Sunset in the Badlands

I know my active addiction cost me a lot of professional opportunities, but I worked relentlessly in sobriety to make the most of my situation. I'm one month into a new job after 20 years at my last one. I landed the opportunity of a lifetime. I feel so blessed.

It's all about keeping that Day 1 energy.

Getting sober made me more able to identify toxic situations and relationships and take the necessary steps to protect my peace.

I've just taken a massive career leap of faith. Had to give up a lot of security for the chance of something better. I'm betting on myself here. Wish me luck.

"It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare. It is because we do not dare that they are difficult." --Seneca Family hiking above tree line. 🥶

Carousel of Happiness

Hiking trip before the big career re-set next week. Sobriety is grounding me in my excitement for what's next, rather than fretting over what I am leaving behind.

Tundra hike at RMNP.

Bit of a pilgrimage today.

Destination: Bridal Veil Falls

My chariot awaits. #royalgorge

In my 20th year at my current job, an amazing opportunity for a big change came along. I've accepted and given notice. My whole life is about to change. A lot of tossing and turning over this. Leaving behind many co-workers and clients I love, but I just couldn't say no.

"When the thunderclap comes, there is no time to cover the ears." --Sun Tzu

Sobriety taught me I needed to respect myself if I wanted the respect of others.

I love being able to trust myself with big decisions now. However things work out, I'll know I approached things with a clear head.

I used to think multi-tasking was a superpower, but I'm coming around to the idea that the things that are worth part of my attention are worth my full attention.

From the blog...

The things I enjoy doing are much more enjoyable when the things I don't enjoy doing have all been done.

I still make mistakes. I screw up every now and again. I hurt feelings and fall short of my known best self. But I can admit it. I can be wrong, screw up, and fall short and not have to lie to cover it up to protect my addiction. That is one of the many freedoms of sobriety.

Dangerous photo. If someone had opened the fridge, I could have been gravely injured. HBD No. 8, H-Dog.

No person in recovery is a stranger to me.

Addiction is self-imprisonment, but you can free yourself. Read more... philosophicallysober.com/post/freedom-i…

At the end of my drinking, I'd have called myself a "high-functioning alcoholic." Now, 8.5 years sober, I see how dysfunctional everything really was. I was at the brink of financial, career, marital, and family ruin. "High-functioning" is a stage. Quit while you can.

I avoid spiraling into regret over the things I lost in addiction by being grateful for the lessons it taught me and the things I've gained in sobriety.

I had a great conversation with Kellie Adams, author of Shit I Do Sober. Kellie wrote a wonderful book and I hope you'll check it out and watch her discuss it with me. youtu.be/pvDFspKKiOg?...

Dinnertime face.

I dropped my youngest at elementary school for the last time today. She's moving up to middle school in the fall. Time moves so quickly. I'm very grateful to experience all these little moments sober and present.

My dad's health forced him to quit playing golf. After a few years, he accepted he'd never play again and gave his clubs to my son. Today, I took my son to the driving range so he could play golf for the first time. It was a great honor to see those clubs put back into use again.

Feeling particularly content today with a good book and strong coffee. A life I once might thought would be boring has revealed deeper contentment than the shallow, fleeting thrill of drunkenness ever could.

At the point of deciding to get sober, alcohol was my only coping mechanism. To make it, I needed guidance and some new tools.

At first, alcohol felt like freedom. By the end, it felt like prison.

Do things today that will make tomorrow suck less.

Anybody ever tried to read one of those Choose Your Own Adventure books and make all the worst decisions? That's what addiction felt like for me.

When the alcohol obsession cleared, I found my life as a blank canvas for new interests. Replacing the drink with things that I could truly enjoy has been critical to my maintained sobriety.

One vital skill I learned while getting sober was figuring out how to "right-size" my problems. I had a pretty crummy day, all told, but they're pretty minor things. A little time, perspective, and gratitude will put them in their place.

I never did anything positive in a blackout. I never cleaned the house or solved an equation. I always hurt myself, someone else, or broke something. I don't miss that at all.

"Until we have begun to go without them, we fail to realize how unnecessary many things are." --Seneca

Through sobriety, my life has been renewed in hope, joy, and wonder. Gone are the days of dread, resentment, and sorrow.

"Thinking of departed friends is to me something sweet and mellow. For when I had them with me, it was with the feeling that I was going to lose them, and now that I have lost them, I keep the feeling that I have them with me still."" --Seneca 1 yr gone, Molly 12/15/06-5/10/24

I believe in you. Do you?

It's difficult to understand how addiction could cause me to think only about myself and also to think so little of myself.

My son's baseball team had a great game yesterday. My parents came to watch him play and me coach. I spent two hours in the sun feeling so incredibly fortunate, and I am. Just one of those keeper memories.

There are no re-dos. I don't get to take back the time and focus addiction took from me. But, my recovery needs to emphasize presence, attention, and gratitude. It's the only way I keep myself out of a regret spiral.

Bad decisions compound. Good ones do, too. Keep doing the work, #RecoveryPosse

I hope all my #RecoveryPosse friends have a wonderful Friday and weekend. Let's enjoy life's blessings in recovery.

I take lessons from my past, but I don't live there.

My earliest attempts at sobriety failed because I wanted to keep some amount of drinking in my life. I wanted to assert control over a substance that was controlling me. When I gave that up, I found a maintainable recovery.

Coaching has taught me that losing is a better diagnostic tool than winning. Same as life in general, where we discover avenues for improvement better when things aren't going as well.

youtu.be/v8FG__0rRbU?... I enjoyed a chat today with sober friend Rich Sullivan on thriving professionally and personally through recovery from alcoholism.