avatarCarlos Jeronimo

Summary

The article narrates the author's journey from homelessness and alcoholism to self-discovery and personal growth, emphasizing the importance of recognizing and utilizing one's inner strengths and talents.

Abstract

The author shares a personal story of overcoming adversity, detailing how hitting rock bottom due to alcoholism and homelessness led to a profound self-examination. By accepting his situation, the author embarked on a path of recovery, replacing destructive habits with constructive ones. The transformation process involved cultivating organization, honesty, and good habits, which in turn revealed hidden potential and led to a better version of himself. The article underscores the significance of changing underlying beliefs to alter behavior effectively, as highlighted by James Clear in "Atomic Habits," and encourages readers to view failure as a stepping stone to wisdom and self-improvement.

Opinions

  • The author believes that everyone possesses unique gifts and talents that can be uncovered by confronting personal weaknesses and changing harmful habits.
  • There is an emphasis on the idea that stagnation and continued indulgence in pleasures can lead to further troubles, while effort and seeking help can lead to improvement and recovery.
  • The article suggests that bad habits should not be eliminated but replaced with positive ones to avoid a relapse into old patterns.
  • The author values the importance of taking conscious action towards self-improvement and acknowledges the role of small victories in sustaining motivation.
  • Quoting Robert F. Kennedy, the author implies that tragedy should be used as a tool for gaining wisdom rather than as a guide for living.
  • The author expresses that the desire to better oneself can lead to the discovery of previously unrecognized talents and that failure should be seen as a lesson rather than a dead end.
  • The author encourages readers to control their bodily desires, avoid harmful environments, and support his work by subscribing to his newsletter, visiting his website, or joining Medium through his referral link.

There’s a Treasure Trove Hidden in Each One of Us

We all have Gifts and Talents.

Photo by Sharon McCutcheon on Unsplash

Failures in life force us to find a way to overcome setbacks.

There are two paths, and we can only choose one.

The easiest is to stagnate and continue digging dipper, bringing more trouble into our lives — spinning our wheels in the mud.

While the path that leads to improvement and recovery — the hardest because it takes effort — It’s found by seeking help or the information that leads us to restoration.

Basically, taking action in the right direction.

Whatever happened in our lives may have many contributing factors:

A set of beliefs, mindsets, and habits that pushed us in the wrong direction.

I remember how the desperation of homelessness led me to ask myself sincerely:

Why did I fall so deep?

It wasn’t that I was stupid. Nobody wants to fall that deep.

I had no reason to run away from society. Still, homelessness seemed the best place to hide from my failure, and alcohol became the perfect pain killer to forget about everything I left behind.

Something had taken control of my life and directed me to a pit. Then realized that I had been the coward that didn’t dare to confront my weakness with alcohol in the first place.

We all have weaknesses, but by exposing ourselves for a long time to indulge in pleasures, sooner or later, they bring us harmful consequences — mentally and physically.

Acceptance of the current situation gave me a starting point

Right from the bottom.

That forced me to decide that I would do everything to save my life and get out of that mediocre condition.

When I thought about it consciously along the way to recovery, I realized that I had nurtured a drinking habit under the table for many years, which has taken root, suffocating the essential functions of my life.

Uprooting the feeling of living enslaved to get drunk daily was painful, but it was worth the effort. I learned that I did not have to eliminate the bad habit but replace it with another to avoid the vacuum of alcoholism.

My first goals failed soon, but I started to feel the taste of small victories, which encouraged me day by day to achieve sobriety.

I discover hidden gems.

It is hard to change your habits if you never change the underlying beliefs that led to your past behavior — James Clear: Atomic Habits.

I began to see myself as a clean person, not only in appearance but internally.

I became well organized, not only in my actions but also in my habits.

And honest, not only with the people but with myself.

Cultivating good habits has led me to become a better version of myself, and we should all strive to achieve that.

Few memories are better than overcoming struggles, absorbing pressure, and turning it into fuel instead of letting it burn you to the ground.

“Tragedy is a tool for the living to gain wisdom, not a guide by which to live.” — ROBERT F. KENNEDY

The desire to be better will lead you to discover hidden gifts and talents that you never knew you had inside.

Failure must always be a lesson and not a dead end.

The Takeaway

We all have weaknesses in certain pleasures. Learn to control your own body and its carnal desires.

Exposing yourself for a long time to specific harmful environments can bring you a disaster in the long term.

Take this message deep into your heart, and don’t let bad habits leave you bent at the edge of life’s path.

Thanks for reading.

(I don’t have an affiliation to any link in this article)

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Life Lessons
Self Improvement
Alcoholism
Inspiration
Personal Growth
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