Alcoholics Anonymous Blog & Video July 30 2014
Step six: defects, overusing or extremes of feelings which do not fit reality. Step seven: shortcomings, overusing or extremes of courage, faith and confidence without foundation. Is it any wonder that many people cannot get to grips with defects and shortcomings? There is no definitive answer, it is whatever you choose it to mean to you. And if it works, the way you understand step six and seven, contingent on the current conditions today, keep on working it.
Falling back on old habits: anger, resentment, rage masquerading under pride and ego. All about blame and not about now usually. Reality in the moment does not have to escalate to a battle of wills, your will or my will is not always if ever the answer. Falling into new habits of let go, it really depends on what you're letting go. Letting go self-will, and putting on our listening mode is very helpful. Letting go with the anticipation that things will just go right without any effort is rather pointless. When we let go in the context of improving situations, it is being open to what is possible rather than trying to make the impossible happen. What is possible, usually requires negotiation and agreement when we are involved with other people.
Anticipation is really important, to know what sort of an impact we are going to have on people. If we have an idea how we come across to other people, we might actually try see how other people see us. And worse, we could ask for feedback on how we are doing from other people! It can be horrible to understand that we don't make much of an impression, other than our defects of character. And trying to break through as we improve in sobriety, is contingent on the current conditions today and our own attitude, rather than the attitude of the rest of the world.
Some say that the world is becoming more enlightened when it comes to breaking with tradition, letting go old attitudes and behaviour. And yet the world is plagued by history, old attitudes and behaviour. Seeing a documentary on the children of Syria, those children are growing with hate and jihad as their language. And no country bears too close an examination where people seem pitted against each other, competing for scarce resources, and competing beliefs and opinions are set in tablets of stone. No wonder we drank, and just how wonderful it is to not have to think that one single voice has the answer on Earth. We all have good conscience or bad conscience depending on our point of view. Today is where we make a difference in reality in our own world of now.
I am very grateful that I am no longer at war with myself, gratitude every single day to be a learner and doer. Mistakes are abundant, and although step 10 seemed a long way off in my early days I was very fortunate that guidance provided suggested that I start the habit of gratitude and step 10 in conjunction with each other. A way of getting balance, gratitude the learning, gratitude that the mistakes were less huge in general. And overwhelming gratitude for the freedom of choice offered by sobriety one day at a time.
Just because we know we are making progress, it can be very difficult when we see just how little progress is being made around us. 12 steps and 12 traditions best utilised for self-appraisal and self-reckoning, absolutely useless and very dangerous in some cases to apply the steps and traditions in a judgemental way to other people. Other people have their own journey with their principles, and most of the time provides harmonious relations with the rest of the world as long as we judge not. We can support and challenge at our peril, providing we do not overstep and rule out the voices of other people around us.
Step Seven Video 12 And 12
Alcoholics Anonymous Videos, AA is for Alcoholics, AA 12 Steps, Addiction And Recovery, DonInLondon, Don Oddy,
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