Sobriety Rocks

Aloha and welcome to the Sobriety Rocks Podcast! I’m your host Kirk Waterman, today we talk about having Enough Power to Successfully Get Through Anything

Gandhi said, “The day the power of love overrules the love of power, the world will know peace.” 

When I was young, I didn’t have enough power to defend myself against my father. That’s why I loved the power I received from competing, excelling, achieving, working, fighting, alcohol, drugs, money, sex, and a collection of other things.
  
They helped me rise above outside challenges, and temporarily find my own place of peace. Unfortunately, they were inadequate sources to successfully fuel my journey through life.
  
When I finally arrived in the rooms, I was completely surprised at the immense power I found. It was successfully propelling people through life situations I had to drink and use for. 
 
So, I too did the work to tap into this new power source. And sure enough, I got enough power to stay clean & sober while cleaning up the mess of my previous life. 

Not only that, but over the past 30+ years in recovery, the collective power of all the people in the program, some God I still don't understand, and the humbling power I receive by being of service to my fellow man, has successfully carried me through the most challenging times anyone could go through, without having to pick-up or do any of the garbage I used to.

What ever is going on with you, if you need additional strength to get through life, join us. I promise, if you do the work, you too will have enough power to successfully navigate anything life throws your way, without having to drink, use, or act out in a negative way.

Today we close with a simple mantra meditation to help bring us more focus and clarity. So please get comfortable, close your eyes, take a few slow deep breaths, and join me.

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Aloha and welcome to the Sobriety Rocks Podcast! I’m your host Kirk Waterman, today we talk about being Aggressive, Assertive or Passive?

Emo Philips said, “Never judge someone until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes. That way, when you do judge them, you’re a mile away and you have their shoes.”

When I was young, I wasn't passive or aggressive. Instead, I was assertive, and naturally took appropriate action in most every situation. Unfortunately, my surroundings forced me learn to be aggressive, or passive, depending on the circumstances.
  
As I grew up, I lost touch with the natural, assertive part of me, and became an overly aggressive, covertly passive addict.  Sadly, drugs, alcohol, and high levels of achievement made that life acceptable for far too long.
  
Then one day, I found myself in addiction recovery, surrounded by passive, aggressive addicts like me. They shared stories about their passive aggressive behavior, but I could see they had changed.
  
Instead of being passive aggressive, they were assertive, confident, positive, and naturally took appropriate action, the same way I did when I was young.
 
I wanted to be that way again! So, I took this “spiritual plan of action” they talked about. Sure enough, my spirit healed, my passive aggressive ways began to diminish, and my natural assertiveness began to shine again.
 
All these years later it still works! I have self-confidence, use positive communication, and am naturally assertive in most situations. But, if I’m inconsistent for any period, I can easily become a passive-aggressive jerk once again.
 
Wherever you're at, I hope you take a little more time to nurture your spirit, so you can have your needs met, maintain your natural assertiveness, and be able to see, hear, and love yourself and others, far more easily. 
 
Wel close with a brief breathing meditation to help get us centered. So please get comfortable, close your eyes, take a few slow deep breaths, and join me.

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Aloha and welcome to the Sobriety Rocks Podcast! I’m your host Kirk Waterman, today we talk about Whose Life Do You Want

Euginia Herlihy said, “Comparison is the most poisonous element in the human heart because it destroys ingenuity, and it robs peace and joy.”

In my preadolescence, I was perfectly content with the life I had. Unfortunately, before I was out of my teens, I wished I could trade places with other people, and the amazing lives I thought they had.
  
Then, as I made the sad, lonely journey to my rock bottom, I began to unknowingly trade places with people who had it much worse than I.
  
Thankfully, one day I ended up in a meeting with people who used to despise themselves and want to trade lives with other people, just like I had.
 
But not anymore! They had rebuilt their lives and would teach me how to rebuild mine too.
 
Wouldn't you know it, after doing the work, cleaning up my mess, and beginning to live a clean, healthy life, I began to appreciate the life I had, and not want to trade it for anyone else's.
 
Nowadays, if I ever think I may want someone else’s life. All I have to do is go to a meeting, and at the end, when I walk out to that table with everyone’s bag of life's problems on it, I’ll grab mine every time.

How about you? 
 
Today we close with a body scan meditation to help bring us more focus and clarity. So please get comfortable, close your eyes, take a few slow deep breaths, and join me.

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Aloha and welcome to the Sobriety Rocks Podcast! I’m your host Kirk Waterman, today we talk about Letting Go of Struggle

Herman Hesse said, ““Some of us think holding on makes us strong, but sometimes it is letting go.”

For years I lived with one foot in my regretful past and one foot in the fearful future. I had no idea that way of living kept me from fully enjoying the present moment.
  
What a relief it was to find people in recovery who had the courage to do what it takes to let go of their struggles. I didn’t think I could do it at first. But thankfully, I stuck around long enough to do the work necessary to learn how to let go of my struggles too.
  
Cleaning up my past and laying down all that unnecessary baggage, was the only way I would ever forgive myself. Without it, I would never be able to be totally free, and fully embrace life.
  
All these years later I'm still doing the same prayer, meditation, inventory, amends, reading, meetings, and service process I learned when I first got here. It still works wonders in helping me let go of struggles quickly and effortlessly.
  
Whatever struggles you may be going through, remember, letting go isn’t the end of the world, it’s the beginning of a new life.

Today we close with a breathing meditation to help bring us more peace and serenity. So please get comfortable, close your eyes, take a few slow deep breaths, and join me.

I’m Kirk Waterman, thank you for joining us. Aloha!

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Aloha and welcome to the Sobriety Rocks Podcast! I’m your host Kirk Waterman, today we talk about Your Well Being

Theodore Roosevelt said, “No man is worth his salt who is not ready at all times to risk his well-being, to risk his body, to risk his life, in a great cause.”

When I was young, my spiritual, emotional, and mental well-being were inner resources which allowed me to excel at nearly everything I did. I was so well grounded, they even helped me to be resilient in the face of adversity. 

Unfortunately, once my addictions took off, I lost all sense of personal responsibility, completely disregarding my well-being, and the well-being of those around me.

It took being homeless, helpless and hopeless to finally ask for help. I see now that it was only in that last bit of desperation, that I truly cared for my well-being. 

All these years later, recovery has taught me that wellness is the complete integration of body, mind, and spirit. It’s the realization that everything we think, feel, believe, and do influences our state of well-being, and the well-being of those around us.

I know the state of my well-being is a direct reflection of my actions in the program. The more action I take, the more grateful my heart, the more expressions of service, the more faith, courage, contentment, happiness, love, and well-being I have.

Today, may you have the strength to do what is needed to fully take care of your well-being and the well-being of those around you. May you also leave enough time to do something that makes you happy, satisfied, and joyous

Today we’ll close with a peace meditation. 

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Aloha and welcome to the Sobriety Rocks Podcast! I’m your host Kirk Waterman, today we going to talk about Self-Forgiveness

Osho said, “The first and foremost thing is to be loving toward yourself. Learn how to forgive yourself— again and again and again.”

When I was drinking and using, I rarely had compassion for myself. It was extra hard when I kept taking the same self-destructive action over and over and over.
  
What a relief it was when I found people in the rooms just like me, who had changed their behavior, cleaned up their pasts, and forgiven themselves. I hadn’t thought self-forgiveness was possible before that.
  
All these years later I’m grateful I was taught to look at my faults, clean-up the damage I have done, help others, and take the next right action. It's the only way I can be sure that no matter what happens, I will love, accept, and forgive myself.
  
Wherever you are on your path, today is the day to forgive yourself, love yourself and let yourself blossom like never before. Because forgiving yourself, believing in yourself, and choosing to love yourself, are the best gifts any of us can receive.
 
Today we close with a forgiveness meditation to bring more peace, love and forgiveness into our hearts and minds.

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Aloha and welcome to the Sobriety Rocks Podcast! I’m your host Kirk Waterman, today we talk about Taking a Big Breath of Life

A. J. Green said, “You just have to take a deep breath, relax and let the game come to you.

I recently reflected on how much life I lived when I was a kid. From sports to music, art, academics, science, dance, outdoor adventures, hobbies, clubs, debate, social, religion, theater, games, community service, employment, and school government. There wasn’t much I didn’t do.
  
But, as you look at the timeline of my drinking and using, you see activities slowly disappearing the further into the party lifestyle I fell. Near the end, when my alcoholism and addiction were in full bloom, my participation in life had dwindled to a bare minimum.
  
That’s the problem with alcoholism and addiction. They make an empty life, devoid of inspiration and participation, okay for far too long. Thankfully, when they no longer took away the pain of my miserable existence, I was brought to a fellowship of people who absolutely insisted on enjoying life!
  
So, I did what you suggested. I got a sponsor, a home group, a few commitments, and took the steps. All twelve of them. Sure enough, as I did the work in recovery, my life outside of recovery filled with activities faster than I could keep up.
  
Now, as I look back at these 30+ years of recovery, I see that addiction and recovery are opposites. Addiction removed, eliminated, amputated, and stripped away all that was good in my life. Recovery has enhanced, enlarged, enriched, and improved every area of my life.
  
Today I choose recovery! I’m going to keep living, participating as much as I possibly can, and take a big breath of life! How about you?

Today we close with a grounding meditation to provide us strength in any situation we may find ourselves. So please get comfortable, close your eyes, take a few slow deep breaths, and join me.

I’m Kirk Waterman, thank you for joining us. Aloha!

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Aloha and welcome to the Sobriety Rocks Podcast! I’m your host Kirk Waterman, today we talk about Detours Aren’t Detours

Sir James Jeans said, “The really happy person is the one who can enjoy the scenery, even when they have to take a detour.” 

When I was drinking and using, I thought failure, obstacles and sub optimal results, were the enemy. Rather than using them to adjust, improve, and avoid future pitfalls, I treated them as dead ends.
  
Then, after one more epic failure, I found myself in the rooms of recovery, with people talking about their failures the same way I used to glorify my successes. They were exposing their deep, dark secrets, accepting feedback, adjusting, and taking action to improve.
  
It seemed a bit extreme! But, once I got into the steps, I too shared the things I said I would never tell anyone. As my sponsor guided me through the prayer, meditation, amends, unity, recovery and service process of the program, I too began learning from my past and making dramatic improvements.  
 
All these years later, I have nothing to hide and no one to hide from. When I hit a dead end or something in my life doesn't work out the way I anticipated, I go to my people for feedback, make adjustments, and throw my hat back in the ring, usually with far better results.
  
Whatever failures you may have had or dead-ends you may hit, I promise, nothing is too great to overcome! What may at first appear as an obstacle, detour, or failure, can be the most groundbreaking, enriching, fruitful, clear, and direct path forward!

Here’s to failing big, learning big, and coming back better than ever!

Today we close with a grounding meditation to provide us strength in any situation we may find ourselves. So please get comfortable, close your eyes, take a few slow deep breaths, and join me.

I’m Kirk Waterman, thank you for joining us. Aloha!

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Aloha and welcome to the Sobriety Rocks Podcast! I’m your host Kirk Waterman, today we talk about God, Higher Power, or Whatever…

Ramana Maharshi said, “It is the Higher Power which does everything, and the man is only a tool.” 

When I was little, I believed in God just like I believed in Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny. But the more traumatized I was by the elders who taught me about this God, the less I believed.

Godlessness suited me for many years. Then one day, with the pain of my sub optimal life too much to bear, I sincerely asked the universe for help. Just like that I was dropped in the God filled rooms of Alcoholics Anonymous. 

When I said I didn’t believe in God and tried to make a run for it. They told me it doesn’t say anywhere we believe in God. They only believed that some power greater than me, could restore me to sanity. Well, it was going to take a power far greater than me to restore me to sanity. 

They also said if I sincerely do the work, all sorts of remarkable things will happen. I love remarkable! So, I stuck around, did the work, including praying to a God (Group of Dorks) I didn’t believe in, and remarkable things happened. 

I went from an angry, violent, godless, addicted sociopath, to a happy, productive, praying member of society. Far better than I could have ever planned, and a way of life that has brought me thirty wonderful years of living!

Whatever God or Higher Power you believe in or don’t believe in, I hope you give yourself a shot to have a remarkable life, just like me.

Today we close with one of the first, simple God meditations I learned, that works so very well. 

So please get comfortable, close your eyes, take a few slow deep breaths, and join us.

Aloha :-)

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Aloha and welcome to the Sobriety Rocks Podcast! I’m your host Kirk Waterman, today we talk about Using Our Intuition.

Roy T. Bennett said, “You will never follow your own inner voice until you clear up the doubts in your mind.” 

When I was a little boy, I trusted my intuition without question. It effortlessly led me to do the right thing, be the best person I could, and shine bright in nearly every situation I found myself.

Unfortunately, by time I was a drinking and using teenager, I had begun to lose touch with it. I would think I was using my intuition when I wasn’t and didn’t trust it when I should have. 

Thankfully when I finally made it to the rooms of recovery, I found people who had done the work to uncover their hearts, follow their intuition and shine as bright as I once did.

So, I did what they did, and cleared my heart of all the pain, hurt, shame, guilt, and judgement I could. Slowly but surely, I began to believe in myself and trust my intuition once again.

All these years later, the unity, recovery, and service of the 12 step programs have allowed me to hear my inner voice and be led by intuition once again. I believe this may be one of the most important things I’ve ever done.

I know that the more you trust your intuition, the more empowered you become, the stronger you become, and the happier you become. So, I say here’s to all of us staying grounded and trusting our intuition.

Today we’ll close with a grounding meditation, to bring us more peace, calm and focus.

I’m Kirk Waterman, thank you for joining us. Aloha!

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