PM

Fri, 5 September 2008

Wisdom 30: God, help me to go from where I am, to where I need to be, for who I am.

Well hello, this is Michael Z with The wisdom of the rooms.com, and welcome to week 29 of the Weekly Wisdom Quotes.

I want to thank you in advance for all your support, and I’ll be on the lookout for them…

Today I will be sharing another new quote from the new Volume of the “The Wisdom of the Rooms, The Second Year of Weekly Reflections”, and the quote is:

God, help me to go from where I am, to where I need to be, for who I am.

This is a beautiful 11th step prayer. Although compact and seemingly simple, it is one of the purest ways of working this step. In the first part, "God, help me to go from where I am," I am strengthening my conscious contact as I partner with my Higher Power and invite Him to guide me on my spiritual journey.

The second part, "to where I need to be," reveals the wisdom of this prayer as it shows that I have truly turned the result of my journey over to God. Like all great spiritual treatments, the power here comes from me getting out of the way - thus removing my limited thinking and self will - and allowing God's limitless power and infinite resources to do for me what I can't do for myself.

The last part, "for who I am" reinforces the power of faith. Trusting that God's ultimate knowledge and will for me will reveal my true purpose gives me the greatest gift of all - a real chance at the fulfillment, peace and happiness I seek.

Once again, thank you for joining me today, and I hope you enjoyed this week’s Wisdom Quote. I encourage you to subscribe to this podcast and please tell a friend.

Once again, please send me your testimonials for the new Vol. Of Wisdom Quotes. In the meantime, I look forward to next week and hope you will tune in again, and in the meantime, have a great week!

Direct download: WisdomoftheRooms_030.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 1:23 PM

Fri, 22 August 2008

Wisdom 029: Did God introduce me to the program, or did the program introduce me to God?

Did God introduce me to the program, or did the program introduce me to God?

Well hello, this is Michael Z with The wisdom of the rooms.com, and welcome to week 29 of the Weekly Wisdom Quotes.

I want to thank you in advance for all your support, and I’ll be on the lookout for them…

Today I will be sharing another new quote from the new Volume of the “The Wisdom of the Rooms, The Second Year of Weekly Reflections”, and the quote is:

Did God introduce me to the program, or did the program introduce me to God?

In the beginning of my recovery, I spent a lot of time resenting that I had to go to all these meetings and do all this work. "Why can't I just lead a normal life?" I cried. It took quite a while before I began to appreciate how fortunate I was to be on a spiritual path that led to a relationship with God, as I understand Him.

I now know that the greatest gift I've received in recovery has been my relationship with my Higher Power. The freedom, the serenity, the ability to finally live life on life's terms are all parts of the indescribable miracle that has come as the result of finding God through my 12 step program.

So now whenever I cry about being so different and about having to keep going to meetings, I ask myself, "If the program was the only way I would have found God, would I have chosen to be an alcoholic?" My answer is a resounding YES. I now know that it doesn't matter whether God introduced me to the program or if the program introduced me to God. All that is important is that I found Him.

Once again, thank you for joining me today, and I hope you enjoyed this week’s Wisdom Quote. I encourage you to subscribe to this podcast and please tell a friend.

Once again, please send me your testimonials for the new Vol. Of Wisdom Quotes. In the meantime, I look forward to next week and hope you will tune in again, and in the meantime, have a great week!

Direct download: WisdomoftheRooms_029.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 5:26 PM

Fri, 15 August 2008

Wisdom 028: Let go of your old ideas - even the good ones

Let go of your old ideas - even the good ones

Well hello, this is Michael Z with The wisdom of the rooms.com, and welcome to week 27 of the Weekly Wisdom Quotes.

I want to thank you in advance for all your support, and I’ll be on the lookout for them…

Today I will be sharing another new quote from the new Volume of the “The Wisdom of the Rooms, The Second Year of Weekly Reflections”, and the quote is:

"Let go of your old ideas - even the good ones."

When I was new in recovery, my sponsor always used to ask me what my "back pocket" plans were. These were the plans and ideas I had that were so good I thought I didn't have to run them by him. Once I did though, I was amazed by how all of my thinking was screwed up - not just the parts that were obvious.

What I have come to learn in recovery is that my thinking has to change if I want to get better. All of the thoughts, ideas and plans I had before recovery (even my best thinking), could not get me well. "My best thinking got me into the rooms" is a quote that constantly reminds me of this.

For me, recovery means abandoning myself to this program and letting go of all of my old ideas - even the good ones. In fact today when I have a good idea it's a tip off that I'd better run it by someone. And when I do, I'm reminded that my thinking still isn't quite right. Thank God I don't have to do this alone!

·What were some of my “back pocket” plans in early recovery?

·What are some of my current good ideas -- ideas so good I haven't yet told anyone about yet?

·Who do I regularly check in with and run my thinking by? Have I done this lately?

·Now that I have some recovery and been restored to sanity around my addiction, can I see how my thinking is still affected by the disease?

·What old ideas do I have that I'm secretly holding on to?

What would take for me to become willing to let go of these?

Am I willing to pray for God to help me to be of service, and am I open to looking for these opportunities in my daily experience?

Once again, thank you for joining me today, and I hope you enjoyed this week’s Wisdom Quote. I encourage you to subscribe to this podcast and please tell a friend.

Once again, please send me your testimonials for the new Vol. Of Wisdom Quotes. In the meantime, I look forward to next week and hope you will tune in again, and in the meantime, have a great week!

Direct download: WisdomoftheRooms_028.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 3:53 PM

Fri, 8 August 2008

Wisdom 027: What other people think of me is none of my business

What other people think of me is none of my business

Well hello, this is Michael Z with The wisdom of the rooms.com, and welcome to week 27 of the Weekly Wisdom Quotes.

I want to thank you in advance for all your support, and I’ll be on the lookout for them…

Today I will be sharing another new quote from the new Volume of the “The Wisdom of the Rooms, The Second Year of Weekly Reflections”, and the quote is:

"What other people think of me is none of my business."

How much of my time have I spent worrying about what other people think of me? Too much is the short answer. Before recovery in Al-Anon, I had no boundaries, no sense of self, and how I felt about myself and my life was largely determined by whether or not you approved. With no internal awareness, other people's likes and dislikes, moods and opinions were the compass I used to direct my emotional life. It was exhausting.

“Put down the magnifying glass and pick up the mirror.” One of the most precious gifts I have been given in Al-Anon is the freedom and encouragement to discover and validate my feelings. And this process began when I was taught to take the focus off of others and to look within for my own truth. At first this was an unfamiliar and uncomfortable process, but it was the only path to the security, confidence and peace I have always craved.

Today I know that my feelings are valid, and I've come to trust and rely on them. I know that other people have their own thoughts and opinions and know they are valid for them as well. But today there is a boundary between the two, and my sense of self is no longer linked to other people's approval. Today I enjoy the freedom and empowerment that comes from having and respecting myself.

·How much do other people's opinion of me influence how I feel about myself?

·How do I feel about my emotional boundaries today?

·How much do I respect my own feelings and opinions today?

·Do I have ways of arriving at and validating my own truth?

·How I define my sense of self today?

·What ways do I have of building my self-esteem today?

Am I willing to pray for God to help me to be of service, and am I open to looking for these opportunities in my daily experience?

Once again, thank you for joining me today, and I hope you enjoyed this week’s Wisdom Quote. I encourage you to subscribe to this podcast and please tell a friend.

Once again, please send me your testimonials for the new Vol. Of Wisdom Quotes. In the meantime, I look forward to next week and hope you will tune in again, and in the meantime, have a great week!

Direct download: WisdomoftheRooms_027.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 6:41 PM

Fri, 1 August 2008

Wisdom 026: You Have to Feel to Heal

You Have to Feel to Heal.

Well hello, this is Michael Z with The wisdom of the rooms.com, and welcome to week 24 of the Weekly Wisdom Quotes.

I want to thank you in advance for all your support, and I’ll be on the lookout for them…

Today I will be sharing another new quote from the new Volume of the “The Wisdom of the Rooms, The Second Year of Weekly Reflections”, and the quote is:

"You Have to Feel to Heal."

Before recovery, I would use just about anything not to feel. Drugs, alcohol, relationships, food, TV -- the list was endless. Without tools to deal with my feelings, I was uncomfortable and afraid of them, and they often became overwhelming.

In early recovery my sponsor always used to tell me that feelings were not facts. They were just feelings. It took me a long time to understand that, but now I know that as bad as some of my feeling are, they won't kill me. Recovery has taught me that I can now sit with my feelings and learn what they are trying to teach me.

Today I have come to welcome my feelings rather than run from them. Today my feelings are like little guides that lead me to the depths of who I am, and I am no longer afraid to go there. Today I know that to feel is to heal in a sacred and profound way. Today I am grateful for my feelings.

·What are the things I use to still run from my feelings?

·Why am I afraid of them?

·What happens when I actually work through them and let God into that process?

·What is my experience when I share my feelings with others in recovery?

·What have my feelings taught me?

·What are some of the healthy ways I've developed for dealing with my feelings today?

Am I willing to pray for God to help me to be of service, and am I open to looking for these opportunities in my daily experience?

Once again, thank you for joining me today, and I hope you enjoyed this week’s Wisdom Quote. I encourage you to subscribe to this podcast and please tell a friend.

Once again, please send me your testimonials for the new Vol. Of Wisdom Quotes. In the meantime, I look forward to next week and hope you will tune in again, and in the meantime, have a great week!

Direct download: WisdomoftheRooms_026.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 6:22 PM

Fri, 25 July 2008

Wisdom 025: The most spiritual thing you can do is to help someone

The most spiritual thing you can do is to help someone.

Well hello, this is Michael Z with The wisdom of the rooms.com, and welcome to week 24 of the Weekly Wisdom Quotes.

I want to thank you in advance for all your support, and I’ll be on the lookout for them…

Today I will be sharing another new quote from the new Volume of the “The Wisdom of the Rooms, The Second Year of Weekly Reflections”, and the quote is:

"The most spiritual thing you can do is to help someone."

One of the most important things I've learned in the program is that whenever two alcoholics get together, God is present. I feel the energy of God flow through me as I talk with, listen to and help another person. It often takes contrary action for me to reach out, but I am always rewarded with a sense of peace and serenity as I connect with and help another.

It wasn't always like this. Selfish and self-centered in the extreme, I crawled into the rooms emotionally bankrupt and in a state of perdition. I dammed God's energy up inside me, and it almost destroyed me. Even today I have to guard against my tendency to isolate and self obsess.

Indeed, one of the greatest lessons I've learned (and seemingly have to re-learn!) is that God's purpose, and so my purpose, is to be of service. It is the way out of the prison of self, and it always sets both our spirits free.

·How much do I tend to isolate rather than reach out to another?

·How do I feel when I isolate and self obsess?

·Do I get relief and feel better when I reach out and help someone else?

·How can I get in the habit of reaching out to others on a daily basis?

·Who can I call right now, today?

Am I willing to pray for God to help me to be of service, and am I open to looking for these opportunities in my daily experience?

Once again, thank you for joining me today, and I hope you enjoyed this week’s Wisdom Quote. I encourage you to subscribe to this podcast and please tell a friend.

Once again, please send me your testimonials for the new Vol. Of Wisdom Quotes. In the meantime, I look forward to next week and hope you will tune in again, and in the meantime, have a great week!

Direct download: WisdomoftheRooms_025.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 9:50 PM

Fri, 18 July 2008

Wisdom 024: When one door closes, another opens, but it's hell in the hallways.

Well hello, this is Michael Z with The wisdom of the rooms.com, and welcome to week 24 of the Weekly Wisdom Quotes.

I want to thank you in advance for all your support, and I’ll be on the lookout for them…

Today I will be sharing another new quote from the new Volume of the “The Wisdom of the Rooms, The Second Year of Weekly Reflections”, and the quote is:

When one door closes, another opens, but it's hell in the hallways.

Boy do we hate change. Before recovery I had few tools or healthy ways of dealing with change. If something ended in my life, it often felt like the end of my life. Once I entered the hallway, it was dark indeed.

As I worked through recovery, I learned many valuable life lessons. The first was 'One day at a time.' I still have to remind myself that I can do anything just for today, and get through it if I keep my focus on today. The hallway doesn't look so long or so dark when I do this.

Perhaps the biggest thing I learned is that "This, too, shall pass." No matter how bad things are, or what is happening, it too will pass and things will change. And with change will come new openings, new opportunities, and new beginnings.

Today, when one door closes, I have tools to deal with the hallways while I wait and watch for the new doors to open.

Once again, thank you for joining me today, and I hope you enjoyed this week’s Wisdom Quote. I encourage you to subscribe to this podcast and please tell a friend.

Once again, please send me your testimonials for the new Vol. Of Wisdom Quotes. In the meantime, I look forward to next week and hope you will tune in again, and in the meantime, have a great week!

Direct download: WisdomoftheRooms_024.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 2:29 PM

Fri, 11 July 2008

Wisdom 023: The answer is not in the problem; the answer is in the solution.

Well hello, this is Michael Z with The wisdom of the rooms.com, and welcome to week 23 of the Weekly Wisdom Quotes.

I want to thank those of who have sent me testimonials for the upcoming Vol. II. Of the Wisdom of the Rooms, it is much appreciated. For those of you who are still thinking of sending me one, please do send them. Just email them to me at: MichaelZ@thewisdomoftherooms.com

Also, if you’d like to write a bit more and would like to submit a foreword to the book, that would be quite welcome as well.

I want to thank you in advance for all your support, and I’ll be on the lookout for your testimonials…

Today I will be sharing another new quote from the new Volume of the “The Wisdom of the Rooms, The Second Year of Weekly Reflections”, and the quote is:

The answer is not in the problem; the answer is in the solution.

Before recovery, I lived in the problem. If things weren't going right, or if something went wrong, that's all I thought about. I'd dwell on it, talk to my friends about it, and think about all the ways it could get worse. It was as if I was addicted to the dark outcomes of my problems, and soon I couldn't see - and didn't even want - a way out.

Once I began working my steps, though, I became aware of my negative thinking and I learned the way out. My therapist taught me that I couldn't solve my problems using the same mind that created them. She told me that I had to source deeper and turn to my Higher Power. And sure enough, as soon as I stopped thinking about the problem and started thinking about God, the solutions began to appear.

Today I live in the solution much more than in the problem. Even though I can occasionally still go to the dark side, my program, my sponsor, and my friends in the fellowship are all focused on finding solutions and are quick to help me find the answers I need. I’m also quick to rely on my Higher Power, asking many times each day for inspiration and a new perspectives.

Today I know the answer is not in the problem, the answer is in the solution.

Once again, thank you for joining me today, and I hope you enjoyed this week’s Wisdom Quote. I encourage you to subscribe to this podcast and please tell a friend.

Once again, please send me your testimonials for the new Vol. Of Wisdom Quotes. In the meantime, I look forward to next week and hope you will tune in again, and in the meantime, have a great week!

Direct download: WisdomoftheRooms_023.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 9:16 PM

Fri, 4 July 2008

Wisdom 022: If God is your co-pilot, change seats

Well hello, this is Michael Z with The wisdom of the rooms.com, and Happy 4th of July! It’s Friday, July 04, 2008, right now and I want to wish you a happy and safe 4th. Isn’t it a gift to be clean and sober today?

This is week 22 of the Weekly Wisdom Quotes.

I want to make a Special Announcement today and ask for your help. I”m in the middle of putting together all the quotes and questions for the Second Volume of Wisdom quotes which will be released this fall. This is very exciting and a lot of work, and I need your help in terms of testimonials for this new volume.

If you’ve been enjoying The Wisdom of the Rooms, then please take a moment and send me a couple of sentences or paragraphs letting me know how much you enjoy getting your weekly quotes. Please email them to me at: MichaelZ@thewisdomoftherooms.com

Also, if you’re interested in writing and submitting a foreword to the book, I need one of those as well.

I want to thank you in advance for your support, and I’ll be on the lookout for your testimonials…

Today I will be sharing a new quote from the new Volume of the “The Wisdom of the Rooms, The Second Year of Weekly Reflections”, and the quote is “If God is your co-pilot, change seats." I hope you enjoy it.

OK, onto today’s quote which is:

"If God is your co-pilot, change seats."

Before the program, I wouldn't even let God on the plane. I was the pilot and co-pilot of my life and, fueled by self-will and self seeking, I took off and flew through the lives of others like a tornado. My thoughts were all about what I could get, take, or how I could control you to get what I wanted. What seemed strange to me at the time was the harder I tried, the less I got what I needed or wanted.

When I started working my program, the idea of putting God in charge of my life seemed downright irresponsible. Fueled by a hundred forms of self-centered fear, I couldn't fathom giving up control of my life. I was still under the delusion that I controlled not only my thoughts and actions, but the results as well. For me, faith was slow in coming. The key was willingness, and the more I turned over, the better my life got.

Today, one of the biggest gifts I have been given is a life of true freedom as the result of turning my will and life over to the care of my Higher Power. Through proven experience, time and time again, my life and the lives of those around me always flow more smoothly and turn out better when God is the pilot. Plus, it's easier being the co-pilot, I'll tell you. My job now is just to suit up and show up and let God take care of the rest. And He always does.

These days, when my life is getting a little turbulent, I look to see if God is my co-pilot, and if he is, I change seats!

And now for the Reflection Questions for this quote:

Once again, thank you for joining me today, and I hope you enjoyed this week’s Wisdom Quote. I encourage you to subscribe to this podcast and please tell a friend.

Once again, please send me your testimonials for the new Vol. Of Wisdom Quotes. In the meantime, I look forward to next week and hope you will tune in again, and in the meantime, have a great week!

Direct download: WisdomoftheRooms_022.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 6:02 PM

Fri, 27 June 2008

Wisdom 021: Are you doing God’s work or God’s job?

This is Michael Z with The wisdom of the rooms.com, and welcome to week 21 of the Weekly Wisdom Quotes.

Today I will be sharing another quote from the book “The Wisdom of the Rooms, A Year of Weekly Reflections”, and the quote is “Are you doing God’s work or God’s job?”

By the way, if you’d like a book of these quotes, please do visit my website and get a copy, and don’t forget they make great gifts for those people you know in recovery. Just so you know, my publisher has uploaded the 2nd Edition of Wisdom, so if you’re interested in the 1st Edition, you should order on Amazon as soon as possible. If you’d like to get signed copies of the first edition, email me to make sure I still have some. Email me at: Michael Z @ www.TheWisdomoftheRooms.com

OK, onto today’s quote which is:

“Are you doing God’s work or God’s job?”

Once again, thank you for joining me today, and I hope you enjoyed this week’s Wisdom Quote. I encourage you to subscribe to this podcast and please tell a friend.

I look forward to next week and hope you will tune in again, and in the meantime, have a great week!

Direct download: WisdomoftheRooms_021.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 4:47 PM

Fri, 20 June 2008

Wisdom 020: “Expectations are premeditated resentments”

This is Michael Z with The wisdom of the rooms.com, and welcome to week 20 of the Weekly Wisdom Quotes.

Today I will be sharing another quote from the book “The Wisdom of the Rooms, A Year of Weekly Reflections”, and the quote is “Expectations are premeditated resentments.”

By the way, if you’d like a book of these quotes, please do visit my website and get a copy, and don’t forget they make great gifts for those people you know in recovery.

You can get it by visiting my website: www.TheWisdomoftheRooms.com

OK, onto today’s quote which is:

Expectations are premeditated resentments.

Oh how I still like to try to control people, places and things. Even though the first step teaches me about my powerlessness, and the third step gives me the tools to dealing with life, I still find myself resentful when things don't go my way. And I can usually trace my resentments back to my expectations.

Expectations are indications that I haven't fully turned my will and life over to God. It means I've forgotten that my job is to suit up and show up and that it is God's job to take care of the results. Since expectations are results in disguise, it's no wonder they so easily lead to resentments.

Today I use expectations as reminders to refocus my energy and thoughts on the actions that I must take rather than trying to control the results. I immediately do a quick first, second, and third step on the situation and turn my expectations over to my Higher Power.

Doing this allows me to be truly open to the gifts in the results (and they are always there if I am open to them), and it keeps me safe from unnecessary resentments.

Once again, thank you for joining me today, and I hope you enjoyed this week’s Wisdom Quote. I encourage you to subscribe to this podcast and please tell a friend.

I look forward to next week and hope you will tune in again, and in the meantime, have a great week!

Direct download: WisdomoftheRooms_020.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 2:32 PM

Fri, 13 June 2008

Wisdom 019: “H.A.L.T. "Hungry Angry Lonely Tired"

This is Michael Z with The wisdom of the rooms.com, and welcome and welcome to week 19 of the Weekly Wisdom Quotes. Today we’re going to be talking about some of the great anagrams in recovery. These are words whose letters can stand for something, like FEAR can either be F, Everything And Run, or it can stand for Face Everything And Recovery.

One that I heard that got the room laughing was Relationship:

Really Exciting Love Affair Turns Incredibly Obsessive, Sobriety Hangs In Peril…

I’m sure some of you can relate to that!

Today’s quote is H.A.L.T. which stands for Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired, and can be found in my first book of these weekly quotes called, “The Wisdom of the Rooms: A Year of Weekly Reflections.” I encourage you to pick up a copy – I still have 1^st Editions available for a few weeks, so I encourage you to go to my website and get a few before they are gone for good. Don’t forget, they make great gifts!

OK, let’s get to today’s quote which is:

"Hungry Angry Lonely Tired"

One of the things we get in recovery is a "spiritual toolkit" that contains new ways of thinking about and dealing with life. Before recovery so many situations and people used to baffle me, and I was ill prepared to deal with them and the emotions they brought up in me. My lack of coping skills was fully revealed once I put down my old solutions of a drink or a drug.

The good news is that the 12 steps provide me with all the tools I need to deal with life on life's terms. One of my favorites is "HALT." I was taught early on that if I was feeling anxious, worried, angry or out of sorts in anyway then there was a good chance I hadn't taken care of myself. I was to "HALT" and ask myself: "Am I Hungry, Angry, Lonely or Tired?" If so, then it was my job to stop and attend to these first.

What a wonderful tool this has been for me. I have learned that it is my job (and within my power) to take care of myself, and I have learned how to self sooth. And once I am feeling centered, then the outside stuff is much easier to sort through and deal with. It's amazing how often I rely on my spiritual toolkit today, and how it's become second nature to HALT when something is bothering me. Today my solutions start on the inside and work their way out.

Also, please send me some of your favorite 12-Step quotes. I especially need quotes from N.A., D.A., G.A., etc. Please email them to me at: MichaelZ@thewisdomoftherooms.com and please put the word wisdom in the subject line.

Once again, thank you for joining me today, and I hope you enjoyed this week’s Wisdom Quote. I encourage you to subscribe to this podcast and please tell a friend.

I look forward to next week and hope you will tune in again, and in the meantime, have a great week!

Direct download: WisdomoftheRooms_019.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 3:01 PM

Fri, 6 June 2008

Wisdom 018: R&R stands for rest and relaxation, not rehearse and rehash!

This is Michael Z with The wisdom of the rooms.com, and it is June 6, 2008, just one day away from my book signing at the recovery store – the Twelve N Twelve. If you’re in Los Angeles, or know someone who is, please join me tomorrow for a Wisdom Book Signing in West L.A. – I’d love to meet you!

In the meantime, I’d like to welcome you to week 18 of the Weekly Wisdom Quotes.

I believe the wonderful quotes and sayings we hear in the Rooms of Recovery represent our “collective experience” and that this Wisdom is found in all 12 Step programs. Each week I share a quote from one of the fellowship’s programs, and today’s quote can be found in my first book of weekly quotes, called, The Wisdom of the Rooms, A Year of Weekly Reflections.

You can order this book on Amazon.com for just $11 and I encourage you to order several copies and get their SuperShipping for free! And remember, the Wisdom book makes a great gift for your sponsees and for your sponsor

OK, let’s get to today’s quote which is:

"R&R stands for rest and relaxation, not rehearse and rehash!"

"If only my mind would leave me alone," I often think. I have what I call a "digging mind." Like a dog at the beach, it digs and digs and digs in a problem, a worry, or in some other imagined potential problem area or scenario often without my approval or awareness. It loves to uncover negative thoughts, feelings and fears, and then rehearse these ugly scenarios, or rehash problems of old.

My digging mind is not only relentless, but it is consistently negative as well. I never find that it is digging in a positive or hopeful place. I can't recall it dwelling on or digging in the hole of getting that great job, or relationship, or winning the lotto, or of having things work out. No, driven by a hundred forms of self-centered fear, it searches the beaches of disappointment and failure, and digs away.

R&R always meant physical relaxation to me. It wasn't until I heard this saying that I thought to give my digging mind a break as well. In fact, before this saying I didn't realize how active my mind stayed when I did try to rest and relax. Today I realize the importance of reigning in my digging mind and allowing (sometimes forcing) it to release and relax as well. Giving myself a break - a total break - provides me with the renewal and space I need to let the love and light of my Higher Power in. Today, I've learned how to truly rest and relax.

And now for the Reflection Questions for this quote:

Also, please send me some of your favorite 12-Step quotes. Just email them to me at: MichaelZ@thewisdomoftherooms.com and please put the word wisdom in the subject line.

Once again, thank you for joining me today, and I hope you enjoyed this week’s Wisdom Quote. I encourage you to subscribe to this podcast and please tell a friend.

I look forward to next week and hope you will tune in again, and in the meantime, have a great week!

Direct download: WisdomoftheRooms_018.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 3:49 PM

Fri, 30 May 2008

Wisdom 017: Overheard at a meeting - 'How are you?' 'Probably a lot better than I think

This is Michael Z with The wisdom of the rooms.com, and I’d like to welcome you to week 17 of the Weekly Wisdom Quotes. I love today’s quote and it really stopped me in my tracks when I heard it from someone at a meeting. I asked him how he was and he said, “Probably a lot better than I think!

Is that a great response, or what? We’ll get to that quote in a minute, but I wanted to remind you that The wisdom of the rooms is dedicated to collecting and sharing some of the best 12-step quotes and saying that are heard in the rooms of recovery from around the world. If you’re enjoying these quotes, please help me get the word out by telling a friend – remember, it’s always free!

I believe the Wisdom we hear in the rooms of recovery is a part of our “collective experience” and that it’s found in all 12 Step programs. Each week I share a quote from one of the fellowship’s programs, and today’s quote can be found in my first book of weekly quotes, called, The Wisdom of the Rooms, A Year of Weekly Reflections.

You can order this book on Amazon.com for just $11 and I encourage you to order several copies and get the SuperShipping for free! Remember, it makes a great gift for those you know in recovery!

Also, one other announcement before I get to the quote. If you are in the Los Angeles area, or will be on the weekend of June 7^th, please come and join me at the recovery book store the “12N12” on Santa Monica Blvd and Bundy for a Wisdom book signing and reading. It would be great to meet you and the store is also a great place to get recovery related gifts. I hope to see you all there…

OK, onto today’s quote which is:

"Overheard at a meeting - 'How are you?' 'Probably a lot better than I think.’”

When I first heard this, it resonated deep inside. What a perfect and accurate way to answer a question I get asked so many times a day. And isn't it true? Most of the time I walk around with a completely distorted picture of how I'm doing and what's going on in my life. It's often hard to distinguish between my thoughts about my life and the reality of it.

For me, this quote reminds me that my thinking is still driven by the disease of alcoholism. My head rarely tells me the truth; instead it's busy painting dark scenarios and building cases against why and how things won't work out. It's no wonder I drank so much.

One of the gifts of recovery is that I have tools I can use to step outside my thinking. I've recognized now that my disease rarely leads me to anything positive or hopeful, and when I find that it has taken my thoughts down a path I haven't approved, I gently bring it back. Today I only have to clearly look at things as they are - not as I think they are. When I do that, I know the truth - things are a lot better than I think.

I hope you have enjoyed today’s quote and I’d like to thank you all for joining me. Once again be sure to visit my website – to sign up for your free weekly wisdom quotes. By signing up you’ll receive a free Wisdom Quote each Monday morning. It’s a wonderful way to begin your week.

Also, please send me some of your favorite 12-Step quotes. Just email them to me at: MichaelZ@thewisdomoftherooms.com and please put the word wisdom in the subject line.

Once again, thank you for joining me today, and I hope you enjoyed this week’s Wisdom Quote. I encourage you to subscribe to this podcast and please tell a friend.

I look forward to next week and hope you will tune in again, and in the meantime, I hope you have a peaceful week. Just remember, you’re probably doing a lot better than you think….

Direct download: WisdomoftheRooms_017.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 1:38 PM

Fri, 23 May 2008

Wisdom 016: There are no victims, only volunteers - you always have a choice

This is Michael Z with The wisdom of the rooms.com, and I’d like to welcome you to week 16 of the Weekly Wisdom Quotes.

The wisdom of the rooms is dedicated to collecting and sharing some of the best 12-step quotes and saying that are heard in the rooms of recovery from around the world.

I believe this Wisdom is a part of our “collective experience” and that it is found in all 12 Step programs. Each week I share a quote from one of the fellowship’s programs and today’s quote is from the Al-Anon program. It is: "There are no victims, only volunteers - you always have a choice."

This quote can be found in my first book of weekly quotes, called, The Wisdom of the Rooms, A Year of Weekly Reflections.

By the way, my publisher and I are working on the updated, second edition of this book and I have just ordered my last 50 copies of the 1st edition. Hopefully this 1st edition will become a collector’s item one day, so if you’re looking to get a few, I’d urge you to order your copies from my website soon.

Also, one other announcement before I get to the quote. If you are in the Los Angeles area, or will be on the weekend of June 7th, please come and join me at the recovery book store the “12N12” on Santa Monica Blvd and Bundy for a Wisdom book signing and reading. It would be great to meet you and the store is really wonderful. I hope to see you all there…

OK, onto today’s quote which is:

"There are no victims, only volunteers - you always have a choice."

This was a tough lesson to learn. When I was new to Al-Anon, I was a victim to so many people and situations, that I was hoping to get some sympathy and understanding. Imagine learning that I was instead a volunteer for the drama and pain in my life. That was a large pill to swallow.

And it didn't go down easily either. After I accepted I had a choice, and actually began exercising it by not engaging or by acting differently, other people got pretty upset. They were used to me playing a certain role and grew angry and resentful as I began to take different actions.

The breakthrough came as I persevered and worked the Al-Anon program. The miracle was that as I changed and recovered, the dynamics of my relationships changed, too. Suddenly, as I took more responsibility for myself, other people took more responsibility for themselves as well. As I focused on myself and recovered, so did other people and situations improve as well. It all started when I accepted my role as a volunteer and began making different choices.

Also, please send me some of your favorite 12-Step quotes. Just email them to me at: MichaelZ@thewisdomoftherooms.com and please put the word wisdom in the subject line.

Once again, thank you for joining me today, and I hope you enjoyed this week’s Wisdom Quote. I encourage you to subscribe to this podcast and please tell a friend.

I look forward to next week and hope you will tune in again, and once again I encourage you to place your orders for the remaining 1st Edition copies of “The Wisdom of the Rooms: A Year of Weekly Reflections…”

Direct download: WisdomoftheRooms_016.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 3:13 PM

Fri, 16 May 2008

Wisdom 015: There are only two times when I should go to a meeting...

Hello again, this is Michael Z with The wisdom of the rooms.com, and I'd like to welcome you to week 15 of the Weekly Wisdom Quotes.

The wisdom of the rooms is dedicated to collecting and sharing some of the best 12-step quotes and saying that are heard in the rooms of recovery from around the world.

The Wisdom in these quotes are part of our "collective experience" as we work the spiritual program that is the 12-Step journey.

Today's quote includes a concept that helped me so much in early recovery, and continues to serve me today. And that's the concept of Contrary Action. I'm sure many of you know it well. The quote is, "There are only two times when you should go to a meeting: when you feel like going, and when you don’t feel like going."

This quote can be found in my first book of weekly quotes, called, The Wisdom of the Rooms, A Year of Weekly Reflections.

By the way, my publisher and I are working on the updated, second edition of this book and I have just ordered my last 50 copies of the 1st edition. This will become a collector's item one day, so if you're looking to get one, I'd urge you to order your copies from my website soon.

Also, one other announcement before I get to the quote. If you are in the Los Angeles area, or will be on the weekend of June 7th, please come and join me at the book store the "12N12" on Santa Monica Blvd and Bundy for a Wisdom book signing and reading. It would be great to meet you and the store is really wonderful. I hope to see you all there…

OK, onto today's quote which is:

"There are only two times when you should go to a meeting - when you feel like going, and when you don't feel like going."

It's hard living with a disease that tells me I don't have it. When I'm in between meetings and life is busy, it's easy for me to think of going to a meeting as an imposition. "I'm fine. I don't want to drink or act out, haven't in years, and I'm too busy for a meeting!" That kind of thinking can get me into big trouble.

One of the most valuable lessons I've learned in the program is to take contrary action to what my head is telling me. In fact I've learned that when my head is telling me I don't need a meeting, it actually means that I REALLY need one. And without exception, I always feel better when I go.

The only thing an alcoholic or addict does in moderation is work the steps. It's cunning, baffling and powerful when my head tells me not to do something that makes me feel better. This is why I just have to take the action and do it anyway.

So for me, there are two times when I should go to a meeting - when I feel like it and when I don't.

I hope you have enjoyed today's quote and I'd like to thank you all for joining me. Once again be sure to visit my website – to sign up for your free weekly wisdom quotes. By signing up you'll receive a free Wisdom Quote each Monday morning. It's a wonderful way to begin your week.

Also, please send me some of your favorite 12-Step quotes. Just email them to me at: MichaelZ@thewisdomoftherooms.com and please put the word wisdom in the subject line.

Once again, thank you for joining me today, and I hope you enjoyed this week's Wisdom Quote. I encourage you to subscribe to this podcast and please tell a friend.

I look forward to next week and hope you will tune in again, and once again I encourage you to place your orders for the remaining 1st Edition copies of "The Wisdom of the Rooms: A Year of Weekly Reflections…"

Direct download: WisdomoftheRooms_015.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 3:12 PM

Fri, 9 May 2008

Wisdom 014: The Power behind me is bigger than the problem in front of me

Hi, this is Michael Z with The wisdom of the rooms.com, and I’d like to welcome you to week 14 of the Weekly Wisdom Quotes.

The wisdom of the rooms is dedicated to collecting and sharing some of the best 12-step quotes and saying that are heard in the rooms of recovery from around the world.

The Wisdom in these quotes are part of our “collective experience” as we work the spiritual program that is the 12-Step journey.

Today’s quote comes is one of my very favorites and it is: “The Power behind me is bigger than the problem in front of me.” This quote can be found in my first book of weekly quotes, called, The Wisdom of the Rooms, A Year of Weekly Reflections.

By the way, my publisher and I are working on the updated, second edition of this book and I have a limited number of first edition copies available. These books make wonderful gifts for people you know in and out of recovery and if you’d like to have a signed, 1st Edition copy, you’d better hurry and order your copies as they will soon be gone forever…

Also, one other announcement before I get to the quote. If you are in the Los Angeles area, or will be on the weekend of June 7th, please come and join me at the book store the “12N12” on Santa Monica Blvd and Bundy for a Wisdom book signing and reading. It would be great to meet you and the store is really wonderful. I hope to see you all there…

OK, onto today’s quote which is:

"The Power behind me is bigger than the problem in front of me."

Before recovery I faced life alone. It was up to me to manage all of life, to try to arrange things to get what I wanted, and to solve the problems I encountered. This was an exhausting task and at times the mere thought of my current problems, or problems unforeseen, would overwhelm me leaving me depressed and listless. "How can I keep getting up in the morning feeling this way?" was a thought I often had.

In the rooms of recovery, the first great relief I had came from the energy of the collective spirit I felt from all the people who had already recovered. Suddenly, I was no longer alone, and now I, too, had access to solutions and a new way of living and dealing with life. Most important of all, I discovered a Power Greater than myself and I grew to trust and rely on this Power I now call God.

Today, after years of trying and relying on this Power, I have the confidence that comes from faith because I know that by relying on God's solutions to my life and problems, I am always taken care of. Whenever I remember (the Real Secret) to include or turn to God for the life's answers, I am amazed and delighted by how problems melt, situations change, and my life flows like the river I peace I believe God is. Today, the Power behind me is bigger than the problems in front of me.

Also, please send me some of your favorite 12-Step quotes. Just email them to me at: MichaelZ@thewisdomoftherooms.com and please put the word wisdom in the subject line.

Once again, thank you for joining me today, and I hope you enjoyed this week’s Wisdom Quote. I encourage you to subscribe to this podcast and please tell a friend.

Direct download: WisdomoftheRooms_014.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 3:56 PM

Fri, 2 May 2008

Wisdom 013: If nothing changes, nothing changes

Hi again and welcome to week 13 of the Weekly Wisdom Quotes. This is Michael Z with The wisdom of the rooms.com and one again I’d like to thank you for joining me today.

As you know, the wisdom of the rooms is dedicated to collecting and distributing some of the best 12-step quotes and saying that are heard in the rooms of recovery from around the world.

I believe that these sayings are part of our “collective experience” as we work the spiritual program that is the 12-Step journey.

I have a few announcements you may be interested in before we get into today’s quote. Two more book stores are now carrying The Wisdom of the Rooms book, the first is The Bodhi Tree here in West Hollywood, and Twelve N Twelve book store in West Los Angeles. The Twelve N Twelve has the largest selection of 12 Step medallions & Gifts in the country, by the way.

The other announcement is that I’m going to be doing another book signing on Saturday, June 7th at the Twelve N Twelve store. You can visit the Wisdom of the Rooms website for more information, and as always, it would be great to meet some of you if you’re in town.

Also, we’re going to be publishing the 2nd edition of The Wisdom of the Rooms in a bout a month, so if you’d like to get a 1st Edition of the book, you should act now as soon they’ll be gone forever. You can get a signed edition from my website, or Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble.com.

Also, on the Wisdom Book Store page on the site, there are other online book stores and locations you can the Wisdom book from. Please do check it out…

OK, on to today’s quote which is:

"If nothing changes, nothing changes."

In early recovery I heard someone say that, "If you get a horse thief sober, all you have is a sober horse thief." I learned that the 12-step program is a program of recovery because it is a program of change. Just getting sober isn't enough. I have known many people who came into the program and stopped drinking but either delayed or didn't work the steps, and they soon found that they still had all the old problems, feelings and circumstances they had while drinking. Besides not drinking, not much had changed.

"The same man will drink again." Another saying I heard when I was new reveals yet another danger of not working the steps and so not changing. Driven and haunted by the pain of the old self, it is a short distance to the temporary relief and old solution of drinking. Once again, if nothing changes (besides not picking up a drink), nothing changes, and the same man will soon drink again.

"The only thing we have to change is everything." The miracle of the program comes as we work the steps, abandon our old ideas, and discard our old self. The big book tells us that we become "reborn" as a result of working the steps, and it is this new self that is capable of living a new life that is happy, joyous and free. The good news is that this total change is much easier than it sounds and a natural result of working the steps. Ultimately, everything changes as we change.

Well that’s all for today. I hope you have enjoyed today’s quote and I’d like to thank you all for joining me. Once again be sure to visit my website – to sign up for your free weekly wisdom quotes. By signing up you’ll receive a free Wisdom Quote each Monday morning. It’s a wonderful way to begin your week.

Also, please send me some of your favorite 12-Step quotes. Just email them to me at: MichaelZ@thewisdomoftherooms.com and please put the word wisdom in the subject line.

Once again, thank you for joining me today, and I hope you enjoyed this week’s Wisdom Quote. I encourage you to subscribe to this podcast and please tell a friend.

I look forward to next week and hope you will tune in again, and until then, I wish you a week that’s filled with the joy of recovery.

Direct download: WisdomoftheRooms_013.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 1:48 PM

Fri, 18 April 2008

Wisdom 011: Humility is not thinking less of yourself, but rather, thinking about yourself less

Wecome to week 11 of the Weekly Wisdom Quotes.

I collect the best 12 Step sayings and quotes from the rooms of recovery and addiction from around the world.

Today's 12 Step quote is:

"Humility is not thinking less about yourself, but rather thinking about yourself less."

Oh, how the ego rebels against the thought of humility. "If I'm humble, I'll be a nothing. I'll vanish! I must be distinguished, different, better than! Only by standing out will I have an identity," it screams. We in recovery have felt the stinging reprisals from our fellows when we listened to our ego and let it have its way. Today, we have found a better way.

Humility, like so many other concepts in recovery that at first seem like weaknesses, turns out to be one of our greatest strengths. By thinking about ourselves less, a truer identity emerges, a more peaceful and fulfilled sense of self that comes from being of service to and from connecting with others.

While my ego may never give up the fight, I'm thankful I have this quote to remind me of the truth: I am always happier when I'm thinking about myself less - when I'm practicing true humility.

And the reflection questions:

·What does humility mean to me?

·How have I practiced humility and what has my experience been?

·What has my experience been when I'm in ego?

·What ways do I have to get out of self and into others?

·How often do I practice these and what keeps me from practicing them more?

Am I willing to practice humility more often?

_________________________

Know someone who might enjoy this quote? Please Pass it on!

Want to subscribe? Visit: http://www.theWisdomoftheRooms.com to sign up for FREE.

Heard a good one lately? Please let me know: MichaelZ@theWisdomoftheRooms.com Please put the word "Wisdom" in the subject line.

Michael Z

Direct download: WisdomoftheRooms_011.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 1:00 PM

Fri, 11 April 2008

Wisdom 010: Feelings are not facts

Wecome to week 10 of the Weekly Wisdom Quotes.

I collect the best 12 Step sayings and quotes from the rooms of recovery and addiction from around the world.

Today's 12 Step quote is:

"Feelings are not facts."

When I was new in the program, my sponsor would constantly tell me that my feelings were not facts. They were just feelings. "But it's a fact that I'm having these feelings," I'd argue. I paid a steep price for my stubbornness as my feelings would often hit me like a freight train and drag me far down their tracks.

After I got a little recovery, I began to understand that my feelings only became facts when I acted on them. I found that if I felt depressed, that was OK, but if I then stayed in bed all day, then that feeling would definitely be a fact in my life. This taught me that I could have feelings and not act on them, or, even better, I could take contrary action, and this revealed my feelings as just the thoughts that they were.

Now with a little bit of time and experience, when I see the freight train of feelings approaching, I just step aside. Today I sit and watch as the train passes by, and sometimes I can actually feel the wind of it as it whizzes by. Today I know my feelings are not facts, they are just feelings, and, if I pause long enough, they will always pass by.

And the reflection questions for this quote are:

·Do I believe today that my feelings are not facts?

·When have my feelings become facts before?

·What ways do I have now of not acting on my feelings?

·What experience do I have that if I pause my feelings will pass or change?

·How has meditation helped me deal with my thoughts and feelings?

Michael Z

Direct download: WisdomoftheRooms_010.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 1:00 PM

Fri, 4 April 2008

Wisdom 009: When fear knocks on the door, and faith answers, no one is home.

Wecome to week 9 of the Weekly Wisdom Quotes.

I collect the best 12 Step sayings and quotes from the rooms of recovery and addiction from around the world.

Today's 12 Step quote is:

"When fear knocks on the door, and faith answers, no one is home."

When I was new to the program, I was taught that I could not be in fear and in faith at the same time. I was either living in fear, or I was living in faith. What recovery has taught me is that today I have a choice between the two. And today, I choose to live in faith.

In the Big Book, there is a simple line: "God is everything or He is nothing." And, again, this presents me with a choice - do I believe that my Higher Power will take care of me, or don't I? And the decision I make here leads to a path of either faith or fear.

By taking a third step each day, I am consciously choosing to turn my will and my life over to my Higher Power. I am choosing faith. Then, when fear comes knocking - as it always does - my faith answers the door and fear has nowhere to land. Living in faith gives me the freedom and the courage to live a life that is happy, joyous and free. A life the program promises, and a life I get the choice to live.

And the Reflection questions for this quote:

1 How much of my day do I spend still living in fear?

2 Do I recognize that I have the ability to choose to live in faith? Do I know how to do this?

3 Do I agree with the statement “God is everything or He is nothing"?

4 What is God to me?

5 What would it be like for me to have enough faith to overcome my fears?

6 How can I develop this?

_____________________________

Know someone who might enjoy this quote? Please Pass it on!

Want to subscribe? Visit: http://www.theWisdomoftheRooms.com to sign up for FREE.

Heard a good one lately? Please let me know: MichaelZ@theWisdomoftheRooms.com Please put the word "Wisdom" in the subject line.

Michael Z

Direct download: WisdomoftheRooms_009.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 1:00 PM

Fri, 28 March 2008

Wisdom 008: Everyone has a Higher Power, and it's not me.

Wecome to week 8 of the Weekly Wisdom Quotes.

I collect the best 12 Step sayings and quotes from the rooms of recovery and addiction from around the world.

Today's 12 Step quote is:

"Everyone has a Higher Power, and it’s not me."

What a relief it was when I heard this quote. I've spent a lot of time thinking about what's best for you, a lot of energy trying to arrange things for you, and a lot of time worrying about what's going to happen to you. In other words, I was pretty sure that I knew what was best for you and felt like it was my job to bring that about.

When I heard this quote, it restored me to my proper role in your (and everyone else's) life, and it relieved me of a lot of responsibility. It reminded me that you have your own path and that my role is to support and love you, not direct and control you. And it relieved me of responsibility by reminding me that you have a force in your life far greater in power and wisdom than me, and that's your Higher Power.

Today when I worry about the challenges those I love and care about are going through, I recognize that I can be of the most service simply by being there for them, by helping them and by loving them. But their ultimate solace, strength, hope and love will always come from their own Higher Power. Today I let go and let God work in my life and in the lives of others.

And the six reflection questions for this quote are:

1 – How much time do I spend thinking about what’s best for other people?

2 – How much actual energy do I squander trying to arrange their lives?

3 – Do I really believe that other people’s Higher Power will take care of them?

4 – Am I willing to accept that what God has in store for them?

5 – How easy, or hard, is it for me to just be there for someone?

6 – Do I believe that my Higher Power will actually take care of me, too?

Michael Z

Direct download: Wisdomoftherooms_008.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 1:00 PM

Fri, 21 March 2008

Wisdom 007: When I get the flu, I forget I was ever healthy

Wecome to week 7 of the Weekly Wisdom Quotes.

I collect the best 12 Step sayings and quotes from the rooms of recovery and addiction from around the world.

Today's 12 Step quote is:

"When I get the flu, I forget I was ever healthy."

I've heard that the "ism" in alcoholism can stand for many things, but my favorite is "incredibly short memory." In sobriety, this presents a double problem. First, having a disease that is constantly telling me I don't have it is hard enough, but because of its incredibly short memory, I often forget how bad things were. The trouble, the demoralization, the hopelessness are all forgotten when my memories are painted with the brush of alcoholism.

Second, my incredibly short memory also quickly forgets the good times I've had in sobriety and the possibilities and hope I felt even a few hours ago. An event, a mood, getting a cold, nearly anything can trigger my alcoholism and the color of my life quickly drains, leaving me in a black and barren place. With no hope, and no memory of the bad times, alcoholism has me right where it wants me.

This is why I go to meetings. In meetings I get the outside reminder of what it was like, what happened, and what it's like now. I get to hear my story come out of your mouth and suddenly my memory returns - it was bad, and I belong here. I also get reminded of the hope and possibilities I have as I see and participate in the miracles of your lives. And that's when the miracle of recovery happens for me, too. Once again I am safe, I have recovery, and my memory is working perfectly.

And here are six reflection questions for this quote:

How often do I forget how bad things were?
How else does my “ism” -- incredibly short memory -- affect me?
Does my disease distort my hope as well?
How do I feel after I go to meetings?
What is the optimal number of meetings I should go to a week?
How can I make that number on the more regular basis?_____________________________

Know someone who might enjoy this quote? Please Pass it on!

Want to subscribe? Visit: http://www.theWisdomoftheRooms.com to sign up for FREE.

Heard a good one lately? Please let me know: MichaelZ@theWisdomoftheRooms.com Please put the word "Wisdom" in the subject line.

Michael Z

Direct download: WisdomoftheRooms_007.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 1:00 PM

Fri, 14 March 2008

Wisdom 006: Anger and Resentments are masks for fear

Wecome to week 6 of the Weekly Wisdom Quotes.

I collect the best 12 Step sayings and quotes from the rooms of recovery and addiction from around the world.

Today's 12 Step quote is:

"Anger and resentment are masks for fear."
When I came into the program, I was pretty angry. With the alcohol and drugs gone, I very quickly got in touch with my feelings, and for me that meant my anger quickly turned into rage. Oh, and resentments - I had a lot of those as well. Without having developed the spiritual tools to deal with my feelings yet, I was pretty miserable.

As I began working my way through the program, I learned in the twelve and twelve that we were driven by a hundred forms of self centered fear. After doing a thorough 4th step that included a fear inventory, I found I was driven by way more than just a hundred! It took years, though, for me to realize the connection between my fears and the anger and resentment I felt.

Today I not only see the connection, but I feel it all the time. In fact, today I know that whenever I'm feeling uncomfortable, impatient, quick to snap at people, or just generally irritable, I'm usually in fear of something. And, again, the twelve and twelve tells me it's usually that I'm afraid of losing something or of not getting something I demand. The good news is that today I have a solution. Today, when I'm feeling angry or resentful, I stop and ask myself what I'm afraid of. Doing this allows me to take the mask off my fears and that always leads me to a solution.

Michael Z

Direct download: WisdomoftheRooms_006.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 3:40 PM

Fri, 7 March 2008

Wisdom 005: "If you spot it, you got it!"

Wecome to week 4 of the Weekly Wisdom Quotes.

I collect the best 12 Step sayings and quotes from the rooms of recovery and addiction from around the world.

Today's 12 Step quote is:

"If you spot it, you got it!"
Oh how quick I am to judge and find fault in others. Before the program I was quite self righteous - I could see and tell you what you and others were doing wrong, but I was largely blind to my own faults. It was so easy to point my finger, but in the program I learned that when I do, there are four fingers pointing back at me.

As I worked my program and became more self aware, what I learned was that the reason it's easy to find specific faults is because I often have the very same faults as well. In other words, if I can spot it, I got it. That was quite a revelation.

The longer I'm in recovery, the more true I find this to be. In fact nowadays, if I curse at someone for not using their turn signal, I find I'm doing the same thing moments later. The lesson here is humility. No one is a saint. We're all doing the best we can, and my job is to work on myself and spot and correct my own faults - not yours.

Questions:

1 – How often do I catch myself finding fault in others?

2 – Am I still self righteous about it?

3 – What does this tell me about myself?

4 – Have I ever stopped to ask myself what character defects their behavior is triggering in me?

5 – How is my humility these days?

6 – Do I do a daily 10th step inventory to spot and correct my own faults? If not, am I willing to start today?

Michael Z

Direct download: WisdomoftheRooms_005.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 4:01 PM

Fri, 29 February 2008

Wisdom 004: "If I'm feeling hysterical, it must be historical"

Wecome to week 4 of the Weekly Wisdom Quotes.

I collect the best 12 Step sayings and quotes from the rooms of recovery and addiction from around the world.

Today's 12 Step quote is:

"If I'm feeling hysterical, it must be historical."

Before recovery, I often wondered why little things caused such a big reaction in me. Somebody driving too slow, other people's comments, little things not going my way - these events often caused big reactions in me and left me confused and with a painful emotional hangover.

Today though, I've learned to look beyond these events and to what they trigger in me. And what I uncover are the old wounds and hurts from long ago - the historical causes of my hysterical reactions. And once I'm able to see events as the 'buttons' they are, my real emotional recovery can begin.

Today I use questions to help identify and heal old wounds. "What's really behind this reaction?" "What can I do right now to sooth myself?" "Where's the recovery here?" All these wonderful questions are tools I now use to help me heal and so avoid these bigger than life reactions. Today I uncover, discover and heal old hurts.
_____________________________

Know someone who might enjoy this quote? Please Pass it on!

Want to subscribe? Visit: http://www.theWisdomoftheRooms.com to sign up for FREE.

Heard a good one lately? Please let me know: MichaelZ@theWisdomoftheRooms.com Please put the word "Wisdom" in the subject line.

Michael Z

Direct download: WisdomoftheRooms_004.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 3:38 PM

Fri, 22 February 2008

Wisdom 003: If you're feeling far away from God, you're the one who moved

Wecome to week 3 of the Weekly Wisdom Quotes.

I collect the best 12 Step sayings and quotes from the rooms of recovery and addiction from around the world.

Today's 12 Step quote is:

"If you're feeling far away from God, you're the one who moved"

I remember sitting in meeting after meeting hearing people describe what their concept of God was. The one that resonated with me the most wasn't a God who caused or allowed good or bad things to happen, or judged or rewarded behavior, but rather the concept of a peaceful river. Someone told of their God who's love and peace flowed like a river and that the river was always there, always available to them. It was a constant source of serenity, understanding and forgiveness.

She then shared that whenever she was feeling scared or agitated or discontented, it was a sure sign that she had wandered away from the river of God. The further she strayed, the worse she felt. Sometimes she would travel for days and would find herself lost, seemingly alone and quite afraid.

During those times she needed only to stop and listen for the distant sound of the river. Immediately she would make her way back, and as she got closer, the familiar feeling of calm, peace and comfort would return. Once she was back at the river's edge, serenity returned and she was filled with gratitude knowing that God's grace and love was always available to her. For me, the presence of God is like this river.

And I know if I'm feeling far away from God,
I'm the one who has moved.

Visit my website at www.TheWisdomoftheRooms.com to sign up for free.

Michael Z

Direct download: WisdomoftheRooms_003.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 4:27 PM

Sun, 17 February 2008

Wisdom 002 The Difference Between My Will and God's Will

Wecome to week 2 of the Weekly Wisdom Quotes.

I collect the best 12 Step sayings and quotes from the rooms of recovery and addiction from around the world.

Today's 12 Step quote is:

"The difference between my will and God's will is that my will starts out easy and gets hard, and God's will starts out hard and gets easy."

A perfect example of this quote is the program itself. My will told me it was much easier to keep using and doing what I was doing then to work the program and the steps. Of course, my will may have appeared easier at first, but oh how hard that path was. By contrast, God's will for me was to recover, and though it was hard at first my life is infinitely better and life truly is easier.

The main problem with my will is that it is first and foremost about me. It tricks me into believing that if I take care of my wants first, then I'll be able to help another -- of course I usually find out that my wants are insatiable, and I quickly become lost in their demands.

God's will, on the other hand, is usually about helping others and with what's right for all concerned -- the whole picture in which I am just part. While this seems backwards to me at times, I always find out that when I'm able to surrender to God's will, my real wants and needs are met and exceeded in ways I never could have imagined.

These days it's easier for me to differentiate between my will and God's will, and more and more I'm able to make the right choice. Ultimately. it's about being comfortable in my own skin, and only choosing God's guarantees me that.

Visit my website at www.TheWisdomoftheRooms.com to sign up for free.

Michael Z

Direct download: WisdomoftheRooms_002.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 4:40 PM

Fri, 15 February 2008

Introduction to The Wisdom of the Rooms

Welcome to the first podcast of The Wisdom of the Rooms, called Weekly Wisdom Quotes. Each week you can listen to 12 Step quotes and saying from the rooms of recovery from around the world.

Regardless of the program - AA, Al-Anon, NA, - there is a collective wisdom found in the 12 Step quotes and sayings that give us strength on our collective journey.

Enjoy this introduction to the Wisdom and I hope you'll subscribe and pass this wisdom along. Here is a sample quote:

"Instead of telling God how big your fears are, start telling your fears how big your God is."

Before recovery, we were driven by a hundred forms of self-centered fear. During steps 6 and 7, we began to release some of these character defects, but some habits are hard to break. Like feeding into our fears.

But when we can pause and work our program of recovery, we remember that we are not alone. In fact, our greatest asset in our new life is our connection with and relationship to our Higher Power. We know from repeated experience the God has, can and continues to work miracles in our lives and in the lives of those we meet in the rooms.

Rather than giving power to my fears today, I now give my fears to God. My solution is that when I'm telling my fears how big my God is, I’m thinking about God -- not my fears. And that is when the miracle takes place.

Thanks,

Yours in Service,

Michael Z

Direct download: WisdomoftheRooms_001.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 8:57 PM