Are we worried about things that haven’t yet happened? If we are, then we are most likely spinning our wheels and wasting a great deal of time over something that is better left alone for now. The truth of the matter is that we have all we can do at times to take care of what we should be doing in the here and now, let alone anguish about conditions that may very well change by the time some future date comes.

This does not mean to imply, however, that we can ignore the future or put off making plans for it. Far from that, we absolutely should map out a plan for the near-term as well as long-term goals that we’d like to achieve. We need to keep in mind a truism: If we don’t make a plan and take action, we’ll never be able to reach a goal that we’ve set for ourselves. In other words, things don’t just land in our lap without our having something to do with it. Sure, we could come upon a windfall, and that may impact some of our immediate decisions, but that’s not due to anything that we’ve worked to achieve. In any case, a windfall may be just material gain. It could very well do nothing positive for our long-term recovery.

On the other hand, when good things do happen to us, there’s an opportunity for us to reflect upon how we may be able to translate that good fortune into something that’s more beneficial to our long-term goals. Perhaps we’ve always wanted to go back to school, or to purchase a house for our family, or go on a vacation with our loved ones. Maybe we can help others in need as a result of our own good fortune. Any of these can help us boost our self-esteem, self-confidence and build upon the solid foundation of our recovery.

Yet, here we often sit, allowing our minds to be eaten away with worry over what may happen, what could happen, and how we’d deal with this or that misfortune or tragedy or challenge in the future. What we fail to take into account is that any number of factors could occur that would change what we now perceive as an inevitable eventuality. We are not mind readers, after all, and we certainly can’t foresee the future. With that in mind, what makes us think that there’s anything to come of sitting around worrying over things that we cannot influence?

In the words of Samuel Johnson, paraphrasing here, we’d be a fool to do so.

So, if we should wipe such fruitless worry from our minds, how can we deal with the inevitable challenges and episodes of stress, tension or issues that will occur? What do we do today if something happens that we’re not prepared to handle? Where should we turn? One suggestion is to not panic. Allow reason to prevail. Analyze the situation and try to figure out the best approach to take. If we’re really in a quandary, not knowing where to go or what to do, call our sponsor and talk it over. Ask a trusted family member or loved one to hear us out and perhaps offer some recommendations. After all, brainstorming often will lead to some solutions that we alone may not have been able to come up with.

The basic point to keep in mind is that we only live in the present. What happened before is not anything that we can change, nor can we influence it. Similarly, what will happen tomorrow hasn’t yet occurred, so we cannot influence tomorrow’s direction other than our own actions we take today. If we can do something that will have an impact on our life tomorrow, it happens today. So, let’s not waste a minute of our time worrying about things that we have no influence over.

Instead of worrying, get to work doing something proactive for our recovery. The key is action, and the time is now.

When we first entered recovery, the thought of enlightenment probably never crossed our minds. How could it? We were likely too busy just trying to stay clean and sober one day at a time. What we did know, what we know today, is that sobriety is a lot of hard work. There’s no magic involved, no single strategy or technique, no mantra that makes everything all better and guarantees long-term sobriety.

No, it takes hard work. In fact, we need to continue to do the work, no matter whether we are one day sober or 10 years sober. The necessity to continue to do the work of recovery never ends, but it does get easier over time. That much the long-timers will be quick to point out. They are just as likely to say that we shouldn’t ever take our sobriety for granted. Just as soon as we think we’ve got it all figured out, life may throw us a curve ball. Slacking off may put us in jeopardy for a relapse, even if we’ve been clean and sober for many years.

Duties and responsibilities, to ourselves and to others, is part and parcel of doing the work of recovery. We know there are certain things that we absolutely must adhere to. Included in these are maintaining healthy diet and exercise regimens, getting adequate sleep, going regularly to 12-step group meetings, avoiding triggers, learning how to successfully cope with cravings and urges, and seeking help at the first sign of trouble.

This is hard work, no doubt about it. Sure, it would be great if we could just coast after a while. Why not skip a few meetings? What’s the problem? After all, we know what gets said there and nobody will miss us if we don’t show up, right? We know the answer to that, don’t we? When we slack off, we’re not harming someone else or putting their sobriety at risk. We’re doing it to ourselves. Yes, it may become tiresome or seem like a boring routine, but that’s on us. We can do something to keep it fresh. Switch our meeting locations from time to time so that we’re seeing new people and hearing fresh voices in the rooms.

Create stretch goals for ourselves, goals that really make us push to achieve them. Of course, don’t go overboard and shoot for a long-term goal and expect to accomplish it overnight. That’s just a recipe for disaster, creating an expectation that will crush us if we can’t deliver.

Enlightenment, in the context of recovery, may well mean being able to craft manageable expectations. It also means that we don’t just stop creating goals for ourselves. When we achieve one goal, there should always be several others that are in our recovery plan. Constantly review and revise our plan so that we’re adding new goals that may arise from opportunities that we come into contact with. Many times these occur as a result of the step-by-step action plans we take in pursuit of a particular goal.

The beauty of enlightenment is that it is always available to us. No, there isn’t a light bulb that goes on in our head and a voice that announces, "You are enlightened." Enlightenment is a gradual process, and it takes some introspection in order to recognize.

The other important point about enlightenment is that it still requires that we do the work. No sloughing off here. We still need to carry the water and till the soil, so to speak. Before, during and after we are enlightened, we still need to act.