Euphoric Excitement

"We can be the ones who take on the unspectacular but important tasks that make good Twelfth Step work possible.   Whether our audience is one or many, it is still Twelfth Step work."

“But today in well-matured people these distorted drives have been restored to something like their true purpose and direction.  We no longer strive to dominate or rule those about us in order to gain self-importance.  We no longer seek fame and honor in order to be praised.”

And then there's this: "Not many of us can be leaders of prominence, nor do we wish to be.  Service, gladly rendered, obligations squarely met, troubles well accepted or solved with god's help, the knowledge that at home or in the world outside we are partners in a common effort . . .”

“True ambition is not what we thought it was.  True ambition is the deep desire to live usefully and walk humbly under the grace of god.”

“Can we steadfastly content ourselves with the humbler, yet sometimes more durable, satisfactions when the brighter, more glittering achievements are denied us?”

I put together little cheat sheets on matters that are bothering me.  Then, when I get frustrated by something, I review this stuff.  There is a lot of really good stuff here - I should read my own notes to myself, they might help me get better.  It looks good written down and it sounds good when I speak it but, boy, it can be hard to put into action.

These quotes arose out of a period of particularly strong frustration with my need to be Important and Amused.  I think life should be a big roller coaster ride of fun and excitement and I get irritated when it isn't, which is most of the time.  

As you can see, it's not like the subject isn't addressed in our great literature - it's that I don't want to listen to the solution.