Growth

I see the many things I can learn from others. I will be aware today of all that I can learn from others. I appreciate the variety I see, the different skills, abilities, wisdom and special intelligence. I observe others' emotional responses and see there is no single "right way" for everyone. I freely look at different viewpoints without feeling threatened, without feeling that I must take back my own thoughts and beliefs.

I feel lucky for being able to experience diversity, and I feel fortunate in sharing that many facets of other people's lives. I feel relaxed and nonjudgemental about the diversity around me as I learn from the wisdom of others.

Taking a look back at all the years I have been in recovery, I can see how many ways I have grown, and mostly it is from observing and embracing others diferences, accepting them and accepting myself. For along time in my life I used to wish I was someone else. I usually found someone in my class who I decided I'd rather look like and would find myself trying to dress like them, act like them and be more like them. In retrospect I must have thought if I could act l;ike someone else, perhaps I would also have a different life. Of course that was not the case. Its only in the last few years I can say I actually like who I am. I have my own voice and others may not agree with everything I say but I have grown away from the need to please everbody too. I have finally realized that I'm entitled to my own viewpoints and if others don't agree with what I think I don't need to take back what I've said.

Most important I have I have grown to realize that in the end the race is and was only with ourselves and I do things faster or slower than the next person and that's okay!