January 9th: Learning to Let Go

January 9th - Reflection for the Day

In the past, and sometimes even now, I automatically have said, Why me? when I’m trying to learn that my first problem is to accept my present circumstances as they are, myself as I am, and the people around me as they are. Just as I finally accepted my powerlessness over gambling, so must I accept my powerlessness over people, places, and things.

Am I learning to accept life on life’s terms?

Today I Pray

May I learn to control my urge to control, my compulsion to manage, neaten, organize, and label the lives of others. May I learn to accept situations and people as they are instead of as I would like them to be. Thus, may I do away with the ongoing frustrations that a controlling person, by nature, faces continually. May I be entirely ready to have this defect of character removed.

Today I Will Remember

Control for the controller (me).

One of the hardest lessons I’ve had to learn in recovery is that my need for control was never about strength—it was about fear. I believed that if I could just manage everything and everyone around me, I could create a life that felt safe and predictable. But the truth was, the more I tried to control, the more frustrated, anxious, and powerless I became.

Recovery has taught me a different way of living. Accepting life on life’s terms doesn’t mean I like every situation or agree with every person. It means I’ve stopped fighting battles I was never meant to fight. I’ve learned that my energy is better spent focusing on my own choices, my own growth, and my own peace.

Letting go of control has been one of the most freeing aspects of this journey. It doesn’t happen overnight, and I still catch myself falling into old habits sometimes. But with each day in the Program, I’m reminded that acceptance isn’t about giving up; it’s about creating space for serenity and clarity.