I was talking with someone about the idea of changing our personalities through the 12-Step program. He said, "Is it really true? I can really change?". It seemed a bit hard to believe.
So, I explained it like this:
It's very rare to find someone who is ENTIRELY SELFISH. We all have our moments when we're motivated by self-interest, and our moments when we are truly motivated by a concern for others.
However, part of our addiction is, that we tend to go in the wrong direction more of the time, and especially when it counts.
But in essence, all we're learning to do in recovery is to activate our selfless side more often, and to operate less often out of selfishness. And, there's a lifetime of opportunities to improve in this area.
SO WE'RE NOT BECOMING SOMETHING WE'RE NOT! WE'RE JUST LEARNING TO USE A POSITIVE SIDE OF OURSELVES MORE OFTEN, A SIDE WHICH IS ALREADY THERE!