Focus

    The art of focus is difficult to master, and this is especially true in recovery. When we stop using, stop drinking, stop doing whatever it was that was hurting us we want instant benefits. We want to immediately see the good results of our discipline and self control. With the effects of drugs or alcohol safely out of our systems we are able to see clearly our circumstances and often have a tendency to look way off into the future to see where we think we should be. I've often sat and thought to myself  "Wow, I've been sober this long, what will my life be like 10 years from now, or 20 years from now, or even next year". While it's exciting to look to the future and to plan and to see where your life might lead we need to be cautious not to loose focus on the present moment.
     As an alcoholic the only thing I have control over is the current moment. I didn't achieve 2 years of sobriety by sitting down one day and thinking "I'm going to not drink for the next 2 years", rather this was achieved by sitting down daily and thinking "I'm not going to pick up a drink today" , or early on in recovery "I'm not going to pick up a drink this hour, or even this minute."
    Yes only the decisions that we can make today, this hour, this minute are the ones that matter. Stay focused on the present moment. When I start to think about not drinking for another year, or 10 years, or even for the rest of my life, it can be overwhelming. Just as detrimental is thinking about the past, "How different things would be if..." "How would my life look if I had done this sooner" .... etc.
    Just stay focused on today, this hour, this minute. Our life , where we are today, is a direct result of our thoughts and our decisions made one at a time, and accumulated over time.
    In this present moment you are either moving in a good direction, gradually improving your life, or you are moving in the opposite direction hurting your life. You probably won't even notice the effects of the decisions that you make today, in fact you might not even notice the effects of good decisions that you make for weeks, months, or even years, but you have to trust the process! The compounding of good decisions, of good thoughts over time can only yield good fruit. Stay focused on the present, make good decisions today, and let the rest handle itself. Best wished to all of you in recovery!