The Seven Decisions (The Traveler’s Gift)

1. The buck stops here. I am responsible for my past and my future.
2. I will seek wisdom. I will be a servant to others.
3. I am a person of action. I seize this moment. I choose now.
4. I have a decided heart. My destiny is assured.
5. Today I will choose to be happy. I am the possessor of a grateful spirit.
6. I will greet this day with a forgiving spirit. I will forgive myself.
7. I will persist without exception. I will create with mindfulness and intent.

During one of my numerous temporary streaks of recovery from addiction and alcoholism, I made a real effort to create some social connections at Roswell, Georgia’s North Atlanta Church of Christ. This church had (and probably still has) a quite admirable, serious, popular recovery program or ministry called Atlanta Outreach which many AAs attended. But as the program was based on fundamentalist Christianity,my effort to engage evaporated, exactly like my other attempts to rejoin a church. I have since taken the time to deeply explore these attempts (The Church Dilemma, Brainstormy Morning, Why I’m Now Seeking Community, Benefits of Community: Why Join a Group, etc.).

These seven decisions came from a book called The Traveler’s Gift: Seven Decisions that Determine Personal Success, by Andy Andrews. It was recommended by the minister at North Atlanta Church of Christ in 2006. In fact, one of the classes there focused on the book for several weeks, and the preacher’s description of it got my attention.

The seventh decision was slightly modified. It used to say I am a person of great faith. Since faith here in the Bible belt usually implies religious faith, which is not my bag, baby, I used different words: I will create with mindfulness and intent. IMHO, they mean the same thing and the potential impact of either is equal in that it all depends upon the strength or degree of the faith/intent/belief. (The word faith deserves its own lengthy post.)