AUGUST 5
LISTENING DEEPLY
How persistently we claim the right to decide all by
ourselves just what we shall think and just how we shall act
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 37
If I accept and act upon the advice of those who have made
the program work for themselves, I have a chance to
outgrow the limits of the past. Some problems will shrink
to nothingness, while others may require patient, wellthought-
out action. Listening deeply when others share can
develop intuition in handling problems which arise
unexpectedly. It is usually best for me to avoid impetuous
action. Attending a meeting or calling a fellow A.A.
member will usually reduce tension enough to bring relief
to a desperate sufferer like me. Sharing problems at
meetings with other alcoholics to whom I relate, or
privately with my sponsor, can change aspects of the
positions in which I find myself. Character defects are
identified and I begin to see how they work against me.
When I put my faith in the spiritual power of the program,
when I trust others to teach me what I need to do to have a
better life, I find that I can trust myself to do what is
necessary.
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