“When it comes to ego deflation, few Steps are harder to take than Five. But scarcely any Step is more necessary to longtime sobriety and peace of mind than this one.” (12 & 12 p. 55)
This is How We Do It – Montell Jordan (3:59)
Braveheart – Celtic Pipes, Strings & Movie Scenes Meditation (5:40)
What specific steps have you taken to walk through your fears, lately?
Step Five –
“Admitted to God, to our-
selves, and to another human
being the exact nature of our wrongs.”
The Dilemma –
“When it comes
to ego deflation, few
Steps are harder to take
than Five. But scarcely any
Step is more necessary to
long time sobriety and
peace of mind than
this one.” (12 &
12 p. 55)
The Solution –
“We must overcome
our fear and work the
Fifth Step if we are to make
any significant changes in
the way we live. We gather our
courage and go on. We may
call our sponsor for reassur–
ance.” “… [W]e don’t have
to face our feelings alone
… .” (It Works, How
& Why p. 35)
“Courage is
resistance to fear,
mastery of fear –
not absence
of fear.”
– Mark Twain (1835 – 1910) U.S. author / satirist
Good morning everyone + happy Thursday. Here is today’s thought. AA teaches us to live a spiritual life; a life centered on being in relationship with God, ourselves, + others. In living such a life, by asking God for help, we learn to love + feel compassion for all our fellows + to feel joy in the world. May God’s blessings be upon you today. Share the joy. BB
I have always stated that the 12-steps have not removed fear from my life but rather have taught me how to move forward despite the fear. I cannot point to any specific steps I have taken to walk through fear but I am often inspired and motivated by the experience of countless thousands before me. My self-esteem needs a lot of improvement but it is not so low that I would believe I was not capable of doing that which so many others before me have been able to do. With respect to specific action, I have often sought out the advice and councel of someone who has gone through a similar difficult or freightening experience and asked them how they did it. To mean, it is critical to only offer suggestions that I can back-up with practical first-hand experience. If I want to learn how to get through a difficult divorce then I seek the counsel of someone who has gone through one not the counsel of someone who has never been married or is happily married for 30 years and never went through a divorce.
Maybe I get a choice: do I face a situation with fear or do I face it with love? Courage is not the opposite of fear; love is the opposite of fear.
When I face both friends and acquaintances with eyes of love, I can learn from my Higher Power what course to take.
When a response feels awkward it usually means I am responding with fear.
I like Twain’s idea that we don’t have to be absolutely fearless in order to be courageous. I can acknowledge it but that doesn’t mean I have to give into it. Which seems more honest really.
I often try to hide my fear behind more noble explanations; whether the explanations are true or not, I can acknowledge my fear and move on.
I first faced fear in Step One when I had to admit my powerlessness. Now, having worked on Steps Two, Three and Four, I can face the fear of the unknown: not what will happen, but will I be able to handle it?