This column is written by staff, alumni, or anyone who wishes to contribute. It is an individual's unique experience and perspective about recovery, but does not necessarily reflect the views and beliefs of New Life Spirit Recovery. We welcome your articles. Please e-mail to nlsrnewsletter@gmail.com.
6 P's Simple Blessings
6 P's
by Robert Beaupre, CDAAC, MMin.
It seems we love acronyms slogans and jingles. Actually, they work quite well to remember certain things, especially in times of sudden stress. We’ve developed the 6 P’s with real live clients over time, and hope you’ll like them- but never have to use them.
PROBLEM=PAUSE+PRAY+PONDER+PLAN+PROFIT
PROBLEM A situation, issue, thought or action confronts you. This can be a puzzle that needs solving, a re-occurring thought or a flaring emotional response.
PAUSE This is the immediate, first thing we need to do. When we run off with our emotional reaction, we always get in trouble or at least don’t do as well as we could. During this pause it would be a great idea to take a few deep breaths. (who knew, turns out oxygen is good for us). We also want to take the time to shift gears and approach the problem rationally and work through it. Oxygen to the brain is key to the rational process. Just pausing long enough to remember the 6- P’s helps!
PRAY Always the best idea. This could be a quick "get in touch" thing, or a long-winded version, whatever brings you comfortably to the place where you know you have a true connection to the Lord. It seems we always get some sort of blessing when we take a correct action. What better time than when we are facing something challeging. Just a quick “Jesus help me here” can make the entire difference since God already has the solution to our problem.
PONDER Look at that situation from all sides, viewing all the angles. Understand both the history and the future. How did it get to that point and what are the ramifications of each possible action? How was the communication? Humans mess that up constantly. Was the current thing based on an old, "no longer important" thing? Was it my behavior, or the behavior of another person? Was this from the world, spiritual, demonic? What would Jesus do in this situation? Networking and research can help here. Even a Google search may offer some suggestions depending on the nature of what you are facing. (and for future learning: could I have done anything different, to make that turn out different?)
PLAN It is said that planning has a 10:1 R.O.I. (return on investment). That return could be financial, stress saving, or peace generating. The degree of the issue dictates the complexity of the plan. Even agreeing to figure it out tomorrow is a plan. Just knowing we don’t have to deal with it until later, because that’s our plan, relieves most of the stress. Does that plan follow God’s desires for us? Diverting our attention is a common plan. (Try 20 push-ups everytime you get that thought. You’ll both drop the thought and get in shape.)
PROFIT The idea is that as long as you have to go through all this, you might as well make a gain somewhere. The profit could be for you, the thing, the other person, or the society as a whole. It could take any form. It could be as simple as showing others how to avoid that thing. It could be having an ice cream with the person you almost argued violently with.
Lets go a step future, and add another P. Practice. Take just a moment and practice saying the P’s. Run a couple scenario’s thru your mind, and see how you’d apply the P’s.
Visualizing a formula: PAUSE/PRAY + PONDER/PLAN = PROFIT works for me.
Robert Beaupre is a manager, counselor and teacher at New Life Spirit Recovery
Normal Day... let me be aware of the treasure you are. Let me learn from you, love you, bless you before you depart.
Let me not pass you by in quest of some rare and perfect tomorrow.
Joys come from simple and natural things: mists over meadows, sunlight on leaves, the path of the moon over water. -Sigurd F. Olson
And God can give you more blessings than you need. Then you will always have plenty of everything... enough to give to every good work. (2 Corinthians 9:8)
Some blessings - like rainbows after a rain or a friend's listening ear - are extraordinary gifts waiting to be discovered in an ordinary day.
Have you ever chased an electric blue or neon green dragonfly across a field or stood still to watch a bushy tailed squirrel scurry up a pine tree?
This is how I spent my Friday morning with my 2 1/2 year old son, at the park last week. Earlier that morning, during our Mommy & Me class we made a wonderful mess with shaving cream & paint brushes and sang silly songs like "Old Mac Donald had a Farm."
On our way back to the car after class and the park, my son turns to me to say:
"Mommy, do you see that big, big airplane in the sky?"
"Mommy, help me pick this purple flower."
I smile to myself as I gaze upon his angelic face and quietly thank God for every simple, daily blessing in my life!
To read more articles from Points of View and Perspectives, see our archives:
Alcoholics, Addicts & Doors
Points of View & Perspectives: Just Do It, Steps In the Snow
The Sugar in the Candy: How I found my Career
The Vulcan Issue Purge
