“Don’t stop digging; don’t give up!”

What does that mean?

Life is tough and sometimes we feel like we fight and fight and fight and still struggle to see the fruits of our labor. 

We pray for things we want to see happen and we grind in hopes of a promotion or professional victory; however, we often give up before we see the other side of our struggle. 

What if that victory, raise, new job, healing, or breakthrough was going to happen soon, but you decided to give up right before the finish line?

When you’re digging for diamonds, don’t stop digging before you get to them. 

We want to see answers and overnight success, but unfortunately life doesn’t always work on our time frame.

We get impatient and give up so quickly and I can’t help but wonder how many blessings and breakthroughs we have given up on because of our own impatience.

Don’t stop digging until you find what you were looking for in the first place

If you or someone you know needs help receiving substance abuse treatment, please call (270) 900-0373 any time, any day, 24/7 for a screening with one of our employees. 

“Make time for what matters; stop making excuses”.

What does that mean?

We all have 24 hours every single day to use how we seem fit.

We fill those 24 hours with various activities and responsibilities; however, not all 24 hours are productive each day.

How much time are you spending on trivial tasks that do not have a positive impact on your life?

How often have you caught yourself saying something along the lines of, “I wish I had more time for ____________, but I am too busy and don’t have enough time in the day”?

We spend more time making excuses for all the time we waste each day than actually making time for things that matter and are beneFICIAL.

We waste so much time each day doom-scrolling social media, binge-watching Netflix, and laying around doing nothing.

Not to say those things are necessarily bad, but they can become harmful if they are taking up too much time in your day.

Take a moment to check the screen time settings on your phone from the past week.

How much time did you spend online shopping or watching TikToks? 

You may not believe you have the time to work out, build a business, travel, or hang out with friends or family; but you likely have more time each day than you realize. 

Spend your time on things that matter; stop making excuses and pretending you don’t have the time.

Be disciplined and make the most of the time you get each day. 

If you or someone you know needs help receiving substance abuse treatment, please call (270) 900-0373 any time, any day, 24/7 for a screening with one of our employees. 

“Your brain has eyes.”

What does that mean?

“Your brain has eyes” probably sounds a little weird, but let me explain.

Your brain will look for things throughout the day to confirm your feelings about how the day is going.

For example, when you wake up and say, “Today is going to suck!”, your brain will pay extra attention for all the “sucky” things that happen that day to affirm that the day sucks.

If you wake up and say something like, “Today is going to be a great day!”, your brain will look for good things throughout the day to affirm those positive affirmations. 

If you have ever woken up with the expectations that the day would be bad, you can likely remember bad things happening that day and saying something like, “See, I knew it would be a bad day!”  

If your brain has eyes, give it a pair of positive glasses to look through rather than negative ones. 

If you want to have a better outlook on life each day, start your day with positivity. 

Saying positive, encouraging things to start your day may not prevent bad things from happening, but it will put you in the right mindset to find the positives throughout the day.

Your brain will naturally look for the negative in life, so we must me intentional about redirecting our brains to look at the good things in life.

If you or someone you know needs help receiving substance abuse treatment, please call (270) 900-0373 any time, any day, 24/7 for a screening with one of our employees. 

“Set healthy boundaries in your life.”

What does that mean?

Setting boundaries can be a difficult thing to do; we don’t want to upset someone we love or care about.

The thing is, we can’t disrupt our peace and well being by trying to appease someone else.

If someone or something or someplace upsets you, causes you anxiety, or makes your life more difficult or stressful than it should be, you may need to create and communicate some boundaries with them. 

We have to be bold and brave enoughh to say “I am fine with everything except for this”. 

Setting healthy boundaries helps to protect your peace and allow for less stress in your life.

Setting boundaries may look different for everyone depending upon their situation. 

For a recovering addict, it may look like no longer hanging out with friends at bars or maybe no longer hanging out with the same people period.

For a burnt-out employee, it may look like no longer answering emails after 5pm.

For a relationship, it may look like agreeing not to rush things and get physical too soon.

Setting boundaries is a very important part of ensuring out mental and emotional, and sometimes physical well-being.

If you or someone you know needs help receiving substance abuse treatment, please call (270) 900-0373 any time, any day, 24/7 for a screening with one of our employees. 

“Be a light in the lives of others!”

What does that mean?

September is National Recovery Month and National Suicide Prevention Month. 

The world can be a very dark place these days. 

It can be hard to see the positive when our social media feeds and news channels are filled with hate, fear, and sadness. 

We need to make sure we are careful not to add to that darkness by arguing with others online, calling people names, sharing troubling news, etc. 

We need to share our light with other people by spreading hope, love, and peace rather than creating more darkness.

When someone interacts with you they should be able to tell that there is something different about you.

They should be able to get something from you that they can’t get online, from a bottle/needle, or in a toxic relationship. 

We have to dig deep sometimes to find something positive to share with someone, but they may desperately need it more than we know. 

Leave everyone better than you found them.

If you or someone you know needs help receiving substance abuse treatment, please call (270) 900-0373 any time, any day, 24/7 for a screening with one of our employees. 

“It is National Recovery and Suicide Prevention Month; you can help save a life.”

What does that mean?

September is National Recovery Month and National Suicide Prevention Month. 

Most people don’t think they can be of much help to other people, but that just isn’t true. 

There are tons of people in the world right now stuggling with addiction and darkness that no one else knows about, but that might be because you have never reached out to ask. 

Believe it or not, some people do not know about a lot of local resources that can help them with whatever they may be struggling with. 

Some people are also afraid to reach out and seek help. 

When people do not know how to save themselves, they might need our help to save their life.

Check in on your friends and family. Make sure they know you are there for them and that there are resources available if they need help.

An act as simple as telling your uncle about a recovery center, lending a shoulder to cry on, providing the 988 suicide hot-line, or helping your cousin contact the local rape crisis center may just save their life. 

If you or someone you know needs help receiving substance abuse treatment, please call (270) 900-0373 any time, any day, 24/7 for a screening with one of our employees. 

“Turn down the volume on negativity and turn up the volume on good, positive, and motivational things.”

What does that mean?

We often listen to the same, hurtful and repetitive thoughts all day long. 

We allow the voices in our heads tell us that we aren’t good enough, creative enough, smart enough, etc.; however, we have to remind ourselves that we can control those thoughts.

Jon Acuff, an author and speaker, calls these repetitive thoughts “soundtracks” that we listen to on repeat all day long. 

We walk ourselves in circles thinking we can just turn these “soundtracks” off and listen to something else, but it isn’t that simple.

Our thoughts are more like a dial and less like an on-off switch.

We have to learn to turn down the loud, negative thoughts and turn up the good, encouraging ones.

As much as you may think that you can’t control your thoughts, you are the only one who can. 

Your mindset is often dependent upon what you spend the most time listening to and consuming. 

If you want a better mindset, try turning down the volume on things in your life that take away value instead of add value. 

If you or someone you know needs help receiving substance abuse treatment, please call (270) 900-0373 any time, any day, 24/7 for a screening with one of our employees. 

“Dig up roots; stop trimming branches.”

What does that mean?

As a society, we have a problem with treating the symptoms rather than addressing the underlying cause of our problems. 

We take pain meds to hide the pain for a short time without asking ourselves what is causing the pain.

We take medication for high blood pressure without addressing the cause. 

We try to make more and more money without addressing the mindset and spending habits that cause us to feel like we are drowning financially. 

It is time we start to dig up and deal with the root of our problems.

A lot of people struggle with addiction because they try to use substances to deal with pain, loneliness, depression, etc.; however, they do not address what is causing their pain and illness in the first place.

At The Commitment House, we work with our clients to address the errors in thinking that leads them to use illicit substances.

We aim to cut addiction off at the root rather than treat the symptoms of addiction. 

We need to take the time to slow down, do some inward reflection, and start working on doing away with the source of our problems rather than routine maintenance of the symptoms.  

If you or someone you know needs help receiving substance abuse treatment, please call (270) 900-0373 any time, any day, 24/7 for a screening with one of our employees. 

“You control you.”

What does that mean?

There are billions of people in this world; however, you can only control the thoughts, words, and actions of one of them.

You.

We often times set ourselves up for disappointment because we place our expectations on other people. 

We want them to do what want them to, how we want them to, and when we want them to do it. 

The sooner we understand that we cannot control other people, the better off our mental and emotional states will be.

You control you; you cannot control the actions and decisions of anyone else.

Stop expecting you out of other people. 

There is only one you and only you can control you.

Stop investing so much time, effort, and energy into trying to make someone else be more like you.

Take that time, effort, and energy and invest it in bettering yourself. 

Make better decisions, think better thoughts, and speak better of yourself and others. 

If you or someone you know needs help receiving substance abuse treatment, please call (270) 900-0373 any time, any day, 24/7 for a screening with one of our employees. 

“Embrace your diversity.”

What does that mean?

Every single person on this planet is different. 

We have different fingerprints, different DNA, and different personalities. 

Sometimes, we shove our differences aside; we attempt to hide who we are to better fit in. 

We constantly feel misunderstood, and often struggle to properly express ourselves. 

In order to fix this inner turmoil, we must stop trying to hide who we really are to “fit in”.

Emracing your diversity means to accept who you are and to utilize your unique skills, talents, and abilities.

Everyone brings something different to the table. 

Our society should operate like a salad bowl filled with different ingredients that all bring a unique style and purpose. 

You will never be happy or thrive trying to be someone you aren’t. 

The world needs people willing and able to embrace their diversity and make the world a better place. 

If you or someone you know needs help receiving substance abuse treatment, please call (270) 900-0373 any time, any day, 24/7 for a screening with one of our employees.