Inside Job
Pearl Jam
Underneath this smile lies everything
All my hopes and anger, pride and shame
Make myself a pact not to shut doors on the past
Just for today I am free
I will not lose my faith
It's an inside job today
It's an inside job today
I know this one thing well
I used to try and kill love, it was the highest sin
breathing insecurity out and in
breathing insecurity out and in
Searching hope, I'm shown the way to run straight
Pursuing the greater way for all,... human light.
How I choose to feel is how I am.
How I choose to feel is how I am.
How I choose to feel is how I am.
I will not lose my faith
It's an inside job today
It's an inside job today
Holding on, the light of night
On my knees to rise and fix my broken soul
Again
Let me run into the rain
To be a human light again
Let me run into the rain
To shine a human light today
Life comes from within your heart and desire
Life comes from within my heart and desire
Life comes from within your heart and desire
A must hear song!
I have heard people describe this song as their personal recovery anthem. I can understand why. The lyrics tell a story of someone who is choosing recovery and it shows. He has a changed perspective about himself and his life. Just for today, he is free. He has made peace with his past. He has found faith and is seeking hope. And when he is on his knees, he holds on to what he believes and finds the strength within to rise Again. He is living recovery with heart and desire and is seeing his life coming to light. This for me is at the heart of recovery. The manifestation of one's spirituality coming into full view is recovery at its best. It's not magic, it's a transformation. It's not external, but rather internal. There is a name for this. It's a term that you are likely to hear over and over again in 12 step programs: Recovery is an inside job.
My understanding of recovery
I remember taking a class on addiction recovery many years ago and the professor walking in and asking the class to define recovery. Most of us were trying to connect recovery with addiction because after all, that was the reason we were there. But he had something else he wanted to teach us that day. This is what he said: We are all in recovery. Everyone in this room is in recovery. And this is what he meant: Recovery is about learning, growing, and change. The professor believed we were all there because we wanted to. We had made a choice to be there. And recovery is always a matter of choice. Recovery leads to a changed perspective and this is what he hoped and wished for everyone of us. What I learned that day is still very much with me today.
As a therapist, I view everyone who comes to see me as having a will towards health. This is where we begin as we make our way on a journey to become a better version of who we are. The client must be willing to use personal will, hope and freedom of choice to learn about themselves and begin the process of change. I remind them that change is possible and doable and they can do it.
We are all wounded. Whether we are in the process of recovering our true selves, or we are healing the wounded parts of our self, it is essential to see and fully understand our recovery as an inside job.
What recovery feels like and looks like from the inside
Here is the best line from the song to help us understand recovery from the inside: How I choose to feel is how I am.
The work is from within. It is about taking responsibility for your own life and choices. It's about regaining hope-faith-love and living from all three. It's about making the choice to feel good again or maybe for the first time believing that you are worth it. More importantly, recovery from the inside is being willing to work on yourself. The inside is what's hurting; it's where the pain/trauma lives and therefore this is what must be addressed in recovery.
Doing the internal work changes us, better yet, changes our hearts. As our recovery practice deepens, we practice gratitude and hold on to faith and hope. We come to believe that we matter and are worth saving. Recovery principles like honesty, spirituality, integrity, serenity, and being present become part of our new way of life. I have often heard people in recovery use the religious passage, "When I am weak, then I am strong" referencing they have a light within that is their recovery and so long as they keep choosing the bright side of life, everything will be okay.
Recovery, however, you define it, is something that comes to life by how we interact and live with ourselves, but also from our interactions with others. We are wounded in the context of our relationships with others, and we are healed in the same way. Recovery is not something we do alone. It is completely influenced by those you keep near. Choose wisely.
Concluding thoughts
Frankly, I love the song. Every time I listen to it, which is quite often, I can see in my mind's eye recovery as it is. BEAUTIFUL.
Recovery is beautiful. Beautiful to see. Beautiful to listen to. And the song captures all of it. This song may be about addiction recovery, but it can be applied to recovery in general. We can all relate to it if we keep an open mind.
Recovery is beautiful and the beauty is inside!
I invite you to listen to the song. Who knows, you might decide to enter into recovery. If you do, remember this: recovery from the inside will give you back your life, your mind, your heart, and above all, good spirits.
Quote for today
The goal of recovery is not to become normal. The goal is to embrace the human vocation of becoming more deeply, more fully human.
- Patricia E. Deegan
Take a listen
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfShR-wY8oQ
Thank you for reading!
A must hear song!
I have heard people describe this song as their personal recovery anthem. I can understand why. The lyrics tell a story of someone who is choosing recovery and it shows. He has a changed perspective about himself and his life. Just for today, he is free. He has made peace with his past. He has found faith and is seeking hope. And when he is on his knees, he holds on to what he believes and finds the strength within to rise Again. He is living recovery with heart and desire and is seeing his life coming to light. This for me is at the heart of recovery. The manifestation of one's spirituality coming into full view is recovery at its best. It's not magic, it's a transformation. It's not external, but rather internal. There is a name for this. It's a term that you are likely to hear over and over again in 12 step programs: Recovery is an inside job.
My understanding of recovery
I remember taking a class on addiction recovery many years ago and the professor walking in and asking the class to define recovery. Most of us were trying to connect recovery with addiction because after all, that was the reason we were there. But he had something else he wanted to teach us that day. This is what he said: We are all in recovery. Everyone in this room is in recovery. And this is what he meant: Recovery is about learning, growing, and change. The professor believed we were all there because we wanted to. We had made a choice to be there. And recovery is always a matter of choice. Recovery leads to a changed perspective and this is what he hoped and wished for everyone of us. What I learned that day is still very much with me today.
As a therapist, I view everyone who comes to see me as having a will towards health. This is where we begin as we make our way on a journey to become a better version of who we are. The client must be willing to use personal will, hope and freedom of choice to learn about themselves and begin the process of change. I remind them that change is possible and doable and they can do it.
We are all wounded. Whether we are in the process of recovering our true selves, or we are healing the wounded parts of our self, it is essential to see and fully understand our recovery as an inside job.
What recovery feels like and looks like from the inside
Here is the best line from the song to help us understand recovery from the inside: How I choose to feel is how I am.
The work is from within. It is about taking responsibility for your own life and choices. It's about regaining hope-faith-love and living from all three. It's about making the choice to feel good again or maybe for the first time believing that you are worth it. More importantly, recovery from the inside is being willing to work on yourself. The inside is what's hurting; it's where the pain/trauma lives and therefore this is what must be addressed in recovery.
Doing the internal work changes us, better yet, changes our hearts. As our recovery practice deepens, we practice gratitude and hold on to faith and hope. We come to believe that we matter and are worth saving. Recovery principles like honesty, spirituality, integrity, serenity, and being present become part of our new way of life. I have often heard people in recovery use the religious passage, "When I am weak, then I am strong" referencing they have a light within that is their recovery and so long as they keep choosing the bright side of life, everything will be okay.
Recovery, however, you define it, is something that comes to life by how we interact and live with ourselves, but also from our interactions with others. We are wounded in the context of our relationships with others, and we are healed in the same way. Recovery is not something we do alone. It is completely influenced by those you keep near. Choose wisely.
Concluding thoughts
Frankly, I love the song. Every time I listen to it, which is quite often, I can see in my mind's eye recovery as it is. BEAUTIFUL.
Recovery is beautiful. Beautiful to see. Beautiful to listen to. And the song captures all of it. This song may be about addiction recovery, but it can be applied to recovery in general. We can all relate to it if we keep an open mind.
Recovery is beautiful and the beauty is inside!
I invite you to listen to the song. Who knows, you might decide to enter into recovery. If you do, remember this: recovery from the inside will give you back your life, your mind, your heart, and above all, good spirits.
Quote for today
The goal of recovery is not to become normal. The goal is to embrace the human vocation of becoming more deeply, more fully human.
- Patricia E. Deegan
Take a listen
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfShR-wY8oQ
Thank you for reading!
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