Ever felt like you're carrying the weight of the world, trying to control every aspect of your life? I've been there, and guess what? It's a lonely and unfulfilling path. Join me as I recount my journey to spirituality, a path that taught me the profound lesson of surrender. I unveil my intimate encounters with spirituality, seen not only in people around me but also in the grandeur of nature. As a beacon of light in my life, spirituality allowed me to pause and make conscious decisions that minimized harm and maximized peace.
On our expedition to understand spirituality, we delve into the wisdom embedded in the Alcoholics Anonymous program, underlining the reality that self-reliance often leads to failure. But there's always a silver lining - this failure opens up a path for us to welcome spirituality into our lives. I share my experiences and insights on how to embrace the spiritual journey, from practicing kindness and selflessness to allowing yourself to be open to the wonders of life. This episode isn't just about sharing; it's about inspiring growth, change, and recovery. Together, we can step out of self-reliance and lean into possibilities. Whether it's you or someone dear to you who needs this insight, remember, we're in this together, building better humans, one day at a time.
For over 50 years, Harmony Foundation has worked as a nonprofit to serve those seeking recovery from substance addictions. Our residential and intensive outpatient programs are in a collaborative and respectful treatment environment with multiple specialty tracks offering additional support. Our main campus is nestled on a 43-acre campus in the Rocky Mountains just outside of Estes Park, Colorado, that promotes physical, emotional, and spiritual healing. With one of the most robust alumni programs in the county, clients remain connected and empowered for a lifelong journey of recovery.
For more information about Harmony Foundation, please visit:
www.harmonyfoundationinc.com
Ever felt like you're carrying the weight of the world, trying to control every aspect of your life? I've been there, and guess what? It's a lonely and unfulfilling path. Join me as I recount my journey to spirituality, a path that taught me the profound lesson of surrender. I unveil my intimate encounters with spirituality, seen not only in people around me but also in the grandeur of nature. As a beacon of light in my life, spirituality allowed me to pause and make conscious decisions that minimized harm and maximized peace.
On our expedition to understand spirituality, we delve into the wisdom embedded in the Alcoholics Anonymous program, underlining the reality that self-reliance often leads to failure. But there's always a silver lining - this failure opens up a path for us to welcome spirituality into our lives. I share my experiences and insights on how to embrace the spiritual journey, from practicing kindness and selflessness to allowing yourself to be open to the wonders of life. This episode isn't just about sharing; it's about inspiring growth, change, and recovery. Together, we can step out of self-reliance and lean into possibilities. Whether it's you or someone dear to you who needs this insight, remember, we're in this together, building better humans, one day at a time.
For over 50 years, Harmony Foundation has worked as a nonprofit to serve those seeking recovery from substance addictions. Our residential and intensive outpatient programs are in a collaborative and respectful treatment environment with multiple specialty tracks offering additional support. Our main campus is nestled on a 43-acre campus in the Rocky Mountains just outside of Estes Park, Colorado, that promotes physical, emotional, and spiritual healing. With one of the most robust alumni programs in the county, clients remain connected and empowered for a lifelong journey of recovery.
For more information about Harmony Foundation, please visit:
www.harmonyfoundationinc.com
Welcome to season two, episode 13 of Monday State of Mind, brought to you by Harmony Foundation. My name is Michael Mazel and I am your host. Another beautiful day on planet Earth, welcome, welcome. We are going into a new topic, you guys? Yes, we are, and it's Monday, september 4th.
Speaker 1:Also, for all of you that may not know, september is National Recovery Month. For me, obviously, it's National Recovery Month Day every day, every second of my life, but I love that they dedicate a month to just intentional focus around the world on recovery, and so for me, for this month, for this theme, what I really wanted to focus on is spirituality. So many perspectives on this, and I believe this is a topic that is so important that we talk about, and the people that I have keyed up to talk about this are pretty incredible as well. And it's important to have different perspectives because, let me tell you, throughout my time in sobriety, my definition of spirituality has changed so many times, and I think that is such a gift, because it should evolve and change, as you, as a human, evolve and change, but no matter what, as long as it continues to evolve and change, there should always be the one constant, I believe, when it comes to spirituality, right. So we're going to dive in, get ready, buckle up. This is going to be so wicked. We're going to take it back to the beginning, when I first got sober. Let's start there.
Speaker 1:When I first got sober and when I went to treatment at Harmony Foundation all those years ago I will tell you right now I knew that there was something bigger than me that helped me get to where I was going. I have always known and growing up, even though I grew up Catholic, and then my mom and my dad let us choose if we wanted to continue practicing that religion or if we didn't want to. But they really wanted us to have some sort of foundation in our early years and I can love and appreciate that, and I also love that we were then able to have a power of choice. Even growing up in Catholicism and then moving on to being an adult, I always, like I said, I knew that there was something bigger than me and I chose to believe that because it's a feeling. You know, you guys, it is a total feeling.
Speaker 1:I will say that when I really started drinking and using drugs heavily, that's when any sort of spirituality, any sort of dependence on something bigger than me went out the door and I didn't even really think about that, right, because I was so self-absorbed with who I was in my drinking and it was a total nightmare until sobriety happened. And I will tell you that when I now think of spirituality and when I first got sober, I had to have it be super practical for me. I had to be like, okay, I don't know what this thing is like this that everybody's talking about. I need something that it's tangible, that I can look at. That I know. I just know that I can see spirituality in things or people.
Speaker 1:And so that's when people in the rooms of AA said you know what, like you can make spirituality whatever you want. And that's where I'm also going to put the kibosh on any of you out there that think that the program, the 12 step program of alcoholics, anonymous, is a cult and you have to believe in God. You don't. You don't have to do any of that. It's not a cult. You don't have to believe in God. You just have to believe that you're not the only one in control, because if you are self reliant, self reliance fails us, and I'll get back into that in a minute.
Speaker 1:So, knowing that me running on self will run right was not working for me. I knew I had to ditch self reliance and had to look at, I will say, god reliance, spirituality, reliance, and was like what can I look at? And so back to what I was saying about people in the rooms telling me, michael, it can be whatever you want it to be. And I was like, oh, that's relief. And so when I first was figuring these things out, I felt a spiritual connection from people's shares. I felt a spiritual connection from when people were gifting me advice based on their experience, strength and hope. I was like you know what? There's a reason you're saying this to me right now. And I looked at those as what I like to call God shots, a spiritual poke of like hey, michael, pay attention. And to me it was nice to know that, hey, there is something out there that is working through others and through, I will say, nature to, to help me realize that I am not alone, I don't have to make decisions on my own and I have connection. What a relief.
Speaker 1:How I also look at spirituality is the gift of pause, right, having a moment when my mind is racing. I wanna act, I wanna say something, I just wanna do what I need to do. Right, I'm just like, oh, I'm gonna react, I'm gonna do these things For me part of getting spiritual and like really choosing to just ditch the ego and ditch my first reaction, my thought, all these things I pause and think about what is the best thing I could say that could cause the least amount of harm. I think it is so important to be able to look at. Spirituality for me is not just something that is bigger, it is something that I see through people, it is what I see again in nature, it is what I also. It is a feeling, you guys, and it's something that I have to get intentional over, and it's a choice, because I will tell you very clearly that it says in the big book of Alcoholics Anonymous, in the doctor's opinion, that unless this person can experience an entire psychic change, there's very little hope of his recovery. And then it also says that self-reliance has failed us, and that is huge. That is your invitation for setting aside your ego and inviting spirituality, when it promptly says that we need to have an entire psychic change and that self-reliance has failed us.
Speaker 1:When I look at my entire psychic change, as to where I'm at today as opposed to seven years ago. Holy moly, have I grown. And I can sit here with confidence and tell you guys, where I am at today is a direct result of choosing every day to look at my spirituality, to really invite spirituality into my life, and it's a beautiful thing. I will say that I didn't realize until I really didn't realize, until I got into recovery, how self-reliant I was, and I'm telling you this isn't just for people in recovery.
Speaker 1:If you're someone that's not in recovery and you're listening to this, like, think about how self-reliant you are. And in the moments where you're self-reliant, where are you in so much fear? I think when I'm self-reliant, I'm trying to control everything. I'm living in so much fear and I'm not inviting God, big man, upstairs, my spirituality, into my life. And so the gift of pause allows me. When I get into fear, when I get into like I want what I want what I want it, I pause and I say a little prayer, you guys. I say God, help me to see things that I need to see. Please help me to make decisions that are for the highest good of all, not just for what's the highest good of Michael. And things happen, an intuitive thought of inspiration usually happens, and if something doesn't happen, then I usually try not to act on something right away. I'll seek guidance.
Speaker 1:Part of my spirituality is seeking guidance daily from other people in the rooms, from people that have the lived experience, that have gone through what I'm going through right now, and usually all of my friends in the rooms. When I talk to them about it or I ask them a question, they ask they said Michael, have you prayed about it? Have you invited God into this conversation? And I'm like ugh, and sometimes I have, sometimes I haven't, and I'm like ugh, you are right, because me and my thoughts and my actions alone 90% of the time, maybe more than that fail me.
Speaker 1:And so when I choose to bring spirituality in and I choose to just take moments, multiple moments throughout my day, to be like wow, there is something bigger than me, that's when I'm like okay, and there are things in my life that I kid you not, that have happened for me, that I'm like this did not happen by mistake. This didn't happen from Michael running the show. It happened because of like that's what was supposed to happen. And it happened because I remained open and willing to see possibility, because when I'm in self-centered fear and ego, I can't even see what could be. That's probably even better than I could have ever imagined because I'm so stuck in self.
Speaker 1:And so, as I've been working on this over time, I've been able to really choose to be like wow, you know what, like I can see other options, I can see other perspectives, I can see where God might bring in. I say God, I say big man upstairs, I say spirituality, you guys can say whatever you want. Don't take offense by me saying God, okay, I'll keep going, I'll invite God in and I, you know, like I can see it because, like I choose to, because, again, my life sucked when I was trying to do it all by myself. I was lonely, I didn't have really great friends, and if I did have friends, I'm sure that they were probably like sick of me just trying to control, control, control, control, instead of being like you know what, michael, like can you just let it go? There's a reason. There are those things that we talk about in recovery, like let go and let God, because I will never have all the answers and I don't want all the answers, you guys. And so this is my invitation for all of you that are listening to this.
Speaker 1:It's asking yourself how often, when you wake up every day, are you in fear? Are you like I got to control this, I got to make sure this happens? Like how many of you, literally, are trying to just rule and control every outcome? And how is that working for you? Are you stressed? Do you have anxiety? Do you get pissed off easily Because you're like man, everything that I thought, like are you trying to direct something, be the director of your life that you have no business being the director over?
Speaker 1:Right? Because let me tell you, the one thing you do have control over are your thoughts and your actions. You have no control over anybody else's, no matter how hard you try, like you just don't. And for me, like that was like an aha moment because I really tried to control everything, and since I've been able to just relinquish it and give it up and turn it over and say you know what? Like I don't know everything, god, and I don't want to know everything and I need help and I want your help. That's when life gets good, you guys, every single morning, I hit my knees and I say please help me stay sober another day, and when I ask for that help, I make sure to continue to have that thoughtful connection throughout the day. When I hit my knees at night, I say thank you. I say thank you for another day sober and I review my day.
Speaker 1:I will look at my day, you guys, from a spiritual point of view, and say, hey, like, was I kind and loving, where was I trying to control everything, where was I resentful, where was I selfish? And when I'm resentful, selfish, afraid, those are all character defects that it's like hey, michael, the answer is more God, the answer is more pause and more, hey, let it go and control what you can control. And when I look at that, I've noticed some days my list of like, have I been resentful, have I been afraid, have I been selfish? When I'm spiritually fit, like, I can go no, no, no. On days where I'm not spiritually fit, because, because I haven't been intentional, I'm like, oh man, I don't feel very good, I'm going to bed not feeling very good and let me tell you guys, I don't like that feeling, that feeling sucks. And so I know what it's like to feel really good and to feel spiritually connected. And so I really try every day and again, I'm not perfect. It's progress, not perfection.
Speaker 1:But I choose every day to like sit, get quiet in the morning and get connected, whether it is just with my thoughts, get connected with my breath. Take a walk outside and listen to the river, listen to the birds, it might even be listening to the traffic, wherever I'm at in the world. But just sitting there and being like you know what there's, there's a reason I am here and I know that with every fiber in my being, because I tell you what there were multiple times in my life that I should have died, I should have been dead. But there's a reason I'm here. There's a reason all of you are here and I hope that you can see that, hey, it's not just because of your doing, there's something bigger.
Speaker 1:And to the person listening or the people that are like, yeah, michael, this is really cool and all, but like I didn't grow up spiritual, I don't have a connection to any of this, like this is just way too complicated for me, what I have to offer you is hey again, like I said in the beginning, break it down, just make it so that, at the end of the day, if you're asking yourself. Hey, you know, if I do good in the world, good will come back to me. It's that simple. It doesn't have to be this for some of you prayer, meditation, like what I do, it can just be did I choose to do something good today? Did I choose to be of service? Was I kind and loving? Did I offer somebody my time, and was I self less and not selfish? And then you can keep it practical. That way I get it.
Speaker 1:And that's what I love about this topic of spirituality is that it is vast and it is so expansive and that you get to choose. And how freeing is that? Let's just think about that for a second. How freeing is it? No one gets to tell you what you believe. What you just need to know is that you're not the only one in the self-reliance is not going to get you very far and that if you choose to like be open to seeing different signs, to being open to seeing when you do good, good comes back. More and more of that will infiltrate your life. So cool, you guys.
Speaker 1:And again, there's a reason 12 step is my program and why we at Harmony Foundation dial in 12 step and spirituality for the clients that we have, because it is so important to know that you are in treatment for a reason and it's because self-reliance has failed you and that. Are you willing to get out of self? Are you willing to put your ego aside? Are you willing to find humility? Are you just willing? Because the more we don't invite a spiritual component and the more we rely on ourselves, it becomes a fatal progression. And that fatal progression can lead us back to a drink, can lead us back to using, and then that's not a pretty picture, let's be real here. So I choose to not go down the road of fatal progression, I choose spiritual evolution, and it's wicked.
Speaker 1:I just wanna share with you guys a couple of moments where I really felt spiritually connected, and then I swear I'll shut up and you guys can go along with your day. But I invite you guys to think about this. A couple major moments in my sobriety where I felt very connected was the first time, probably six months into sobriety, when I was working and all of a sudden I was just walking to work and I just remember looking up at the sky and I'd never seen the sky so blue, the trees so green and heard the birds. And it was in that moment I saw how beautiful the sky was, because I finally was looking up in my recovery and the trees and the birds. I was like holy cow and I just had this wave of emotion come over me. Cheesy it sounds, but it's real, you guys. I was like, wow, this is what life is about.
Speaker 1:Another moment was when I was working with my sponsor and when she was sharing about her life and her experiences with me and all of a sudden, when she literally said and that's why I've said this so many times when we opened up the big book and we turned to the page where it talks about self-reliance had failed us, boom, right there, I was like oh damn, and I had read that so many times, but it was in that moment. It was in that perfect moment that when she said that it all made sense, and that's when I was like we are going deeper into a connection with something bigger. And those two moments of the sky and just hearing those words, I was like, ooh, here we go, good stuff.
Speaker 1:I love this topic of spirituality because I love seeking. It's allowed me to want to seek and to want to explore and to see how much further can I go with being intentional throughout the day and being able to celebrate it like, ah, I just okay. I could talk for hours, but I will shut up. When we choose to be willing to get out of self-reliance, good things happen, good things grow, and that's all I'm gonna say today about spirituality. Spirituality is whatever you want it to be, as long as you know that you are not it. Before we part ways, I want to remind you that help is available. If you or someone you know is in need of assistance, please reach out to the Harmony Foundation at 970-586-4491. Just remember that together we build better humans. All right, you guys, I'll see you next week. 15 NickойorsFi.