Having committed yourself to recovery, you’re becoming increasingly dedicated to making it happen. Be willing to prepare yourself for long term success. Roger Maris, a famous New York Yankees baseball player from the 1950’s and 60’s, stated “You hit home runs not by chance but by preparation.” In recovery from mental health and substance use disorders, preparation is vital.
Successful Recovery
Preparing for recovery success takes time. In most sports, art forms, trades, and occupations there are fundamental skills that must be learned. These skills can be honed to such a high degree that they become automatic or second nature – muscle memory. Foundational elements of recovery can also be developed and refined and can be relied upon to kick in automatically. These instinctive elements may include: acceptance of the problem, the acknowledgement that help is needed, and the desire to do whatever it takes to change your life. Remember, your life cannot be changed by repetition of the vary behaviors that created the problem in the first place. And for that matter, the mindset that produced those behaviors, must also be altered. Find the fundamental skills you need for your recovery and practice them until they become a knee jerk reflex.
Getting Ready
You are worth working on and this is worth doing. It’s worth the effort and hard work that it takes to reach your goal. As you practice your recovery skills, a new mindset emerges. You may feel inspired and encouraged, motivating further practice. With your skill level highly tuned you can almost automatically identify enticing temptations, see triggers coming a mile away, spot your vulnerabilities and avoid relational pitfalls far in advance of any serious trouble.
Hitting it Out of the Park
With the foundational fundamentals firmly in place, your careful groundwork starts to yield huge results evidenced in every area of your changed life. Past strikeouts are ignored and become mere lessons to sharpen future skill. You have developed resilience, motivation and a keen eye for what works. Now, it isn’t because you got a lucky recovery home run, but because you did the preparation necessary to make it happen.
Recovery is a Journey. Enjoy the Ride