http://www.recoveryinthepines.com/

Recovery In The Pines, 919 12th Place, Ste 13, Prescott, AZ (2025)

12/12/2025

Proverbs 12:15
The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.

Zig Ziglar
“If you are not willing to learn, no one can help you. If you are determined to learn, no one can stop you.”

The Basics
1. What are reasons for resistance to learning?

2. Wisdom requires willingness.

3. What you desire, you will do.

4. Put it into action.

The Lesson
Assess with rigorous honesty if you exhibit one of the classic reasons for resistance to learning:

- you're comfortable where you're at in life and don't see a need to change

- you're afraid to challenge your perceptions and beliefs

- you hate being wrong

- you don't see learning as fun

If you truly want knowledge and wisdom, you need to be willing. If not, you could read something or sit in a classroom and whatever is being taught will be wasted. You'll turn deaf ears and a closed mind to it.

Assess what your desires are. Do you want to seek pleasure and avoid pain? If so, you'll have a resistance to learning anything other than short-term, compulsive behaviors. Do you desire transformation and seek out a purpose? If so, you will create willingness and desire to learn.

Study without application will stunt your growth. Three key elements for rewiring the brain: study, application, rest. Don't let resistance creep in before you put new knowledge into action.

Questions? Need help with this? Reach out to us at: info@recoveryinthepines.com

12/11/2025

Proverbs 6:9
But you, lazybones, how long will you sleep? When will you wake up?

Psychology Today
"More specifically, (i) comfort is similar to addictive substances (such as co***ne, alcohol and sugar) and makes individuals 'feel temporarily better [and] soothes away life’s irritants' [mood modification] (ii) any sudden withdrawal of comfort leads the individuals 'into a combination of acute anxiety, helplessness and rage' [withdrawal symptoms], and (iii) there are individuals are prepared to forego social events with friends because they are afraid to undergo any type of discomfort (presumably both psychological and physical although the article doesn’t explicitly say) [interpersonal conflict]."

The Basics
1. Are you incompetent because you're addicted to comfort?

2. Train to do hard things.

3. Take small, consistent steps.

4. Don't be afraid to ask for help.

The Lesson
Challenges are going to happen. If you've trained yourself to avoid hard things, you won't have the capability to overcome them. You'll quit. However, if you train yourself to do hard things when you don't need to, you will be more comfortable overcoming challenges as they arise.

Find ways in the present to get outside your comfort zone. Start in small doses and work your way up on frequency and complexity. Take the stairs instead of elevators and escalators. Park further away from entrances to get in more steps. Carry luggage when you travel instead of rolling it. See where in your daily routine you can step it up.

When faced with monumental challenges, break the work down into the smallest tasks possible. You will reduce overwhelm and fear. You can get into action faster. When you make a mistake, it's easier to correct it.

We all need coaches, mentors, accountability, support and encouragement. Often, just knowing we have people there for us is enough to lift our spirits for lifting heavy loads.

Questions? Need help with this? Reach out to us at: info@recoveryinthepines.com

12/10/2025

Psalm 119:50
This is my comfort in my affliction, that your promise gives me life.

Medium.com
"There are times when personal growth requires us to psychologically and emotionally divorce the parts of ourselves that play out a destructive relationship between inner child and inner critic, and at these times while we’re moving forward in ways we cannot yet fathom, there is a grieving process that precedes exponential personal growth."

The Basics
1. Accept that even destructive, compulsive thoughts and habits die hard.

2. Know what you're aiming at and why.

3. Get to grieving.

4. Get curious about a new way of living.

The Lesson
Our brains create "pain" when we work to rewire our neutral pathways. We feel a sense of mourning that we will miss out on some of the joys of old experiences even when we know they're destructive. We need to accept this and create offsetting healthy habits.

Create / review the best version of you (your top 5 - 10 character assets you wish to master mentally, emotionally, physically, spiritually, and socially), followed by SMART goals, personally and professionally. Craft powerful "whys" with at least one "why" to the negative that would disgust you if you find yourself moving back towards the thoughts and habits you're trying to divorce yourself from.

Invest 5 minutes to mourn the unhealthy parts of your past that you're moving away from. Grieve ... and remember why you're moving forward. Don't continue to carry around the sense of loss.

Meditate on what your life can look like by implementing healthier thoughts and actions. While meditating, experience positive emotions. Then, get into action. Keep the steps as small as possible to get you moving forward. Delay will allow the mourning to creep back in. You can increase the speed, duration, complexity, efficiency, and effectiveness of your actions as you gain momentum. Experience your new life.

Questions? Need help with this? Reach out to us at: info@recoveryinthepines.com

12/09/2025

Proverbs 17:22
A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.

Chopra
"On the other hand, when you expand your awareness, your energy flows freely. You’re more flexible, balanced, and creative. You view yourself and the world with more compassion and understanding. You have more energy and are open to new possibilities. At this level of awareness, you have all the power you could possibly need to create a new reality—a reality of vibrant health and wellbeing."

The Basics
1. Know how you're wired.
P + B = E = A

2. Healing is an inside job.

3. Start with an internal inspection.

4. Build your BEST version.

The Lesson
Our (P)erceptions + (B)eliefs result in (E)motions and often trigger (A)ction. It's how we're wired and it's a closed loop system. As you act, it rewires the brain. (** formula credit Jeanne Sanner)

What we perceive and believe has a significant impact on our experience in life. If your perceptions and beliefs are negative, you can't have enough positive external factors to make you truly happy and at peace. However, if your perceptions and beliefs are positive, you will be amazed at how well you can navigate negative external stimuli and still remain hopeful and thrive.

Are your perceptions and beliefs warped in any way? Lack of insight and knowledge, trauma, negative biases, attraction to unhealthy goals, toxic relationships, or mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual ailments all have an impact. Have the courage to inspect these aspects with rigorous honesty. Seek wise counsel if necessary.

Invest time daily to work on your best version (your top 5 - 10 character assets you wish to master). Break up the actions into microhabits (2 - 5+ minute actions) that strengthen you mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually in doses. Ultimately, it will strengthen you and clean up your lens for how you experience the world around you.

Questions? Need help with this? Reach out to us at: info@recoveryinthepines.com

12/07/2025

Galatians 1:10
For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.

Little Buddha
"For so many of us we hide ourselves because we’re afraid that the truth of who we are will not be acceptable. That if others, even those who we trust with our love, were to see who we really are they would turn from us, that we will be seen not as angels but as monsters.

Do you 'see' your loved ones? Do you let yourself be 'seen'?"

The Basics
1. Assess with rigorous honesty if you hide your authentic self to gain the approval of others or for fear of rejection.

2. You won't be able to fool everyone all the time, so stop trying.

3. Get to know and strengthen the best version of you.

4. Live your best version authentically.

The Lesson
We all do it in certain small doses, only show a limited portion of ourselves or even put on a "mask" with people, but do you consistently do it across a broader spectrum of people as a way to measure your worth or fit in?

Realize, if you are being inauthentic, other people, who you care about, will find out, and they will feel cheated. Don't create a wedge in the relationship.

Instead, create / review the definition of the best version of you (your top 5 - 10 character assets you wish to master mentally, emotionally, physically, spiritually, and socially).

Accept it is better to live authentically and be rejected by some than to try to seek the approval of other's, still get rejected by some, while also rejecting yourself. By actively living as the best version of yourself, you will start to love and accept who you truly are ... as weird or as random as you may be ... and the right people will love and accept you, too.

So, live out the best you daily. Don't act to impress others. Don't hide. Be yourself.

Questions? Need help with this? Reach out to us at: info@recoveryinthepines.com

12/06/2025

Psalm 131:2
But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me.

Positive Psychology
"The word 'equanimity' comes from the combination of two Latin terms: aequus, meaning 'even, level' and animus, meaning 'mind' or 'spirit.' Equanimity is characterized by the ability to remain calm, composed, open, and non-reactive in the face of challenging or distressing situations.

Luckily, equanimity is not just a psychological trait with which we are born, but also a state of mind that we can actively cultivate."

The Steps
1. Pause between emotion and action.

2. Get grounded.

3. (Re)orient your framework for control in the present.

4. Decide and act.

The Lesson
M + C = E & A
Our (M)ind + (C)haracter result in (E)motions and often trigger (A)ction. Create PAUSE between Emotions and Actions. We make 40,000 - 60,000 decisions in a day, and 95% of our actions are on autopilot. What if your autopilot is solely reacting based upon survival or emotions?

In the moment, do a 5-4-3-2-1 grounding. What are:

5 things you can see

4 things you can touch

3 things you can hear

2 things you can smell

1 thing you can taste

This will help bring you to the present moment if you're in fight, flight, or freeze mode.

Remind yourself of the best version of you (your top 5 - 10 character assets you wish to master mentally, emotionally, physically, spiritually, and socially), followed by SMART goals, personally and professionally. Working on these are things you can control.

Remember "why", at your deepest motivation, you want to act as the best version of you in ALL situations. This will help keep you from getting drawn into the chaos.

Now, decide to act. Get into action with micro steps (2 - 5+ minute actions) that are integrated with your best version. As you act, you gain a sense of control, creating calm, walking you out of the storm.

Questions? Need help with this? Reach out to us at: info@recoveryinthepines.com

12/05/2025

Ephesians 5:16.. making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.

Roger K. Allen, PhD
"Being present is a state of 'wakefulness' in which you are aware and engaged in this moment, just one thing at a time. It is becoming conscious of what is happening within and around you so that you can participate fully in life. It can be thought of as a powerful mental context that allows you to be responsible for your life and make deliberate choices about how to respond rather than simply reacting to events in a preprogrammed way."

The Basics
1. It's natural to think about the past and the future, but don't stay stuck there.

2. Reflect ... in limited doses.

3. Know what you're aiming at and why.

4. Invest in the present.

The Lesson
On average, people spend about 80% of their time regretting the past and worried about the future, with only 20% focused on the present. You don't want to forget the past or not plan for the future, but a healthier balance is to spend about 80% of your time mindful and in purposeful action in the present.

Don't shut the door on the past. However, guard against slipping back into ruminating about past hurtful events. And, it's healthy to know what you're aiming at in the future, but watch getting sucked into future tripping.

You have to know what you're aiming at for positive growth. Create / review the best version of you (your top 5 - 10 character assets you wish to master mentally, emotionally, physically, spiritually, and socially), followed by SMART goals, personally and professionally. Craft potent "whys" on your deepest motivation.

Now, get grounded in the present. Commit time daily to complete, at minimum, 1 activity (1+ hour action) and 3 - 5 micro habits (2 - 5 minute micro actions) that move you towards your goals. Seek professional help if you're stuck.

Questions? Need help with this? Reach out to us at: info@recoveryinthepines.com

12/04/2025

Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

Daily Stoic
"In any program of self-improvement, the beginning will almost always be the most difficult part. If you haven’t exercised in years then the idea of starting a running program sounds dreadful. But if, in spite of the dread, you put on your shoes and go for that run, something strange happens. At the end of the run, you feel a sense of accomplishment. A feeling that, in spite of what your emotions told you, you did what was best for you. And something even better happens; the more you do this, the easier it gets and eventually, it becomes unthinkable to even act against your own self-interest."

The Basics
1. Replace comfort with curiosity.

2. Get clear about what you're aiming at.

3. Develop deeply personal reasons "why".

4. Get into action with the smallest steps possible.

The Lesson
Your brain seeks calm and comfort, so starting something new sends warning signals and resistance. But your brain also gets excited by curiosity. Get curious about what this new journey can produce.

Create / review the best version of you (your top 5 - 10 character assets you wish to master mentally, emotionally, physically, spiritually, and socially), followed by SMART goals, personally and professionally, and healthy hobbies.

Craft powerful "whys" with at least one "why" to the negative that would disgust you if you violate your values. Go deep! You can accept resistance when it serves a purpose for your "whys".

Commit time daily to complete, at minimum, 1 activity (1+ hour action) and 3 - 5 micro habits (2 - 5 minute micro actions) that move you towards your goals. Starting with small steps reduces the brains resistance to change. Action transforms anxiety into desire to achieve.

Questions? Need help with this? Reach out to us at: info@recoveryinthepines.com

12/03/2025

2 Timothy 1:7
For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.

Steemit
"So if everyone is afraid, what is the difference between the brave person and the coward? The only difference is that the brave person disciplines himself to confront, deal with, and act in spite of the fear. In contrast, the coward allows himself to be dominated and controlled by the fear."

The Basics
1. Have the courage to expand your comfort zone.

2. Be clear about what you're aiming at.

3. Create a plan.

4. Fail fast. Learn faster. Stay disciplined.

The Lesson
Whether forced out of your comfort zone due to life challenges or by choosing to grow, realize you've been here before and survived. All growth requires courage. It produces open-mindedness, seeks solutions, involves creativity, and inspires adaptability. Cowardice has you retreat back to your comfort zone and creates stagnation in your life.

Create / review the best version of you (your top 5 - 10 character assets you wish to master mentally, emotionally, physically, spiritually, and socially), followed by SMART goals, personally and professionally, and healthy hobbies. Craft powerful "whys" with at least one "why" to the negative that would disgust you if you violate your values. Go deep! You can be more courageous and disciplined when you have a clear picture of what you're aiming at.

Then, create the plan of purposeful activities (30 - 60 minute events) and micro habits (2 - 5+ minute actions) focused on stretching your comfort zone as you move towards your goals.

Follow courage with disciplined, consistent action. Start with as small of steps as possible. Fail fast, fail small. Learn. Adjust. Succeed fast. Rinse and repeat until you develop a mastery and achieve your goals. Victory is attainable with courage and discipline.

Questions? Need help with this? Reach out to us at: info@recoveryinthepines.com

12/02/2025

Job 42:2
“I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.

Medium.com
"In essence, 'A person often meets his destiny on the road he took to avoid it,' serves as a poignant reminder of life’s inherent unpredictability. While we may strive to chart our own course, we must remain open to the possibility that our destiny lies not in the destination but in the journey itself. As we navigate the winding roads of life, may we find solace in the knowledge that every step we take brings us closer to our true purpose."

The Basics
1. Don't avoid what you need to face.

2. The path may be the same, but you can change.

3. Get on with your journey.

4. Learn your lesson and move on.

The Lesson
How much time, emotion, energy, and effort did you spend on avoiding the path you need to take in life, hoping it will keep you safe and avoid pain only to create greater consequences and you still had to face your fate? What would you have saved if you just turned and faced what you needed to?

While there are challenges, consequences, and pain on the path you must venture forth on, you can become a different person by focusing on the best version of you (your top 5 - 10 character assets you wish to master mentally, emotionally, physically, spiritually, and socially) and working on being that person who faces challenges.

Strengthen your resilience to be able to handle complex situations. Commit time daily to complete, at minimum, one healthy activity (30 - 60 minute events) and three micro habits (2 - 5+ minute actions) to strengthen your best version. Start small.

As you go forth, focus on your effort and the journey, not just the destination. Learn your lessons. Evolve. Don't continue to avoid and create the scenario that you will need to go down this path again.

Questions? Need help with this? Reach out to us at: info@recoveryinthepines.com

12/01/2025

Hebrews 12:11
For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

Harvard Business Review
"Our brains tag effort as bad because it’s hard work. They default to what feels “normal” — the networks that tell us where and how to travel through our daily existence. Those networks are so deep in our thinking that when we’re traveling a new and challenging path — regardless of what that path is — our wheels default back to the worn-in grooves."

The Basics
1. Transformation is not comfortable ... and that's ok.

2. Focus on your character development over your comfort.

3. Know what you're aiming at and why.

4. Get into purposeful action to create a new capacity.

The Lesson
While "comfort" sounds good in the immediate, and can be OK in smaller doses, it isn't possible to stay comfortable and change. Not all "pain" is bad. Transformation and growth occur by going through some amount of adversity that can feel like things are falling apart.

Assess which matters more to you ... comfort or competency. If you put your comfort first, you will sacrifice your best version when it requires going through perceived pain of temporary discomfort associated with transformation. However, the greater you put effort into personal development, the greater you will expand your comfort zone, and ultimately achieve the comfort you seek.

Create / review the best version of you (your top 5 - 10 character assets you wish to master) and SMART goals. Develop deeply personal, potent "whys" for achieving these.

Put a consistent daily effort into activities (30 - 60 minute events) and micro habits (2 - 5+ minute actions) that create competency. You will go through the phases of transformation from being:

- unconsciously incompetent
- consciously incompetent
- consciously competent
- unconsciously competent

Questions? Need help with this? Reach out to us at: info@recoveryinthepines.com

11/30/2025

Liz Hale
"So why are some people more daring than others? It’s partly in our biology – the craving of dopamine – but daring people are also not afraid to fail. Successful people fail more than the average person. They do not give up when they fail and they do not take failure personally."

Proverbs 29:25
The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe.

The Basics
1. All paths in life have fear.

2. Know what you're aiming at.

3. Your "whys" to dare must be stronger than the "whys" from fear.

4. Break difficulties down to simple steps.

The Lesson
Are you daring, or do you allow fear to make choices for you? Daring isn't about being reckless. It's about not letting fear hold you back from healthy (or necessary) goals.

Healthy Risk = healthy goal + big upside + little downside

Unhealthy Risk = unhealthy goal + little upside + big downside

The bigger the risk, the greater the fear. That doesn't mean you shouldn't move forward. Educate yourself about the scenario to create the best plan of action.

Create / review the best version of you (your top 5 - 10 character assets you wish to master mentally, emotionally, physically, spiritually, and socially). What would your best character values have you do in each scenario? Choose based upon who you strongly dare to become.

If you dont have powerful reasons why you desire your ideals, you will avoid the things you fear. Instead, you will focus on short-term pleasures, pain avoidance, or whatever comes easily.

Break down difficulties into simple steps:

Small steps = small failures minimize difficulties

Small steps = small victories get you into healthy action quickly

If you turn and face what you dare, if you remember what you're ultimately aiming at and why, if you break down difficulties into small steps, and get into action, you will get past the fear. Dare to win.

Questions? Need help with this? Reach out to us at: info@recoveryinthepines.com

Recovery In The Pines

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