3 “P's” for Recovery: Passion, Power and Purpose

Lately I have been reflecting on my own recovery journey and on what has kept me inspired to recover for all these years.

Nothing could prepare me for the gifts that recovery and utilizing the three “P’s” would give me.

What are the three ‘P’s’?” in recovery?

The three “P’s” are my personal keys to finding joy, my friends. Take a look.

1. Passion — Underneath the eating disorder illness is a great deal of stagnant passion. Find your passion and play. (Ooh, look, there's another “P”!)
2. Power — I understand now that I gave my own power to my eating disorder and to alcoholism. That means that now, in my recovery, I have taken all of that power back. This power gives me the emotional strength to achieve all of the things I couldn't achieve during my illness. Recovery is powerful, my friends.
3. Purpose — It is common to not know our purpose as we enter recovery. Early recovery is a time for exploring. For example, when I got into recovery, I was a performer. I decided that I wanted to try new things, so I tried being a film researcher for writers. I tried designing my own clothing for pregnant women. I tried writing a children's affirmation book, and then I tried writing a non-fiction book. And then, something lovely happened; I began to mold all of those things into creating a career — a career that I now love. Finding our purpose is a process, one of discovery and enjoyment.

We will inevitably experience a lot of hurdles early on in the recovery process. Being inspired in what we do — beyond recovery — is very important.

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This page was updated on May 19, 2023.