W.A. World Service Organization Newsletter
Living in Balance E-NewsetterFebruary 2014
In This Issue
2012 W.A. World Conference in Portland, Oregon
Your W.A. Board Engaged
10 Reasons To Stop Working So Hard
Volunteers Needed for 2014 W.A. Conference
Early Registration for 2014 W.A. World Conference
W.A. Mediation Book needs member meditations.
Quick Links

Hope this letter finds you in good spirits and you are enjoying
life with a great balance of work and play. 
 
Early registration is still available for our upcoming
2014 W.A. World Conference in Malibu, CA in July 2014!
 
The Conference Committee is also looking for volunteers to fill positions to help make the conference fun smoothly.

"It Plays If You Play It" - Article by Cara S. talking about her experience at the recent W.A. Play-Shop in Wash D.C. last month.

See below more more info.
 
Go play, love and laugh a lot in your lives!

Sincerely, 

Michele S., Outreach Coordinator
Workaholics Anonymous

February Quote
 
"If you can spend a perfectly useless afternoon in a perfectly useless manner, then you have learned how to live." - Lin Yutang

It Plays If You Play It, So Play It, You're Worth It!
By Cara S.

 

I came from NYC to attend the Workaholics Anonymous Play shop in Wash DC on Jan. 11th and I'm glad I did. After setting up, and munching a light breakfast, we opened with the serenity prayer, introduced ourselves, and said why we were there. Throughout the day, 15-18 of us joined in the circle. We began by playing and singing the very funny and totally WA appropriate song BUSY, BUSY, BUSY by Sandra Boynton. "We're very, very busy and we have a lot to do / and we haven't got a minute to explain it all to you! / Oh, we have to do it faster or it never will be done / and we have no time for listening or anything that's fun!" 

Then we had a meeting. Topic: Play & Fun. Sue from Maine spoke. Everyone selected an object or toy from the middle of the circle and shared how this doll, piece of wood, plastic rainbow xylophone, etc. spoke to them. We shared about how, for us workaholics, play & fun can be torture! We also shared about the interaction between play & rest: "I think I need to be better rested to know what I enjoy," learning from pets and children who play so well, and how play often makes no sense, but makes a day magical.

After the meeting, we moved our chairs aside and did exercises standing up: one was a liberating boundary setting exercise: "I see you better over there" (point far away). "I will not be caught between a rock and a hard place (arms stretched out left and right). "I lift the world off my shoulders (push arms up!) "and get off my freaking back!" (bend down and rise up strongly throwing the pressure off!)

Then, we sat for a Vision Meditation w gentle background music where we were guided to silently explore "What is Higher Power's Vision for me?" And, where are our favorite places and what might we want to do there? 
 
One of the most valuable things I took away from the Playshop was the idea of Small Fun vs. Big Fun. Big Fun is doing things we love that require a time and money commitment like scuba diving, and Small Fun are things we can easily do a little of every day that make us smile, like appreciating nature or writing with purple ink (my favorite!) 

I was impressed when we had an hour and half lunch break. I thought it would be too long, but it turned out to be just right! Cushion time in action! 

In the afternoon we all moved to tables with stacks of magazines, and a myriad of colorful supplies while we made vision map collages, decorated God boxes, drew, glued, cut, pasted, and colored. Some people had anxiety just seeing these creative tools but by the end of the day, everyone made something! I had to leave just before the end but I heard we had a warm closing circle before people helped clean up and said good-byes. 
 
I want to remember how one member said her group ends its meetings: "It plays well if you play it, so play it you're worth it!" And that's what we did.

10 Reasons To Stop Working So Hard
Article sent by W.A. Member Harry W.
 
"30 hours of working and still going strooong," 24-year-old copywriter Mita Dira tweeted from Indonesia on December 14. Only she wasn't. A few hours later she collapsed in a coma and died the following day, a victim of exhaustion, overwork, and an energy drink called Krating Daeng, also known as "Thai Red Bull." 
 
"It's time to add up all the ways in which working ridiculous hours hurts you and the people around you--and put a stop to the madness." 
 
 
NOTE: This is article is not W.A. conference approved literature.
Volunteers Needed For W.A. Word Conference!
This summer in Malibu, CA. 
 
As we all know, there are many items to make our annual conference successful. The conference committee is requesting help. Below are the positions that need to be filled. Please contact Amy at [email protected]  if you want to be a part of making our conference a success once more.
 
Registration: Someone to put on the Registration List, (excel file of the list each persons registration information, including their room type. 
 
Special Requests regarding dietary issues, including what items the kitchen will provide / accommodate, and what things each individual will need to provide for themselves. 
 
People to staff the Registration table before the conference starts, and each morning of the conference to help late comers, and people coming for a day, that walk in.

Transportation: Planning, Scheduling, and managing each person who has requested transportation to and from airport or train station.  Recruit enough Volunteers to provide the transportation, set up a schedule of times / locations needed, and manage / oversee, the volunteers to make sure people are getting picked up, and are verifying the Actual Arrival Times VS the Scheduled Arrival Time.
 
Silent Auction: Someone to make sure all attendees know, in advance of their departure, that we need / want everyone to bring something they can donate to the conference for the Silent Auction, organizing all donations, displaying the items to be auctioned off.
 
Getting everyone to participate / attend the auction, getting someone to be the Auctioneer, and a couple of people to be "Ring Men" help the auctioneer to get the audience to make as many bids / get the most money possible for each item. Displaying / showing how it works or how to get / use the item etc. And someone to help Sandy with collecting all the money raised.

Thank you for your service!

  

Workaholics Anonymous in California! 
2014 - Malibu Here We Come!
 
The W.A. World Service Conference will be held in Malibu, CA  
July 31-August 3, 2014. We will be staying at the Serra Retreat Center  
which has a beautiful view of the Pacific Ocean!
 
 
Early registration is still available!
This saves you up to $100 and ends March 31st.

 
Anyone not wanting / needing to stay at The Serra Retreat Center,
we have one day registrations for as little as $60.00.
Conference Call Line for ALL Phone Meetings
 
(712) 432-0363 
 Your W.A. World Service Board Engaged 
 

Outreach

I am now including a monthly inspirational quote to the e-newsletter. And, as always I will continue to include helpful articles about workaholism that I find or other members send to me. If you have any favorite quotes or you see something online that you think our members would benefit from, please send the URL to my email and I'll take a look to see if we can add it to our e-newsletter.
 
I am  also looking to those members interested in being on the Outreach Committee. One of the things I would like to get help with is contacting websites that are online that are discussing workaholism in hopes in helping others and let them know  about W.A.. Please contact [email protected] if you want to come on board!  Michele S.

Technical Committee
We are moving along in our progress on  the new W.A. website!  ETA has been moved back a bit, probably spring 2014. The new website design will have an improved design, improved features and new shopping cart. 

Literature
In addition to the ongoing process of developing our W.A. Meditation Book (see below for details), We have a couple of exciting projects planned for the near future - including some edits to our existing literature, a formatting facelift for our brochures and mailings, and even a new pamphlet on the topic of work anorexia/avoidance (which will ideally help members to overcome procrastination, perfectionism, and related fears).  

 

Please help with the revision process (easy service opportunity!) by contacting literature@workaholics-anonymous.org with any recommended changes that you or your group stumble upon as you read through the books and pamphlets, perhaps notating them as you read and including them all in a single email when you finish.  Do not be shy about voicing your ideas - from sweeping substantive concerns to tiny grammatical errors - as this is your literature.

 

If you are interested in joining the Literature Committee - or would like to otherwise consult on any of these ongoing projects - I would love the support. Again, please email literature@workaholics-anonymous.org for details.

 

Love and service,

Amber, W.A.W.S.O. Literature Chair

 

Communications 

The W.A. Communications Department is adding to our sponsors list for new members. We are particularly getting a lot of requests from women. Want to sponsor? Please contact [email protected]


We are currently seeking a professional representative to speak on behalf of the fellowship and respond to public press releases that may misconstrue the reality of being a workaholic. See more information below.
 
 

TO CONTACT THE WAWSO TRUSTEES BY EMAIL:  

For general information:  Anne [email protected]

For meeting assistance:  Laura [email protected]

For WA Literature volunteers or corrections:  
Amber [email protected]

For e-newsletter:  Michele [email protected]

For STORYLINE:  Shelley [email protected]

For WSR assistance:  Bob [email protected]

For Meditation Book:  [email protected]

For 2014 Conference:  Amy [email protected]

For literature ordering questions:  [email protected]

General mailbox:  [email protected]

 

For any Program issue, concern, initiative, suggestion, etc.:

Bruce A [email protected]

Jerry S [email protected]

The W. A. Meditation Committee is writing a 
W.A. Meditation Book.

 

We welcome all members to write and submit meditations for this publication. Consider having a writing play day for your meeting group. Not only would this activity provide opportunities for reflection and meditation, but it would also allow group members to make contributions to a book that will serve the needs of the whole fellowship.

 

A suggested meeting format for writing meditations is available at the WA website. For more details about submitting meditations, please visit the W.A. website. 

 

Also, a suggested meeting format for writing meditations is also available at the W.A. website here for you to view. 

 

We look forward to receiving your meditations!!
Have fun with us!!

 

Your trusted servants,

W.A.W.S.O. Literature Committee

 

Interested in Becoming a Meeting Group Mentor?

Among the many support opportunities offered by WA, perhaps the richest are those created through relationships with fellow members. Across the globe people are forming meeting groups and sharing the message of recovery. We are excited by the growth of the fellowship, particularly in the number of people expressing interest in organizing meeting groups.

Because starting a meeting group can be an intimidating process, we would
like for beginners to receive a mentor during their initial stages of meeting development. Mentors offer service through answering questions and providing suggestions as needed for members beginning their meeting groups. Currently, we are in need of more mentors and would like to extend this service opportunity to members of the fellowship.


If you are interested in serving as a mentor for those starting meeting groups, please contact me at [email protected]. More information will be provided upon receiving your expressed interested.

With gratitude,
Laura R.
Request For Sponsors

W.A. receives requests regularly for sponsorship from people seeking recovery from workaholism. We do receive more requests for female sponsors. We need to add to this list so we can help the new members in our fellowship. We keep a confidential list of volunteers who are willing to take this on.  If you are willing, please send us an email with your contact information (or any other information you feel a sponsee should know) to: [email protected]
 
Your information is kept confidential to protect your anonymity. We will contact you with a person's contact information when someone requests, offering you the opportunity to respond.  Your offering of this service will be of great value to your recovery, as well as to the person you would be sponsoring.
 

Group Support Section on Website  

 

There are helpful tools and materials available here that you can download for your group; meeting formats, types of meetings, tips on outreach, W.A. Public Awareness Guidelines, archives to news letters and much more!

 

 W.A. Seeks Professional Representative for Our Fellowship

As workaholism has become a widespread concept in public media, the ways it is communicated about can often create more misconceptions than understandings. In this regard, members of Workaholics Anonymous are currently seeking a professional representative to speak on behalf of the fellowship and respond to public press releases that may misconstrue the reality of being a workaholic. If you know of someone or have suggestions for who might serve as a reputable spokesperson for WA (who is not affiliated with the fellowship), please send your recommendations to Laura R. [email protected]
 
Supporting W.A. Seventh Tradition Contributions

Our Seventh Tradition provides that W.A. is fully self-supporting; declining outside contributions. WAWSO welcomes contributions from W.A. groups and members. One hundred percent of all contributions directly support recovery from workaholism. Carrying the message of recovery to workaholics who still suffer includes email and phone services, a quarterly newsletter, media and community outreach, literature development and distribution, this website, an annual conference, meeting information and support, and other outreach services. Please print out and send this Seventh Tradition form 
to support W.A.'s Outreach.

NOTE:
by Credit card or Paypal. Thank you for your generous support. 
Please contribute what you can for your meetings. :)

W.A operates on contributions from it's members and literature sales. Please don't forget to go online and make a contribution to W.A. if you only go to phone meetings. You can click here donate.

Purchase Our Books Online!

 

The Book Of Discovery

Book of Discovery, W.A. WorkbookA guide to the 12 Steps  


The Workaholics Anonymous Book of Discovery is a
guide that provides step instruction, questions, activities, and stories-all with room to write and reflect as necessary, in a large spiral-bound, three-hole punch volume. The book is designed to lay completely flat so as to be easily used for writing as well as for protective storing in a three-ring notebook of your choice with other loose or extra pages if desired.  This workbook can be used alone, with a sponsor  or used with a group in a meeting format. 

Click here for online purchase    You can also purchase through the mail.  Price: $25. Plus $4.95 shipping and handling anywhere in the US. Send your check to WSO Web Payment Center, PO Box 56416, Portland, OR, 97238.

 

 
 
The Book of Recovery

W.A.'s first publication, The Book of Recovery is our main text. It has valuable information for all recovering workaholics; history, stories, guidance in working the steps and tools to help you with your recovery program! Click here for online purchase