Tony Stark Policci walks through day three of his recovery journey, replacing gym music with biblical teachings on Matthew and Nehemiah. He shares Hemingway's story from Cole Schaefer to show that every experience is material for growth, then anchors the day in the Serenity Prayer: accept what you can't change, find courage to change what you can, know the difference.
Chapters
Okay, day 3. We're at the end of day 3. First of all, it was a great day. Started out with a walk in the morning sunlight to the gym, trained, walked back from the gym in the morning sunlight. It was 7 o'clock when I headed out on my walk. It was 9 o'clock on my way back, and I did the grounding thing again where I walked through the grass for about half an hour. This time it wasn't freezing because it was 9 o'clock in morning a little bit warmer, and throughout the day I noticed there were times where I would get— I would have that reaction again, like, ah, you know, darn it, what is this? And like, I mean, I'm only 3 days into this, but I'm very aware of it. So what I have been doing to just renew my mind as I spent like the 2 hours in the gym today. Instead of letting the music that they play in the gym like be what the soundtrack to my life was, I was listening to teachings. You know, I listened to a very intense teaching on the book of Matthew, something that most traditional churches won't go into, by a guy named Ben Burton, brilliant man. And Also listened to another teaching on Nehemiah by Tom Bradford. So renewing my mind and learning and listening to these things, paying attention because Passover is coming up next weekend. So there's a lot of things that I'm thinking about with purity and preparation and all these things. And you know, that's part of what ties into what I'm doing right now is I really want to dial in the way that I think and the way that I respond to things. So this is a great stretch. And so what I want to share with you, I want to say something that's inspiring. And I was reading an email tonight from a guy named Cole Schaefer. He's another copywriter, brilliant writer. But this was an email, I don't know how old it was. I don't know if it's a new one, old one. I just kind of look at his emails when I have the chance. But he was talking about, Hemingway and just the lesson or the story he was telling was about when Hemingway was 24 and he was in Spain somewhere and was dead broke and was complaining. He wrote a letter complaining to his friend about the situation. And towards the end of it, Cole says, you know, Everything in life is material. We can use every experience. So everything that we're going through, no matter what it is, is material. Something that we can use as writers, if you're a writer, a life lesson, a parent, a teacher, a coach, a friend. If you're ministering to someone, if you're you know, if you're just trying to get through whatever it is that you're going through, where you're at in the moment is important. It matters. So, being present is really key. So, now this is something that I've known for a long time, right? Like, stay in the moment, be in the moment, stay in the step that you're in, right? And It can be, it's a very simple concept. It can be very challenging to live it out. So what I want to leave you with today is wherever you're at, whatever you're going through, just be in it in the moment. Experience it. And, you know, there's a great prayer that we say in recovery. It's not just a recovery prayer, but that's the first place I encountered it. It's called the Serenity Prayer, right? And it goes, "God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference." And the prayer goes on from there. I would encourage you to go look it up. But there's a lot of wisdom in those 3 lines. You know, accept the things I cannot change. What is it? What is it in your life right now that you cannot change in this moment? Right? Now, the courage to change the things you can. Is there— is what you're going through right now, is it something you can change tomorrow, in the future, at some point forward? Will it change? Can it change? That will give you encouragement. That will give you strength. That will give you hope. And the wisdom to know the difference. You know, banging our heads against the wall trying to affect a change in a situation, in a relationship, wherever, that just will not change, cannot change, It's a hopeless endeavor, right? It's a fool's endeavor. It saps us of our energy, our strength. And like, so it's really important. I'm not saying anything, you know, I'm not giving you any great revelations here, but sometimes just this common sense wisdom is really important. And for me, in this process of really attacking my ability to level up in all areas, my walk with God, my relationships with my, my wife, my children, my friends, my clients, society, responsibilities I carry in the different positions that I hold, the different organizations that I serve. I want to level that up and be the best, absolute best that I can be. And sometimes that means going back to the basics. And so I am sharing this in hopes that something that I've said will land and will encourage you. So, I'm tired. I waited far too long to do this video today. I have been very engaged working and talking with people and doing things. So, if I'm bumbling, forgive me, but I'm going to be in the moment and that's where I'm at. And I am off to bed. So, good night. God bless. I'll see you next time.
