On this winding road of sobriety, it can be difficult to see how far you’ve come. Thanksgiving is coming up and it’s the perfect day to reflect upon the subtle shifts as well as the monumental changes that have shaped your experience and opened your eyes to bigger and bolder way of living.

As you celebrate this holiday and navigate the challenges of juggling people, places and your own expectations, give thanks for the many gems you’ve acquired along the way.

Here are a few that come to mind, but these are only the beginning. This path you’ve chosen has a way of providing you with exactly what you need in any given moment –  and there’s so much more to come.

Clarity 

This is something you haven’t had in a long time. You’re now able to see yourself in the right light. Your life is full of possibility just waiting to be discovered.

Strength 

You have the power to create what you want in life. This comes from within and builds as you continue down this path of sobriety. The more you face your fears as they come up, the easier it gets.

Wisdom 

As you observe your own behavior, you’re learning how to be successful every day. This process is full of truth, discovery and profound moments. You’re on the right path.

Accountability 

You take responsibility for your own success. By owning the consequences of your actions, there are no more excuses. You are living fully and honestly and taking a giant leap toward an amazing future.

Balance 

What was once a constant state of unrest is replaced with awareness. In your mind and body, you can bring yourself into a space of calm at any time. No longer rocked by the unsteady energy of your past, you are grounded in knowing that life shows you what you’re made of and time is your greatest healer.

Freedom 

You are no longer tangled up in a web of drama and anxiety. You have built a foundation that gives you the confidence to stand on your own and create a life that supports your sobriety without distraction. You see this angst as a waste of precious time and energy. You choose what plays out between your ears and create your own outcomes.

Connection 

You connect more deeply with yourself and others. This continues to get stronger as you open up and bring people in.

Purpose 

In your past this didn’t seem possible. You understand that it all happened for a reason. So you could find your place in this world and expand what you have to give. It’s time for you to accept how precious your experience has been and use it to bring light to others.

What other gifts are you grateful for?

Trusting that everything will work out in the end can be difficult. We often look outside ourselves for assurance that things will be ok.

We’re told to have faith and we reluctantly say we will, but have no idea how to actually put that faith into practice. What we fail to realize is that we’ve done this all before.

When we got sober, we had nothing but a slim glimmer of hope that things were going to be alright. We had no other choice but to believe. The alternative was to continue down a path of pain and self-sabotage.

We had no idea what the outcome would look like, but we knew one thing for sure, that we no longer wanted to live this way. So, we went all in. We placed our bet and got in the game without even knowing the rules.

We jumped with nothing more than the conviction that things had to change and a simple belief that by taking action, any action, we were moving closer to something better.

So, what if we decided that we were old pros at this?

That we’re used to no guarantees. We know that any risk big or small, brings reward and with every step we take toward the unknown, we’re bound to gain the wisdom and insight needed to grow and learn something new about ourselves.

All it takes is the memory of how powerful you were in the past, to recognize the strength you have in the present.

Those are the truths that will propel you forward.

For many of us during our drinking days, the depth of churn and drama we created was constant and unyielding.

We often found ourselves always in the midst of turmoil. Doing whatever we could to try to clean up the mess we created the night before. Thinking we were so smart and no one was onto our game. When in reality, we were hanging on by a thread, struggling to stay ahead of the fallout and trying desperately to balance the highs and lows with whatever energy we could muster.

A fruitless effort to say the least. When you’re on a treadmill doing whatever you can to outrun the consequences of your own creation, exhaustion is inevitable.

In sobriety, we take ownership for our actions and pick our battles wisely, knowing that our precious energy is needed for more noble pursuits. We create a calm and clear path by letting go of the struggle and holding ourselves accountable for staying in a place of pure integrity in everything we do.

In essence, when we take care of ourselves we consciously forego the drama for the greater reward of peace of mind and balance.  

Allowing us to finally give up the chase and find peace in simplicity.