What I’ve been reading:
The Big Book from Alcoholic Anonymous
"The Big Book" is the basic text of AA (Alcoholic Anonymous). It lays out A.A.’s program of recovery from alcoholism—the well-known Twelve Steps program.
Why did I pick up this book? I am not an alcoholic.
A couple of days ago, I had what I believe will turn out to be one of the most impactful encounters of my life. I will try to finish an essay on it this week. But, to give some context, I had a coffee with a guy that, in the span of a year and a half, I "accidentally" met in three different countries, all thousands of miles away from each other. Every time, we moved into the same city or town and the same neighborhood without even knowing it. And two times out of three, we even moved into the same street.
I’ll leave the details for the essay, but I can say that in this destined encounter, I was faced with a person of great potential and a kind heart whose life is being destroyed by addiction and other forms of self-destructive behavior. I’ve seen what addiction looks like before; I’ve even felt it (although to a far lesser extent), and I’ve witnessed lives being destroyed by toxic behavior and thought patterns. But I never had such a strong internal reaction and, without wanting to sound esoteric, received such a clear message from within when facing someone who’s hit or is on the way to hit the bottom.
I say this was such an impactful encounter for me because it made me feel that I have a responsibility to help as many people as I can to avoid this situation, or get out of it.
Although the Twelve Steps program was initially created to help people recover from alcoholism, it has, in almost 100 years since its inception, helped millions of people overcome all sorts of addiction and even change behavior that isn’t considered addiction but is hindering one’s quality of life. What’s equally fascinating is that AA is one of the only, if not the only, organizations in the world that has managed to grow so much and have such a great impact while staying immune to corruption and the cult of personality. This has been attributed to the organization’s decentralized nature. Those are some of the reasons why I decided to start this new journey with "The Big Book."
I’m not exactly sure where this will take me, but addiction and recovery are something you will hear me talk about and, most importantly, start conversations with you about in the future.
What I’ve been listening to:
The Adventure of Truth as an Antidote to Suffering - Douglas Murray on the Jordan Peterson podcast
Douglas Murray is a British writer and political commentator. Jordan Peterson needs no introduction.
Those who are left-leaning on the political spectrum might disagree with a lot of Peterson’s and Murray’s main beliefs and arguments. Maybe I don’t have as many disagreements with them, but I am far from a blind follower of their worldview and sociopolitical opinions. In fact, I strongly disagree with some of their ideas. Nonetheless, I try to practice what I preach and keep my mind open, since both Peterson and Murray have quite a few wise and useful things to say. I invite you to do the same.
What I’ve been thinking about:
Having goals is not enough.
We need goals that force us to invest ourselves fully in them.
It’s only when we are truly committed that we persist, even when it seems like the obstacles on the way to our goals are too great to overcome.
…it is necessary to invest in goals that are so persuasive that they justify effort even when our resources are exhausted and when fate is merciless…
-Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
Thank you for reading.
Stay strong, love life, and never feel sorry for yourself.
Free Resources:
My free ebook: The Lost Art of Reading
Paid Resources:
The Art of Showing Up: A Clear and Practical Method for Mastering Consistency
The Gold Pill: Timeless Ideas for a Life Worth Living
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Love the recommendations! For growing mindsets and souls! 🩵🎙️