One Day at a Time. This is a slogan I learned when I was a kid tagging along with my mom to her Al-anon meetings. There were many slogans in “The Program.” In those days bumper stickers were popular and I’d see these flashy metallic stickers in the rear bumpers of cars all over L.A.. Easy Does It, Let Go and Let God, Keep it Simple Stupid, Nothing Changes if Nothing Changes.
These are cliche’s for good reason and hold a lot of wisdom in their brevity. They are guides on how to live and how to improve oneself. One Day at a Time means just focus on keeping your commitments for today, don’t worry about tomorrow, stay in the now.
Easy Does It means don’t try to do too much to fast otherwise you’ll flop or make a mistake. I could have used this advice last night when I was rushing a car repair, because I was pushing to reach a goal instead of paying attention in the moment and taking my time. Well, mangled a bolt that fastens the head to the engine. If you are a mechanic then you know this is not good. So now I have the pain of a longer delay and additional problems to deal with because I was too hasty. Maybe I will learn this time!
Let Go and Let God reminds me that I cannot manage and control everything in my life; this advice brings a sense of relief when I catch myself struggling and suffering through trying to manage and control too much.
Keep it Simple Stupid. This tells me that people tend to over-complicate things and that we’re not as smart as we might think. This one is better heeded in advance rather than realized after another mistake. I like what Einstein said – make things as simple as possible, but no simpler.
Finally, Nothing Changes if Nothing Changes. This one is a reminder to proactively make changes if you don’t like your current mode of being or situation; the responsibility to change is on you.
These slogans are helpful only if we take them to heart and use them as guidelines for behavior. If everything is working out in your life then you might not need them. But, if you are suffering, then maybe one of these old bumper stickers holds some wisdom worth thinking about and listening to.
Ben Wagner (190)
Member The 365 Commitment
