Accepting The Past

Carly BensonSobrietyLeave a Comment

accepting the past carly benson

One of the biggest hurdles for me entering into sobriety was accepting that I had a problem. It was so hard to face the music, swallow my pride and admit that my drinking and drugging was not normal. I had to accept that I couldn’t do moderation, I needed help and that I needed to accept my past for what … Read More

Sobriety Requires Surrender

Carly BensonSobrietyLeave a Comment

sobriety surrender

Sweet, sober surrender. It’s a constant process. It’s a consistent tug on the pride strings. It takes courage.  I give things up to God, my higher power, on the regular, and then I catch myself taking them right back. One of the hardest parts of sobriety is admitting, “I don’t got this.” Surrendering to the fact that alcohol or drugs … Read More

Sobriety is a Lifestyle

Carly BensonSobrietyLeave a Comment

sobriety is a lifestyle carly benson

If you or anyone you know has struggled with alcoholism or addiction, my guess is that moderation, or lack thereof, is the basis for those struggles. For me, I couldn’t just have a couple drinks and call it a night. It was always balls to the wall, nights that turned into sunrise, the whole bottle instead of a couple cocktails … Read More

Self Love Is The Beginning of All Love

Carly BensonPersonal DevelopmentLeave a Comment

Carly Benson self love naples pier

Throughout my spiritual journey of finding God and living in sobriety, I’ve been presented with deep life lessons along the way. I’m convinced that life is a never-ending process of refinement, shaping, molding and transforming. A process within that process is learning what it means to love yourself, accept who you are and begin to step forth into your most … Read More

33 Things Sobriety Taught Me To Be Thankful For

Carly BensonSobrietyLeave a Comment

carly benson yoga handstand cabo

Significant life change starts with a simple change of perspective and is sustained through the practice of unconditional gratitude.  -Carly Benson I just got back from an amazing trip to Cabo San Lucas, where I was celebrating my commitment to major life change, exercising constant courage and the anniversary of my retirement from a deep-seeded career in alcohol and cocaine … Read More

A Healthy Habit For Happiness

Carly BensonPersonal DevelopmentLeave a Comment

Knowing what you want in life is the first step towards reaching what happiness looks like to you. When we learn to say yes when we mean yes and no when we mean no, we begin to build our lives based on our non-negotiables. Giving clarity to what we are willing to compromise on and what we are not is … Read More

11 Ways To Cultivate More Happiness

Carly BensonPersonal DevelopmentLeave a Comment

carly benson miracles are brewing canyon run

People often ask me if I have always been this happy. While it makes me smile to know that people can genuinely see or feel my happiness it wasn’t always so. Not only that, but I definitely still have my days and moments where everything is not unicorns and rainbows. The difference between now and when I used to “think” … Read More

Transformation Starts With A New Beginning

Carly BensonTransformationLeave a Comment

new beginnings, transformation

For many, the start of a new month brings with it the hope for new beginnings. I’ve noticed that it seems to be the time of year for the winds of change to blow. With that, I’m reminded that sometimes we need our worlds to be rocked. We need to be rattled, torn down and we all need to reach … Read More

The Game Before The Game

Carly BensonPersonal DevelopmentLeave a Comment

gods armor

We’ve all had something in life that we have prepared for or even fought for. Whether it was a goal, an event, training for something or a dream we are chasing. When I recently watched the Beats By Dre World Cup commercial, I could not help but be inspired and to ultimately question my faith. If you have not watched … Read More

Our Thoughts Lead Our Lives

Carly BensonAffirmationsLeave a Comment

sky, horizon

Sometimes I write in the moment when I’m feeling inspired. The following is an excerpt from my iPhone notes from last February that I just stumbled upon. I think I was traveling to NYC and this came over me – a raw and unedited stream of consciousness about how our thoughts lead our lives. As I peer out of the … Read More