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OCTOBER 20 Reflection for the Day

Before I admitted my powerlessness over gambling, I had as much self-worth as a “peeled zero.” I came into Gamblers Anonymous as a nobody who desperately wanted to be a somebody. In retrospect, my self-esteem was shredded, seemingly beyond repair. Gradually, the Program has enabled me to achieve an ever stronger sense of self-worth. I’ve come to accept myself, realizing that I’m not as bad as I had always supposed myself to be.

Am I learning that my self-worth is not dependent on the approval of others, but instead is truly an “inside job”?

Today I Pray
When I am feeling down and worthless, may my Higher Power and my friends in the group help me see that, although I was “fallen,” I was not “cast down.” However sick I might have been in my gambling days, with all the self-esteem of an earthworm, may I know that I still had the power of choice. And I chose to do something about myself. May that good choice be the basis for my reactivated self-worth.

Today I Will Remember
I will not kick myself when I’m down.

OCTOBER 21 Reflection for the Day

There’s a world of difference between the idea of self-love and love of self. Self-love is a reflection of an inflated ego, around which – in our distorted view of our own self-importance – everything must revolve. Self-love is the breeding ground for hostility, arrogance, and a host of other characters defects that blind us to any points of view but our own. Love of self, in contrast, is an appreciation of our dignity and value as human beings. Love of self is an expression of self-realization, from which springs humility.

Do I believe I can love others best when I have gained love of self?

Today I Pray
May God, who loves me, teach me to love myself. May I notice that the most arrogant and officious humans are not so completely sure of themselves, after all. Instead, they are apt to have a painfully low self-image, an insecurity that they cloak in pomp and princely trappings. May God show me that when I can like myself, I am duly crediting Him, since every living thing is a work of God.

Today I Will Remember
I will try to like myself.