50 lessons learned to help you thrive in recovery….

I get asked quite often what my top tips are for people newly sober and/or in recovery, so I thought I would put them here for you…again these are just a few, I am sure there are plenty of others that will be useful…

1. Don’t let your mistakes define you, use them to grow.
2. Gratitude is key, as is perception.
3. Focus on what you can control
4. Work on YOU…and be relentless about getting better each day
5. Health is wealth!
6. Get spiritual in a way that works for you.
7. Have a strong Inner Circle that challenges you to best your best self
8. Be the victor, not the victim.
9. Own your choices.
10. Remember how far you have come, not how far you have to go.
11. LOVE (yourself and others).
12. Be courageous, don’t be afraid to take chances…
13. Recovery is TOUGH, but worth it. Life does get better.
14. Be positive, but don’t forget to work on the negatives
15. Let your faith outweigh your fear.
16. Your biggest struggles can also be your biggest blessings. Turn your negatives into positives.
17. The past is done, you can only change the future.
18. Hold the judgment, there are many paths to recovery and life…
19. Forgiveness is important, can’t expect anyone to forgive you and if you aren’t doing the same.
20. Learn to accept the things you can’t change
21. You are NOT always right.
22. Being a light to others will pay dividends.
23. If something isn’t working, change it.
24. Don’t sweat the small stuff, but doing the little things will go a long way…
25. How others view you shouldn’t reflect how you view yourself…how you view yourself will reflect how others view you.
26. Never give up hope.
27. Personal development is a must. Set goals.
28. Taking responsibility for yourself and actions is required.
29. Be committed to it, not just interested…
30. Open yourself to the wisdom and thoughts of others that are more successful..never be the smartest person in the room.
31. Practice the pause: be responsive instead of reactive.
32. Mistakes are okay, quitting is not.
33. No one is going to hand things to you. You must do the work.
34. Don’t compare yourself to others. Run your own race.
35. Your circumstances shouldn’t define you, you define them.
36. Spend more time giving to others than taking.
37. Do things that fulfill you. External things won’t satisfy you internally long term.
38. Find a balance between ego and humility.
39. Never forget where you came from.
40. You are not alone, there is so much power in vulnerability and connection.
41. Be patient: Don’t worry about going from 0–100, focus on going from 0–1.
42. Don’t let a bad hour turn into a bad day or a bad day turn into a bad month.
43. Always keep in mind why you started.
44. If you aren’t willing to do the work, then you have nothing to complain about.
45. Your hope for a better life must outweigh your adversity.
46. Talk to yourself in a way you would talk to a person you love most…
47. Do things with integrity.
48. Apologize when you are wrong.
49. Have a strong enough WHY that the “what or how..” doesn’t even matter…
50. You MUST manage stress, fear, mental illness and life in healthy ways that works for you….
51. You must make sacrifices and do things that you don’t want to!