working steps 10 and 11

My strategies are......ok I take a little break...I will let you now once I get there. I am on Step 10 but decided to take a break and rethink about everything again. May be someone else can shed some light for you.

Steps 10 & 11 go hand in hand for me, Dusty. Practicing Step 10 - being self-aware, owning my side of the street, taking responsibility for my contribution to relationships keeps me humble, leads me to acknowledge my limitations and my need for God's help which I seek by practicing Step 11. I like this in regard to Step 10 -

This is not an overnight matter. It should continue for our lifetime. Continue to watch for selfishness, dishonesty, resentment, and fear. When these crop up, we ask God at once to remove them. We discuss them with someone immediately and make amends quickly if we have harmed anyone. Then we resolutely turn our thoughts to someone we can help. Love and tolerance of others is our code. ~ Big Book p 84

I do my best to be aware of those big four - selfishness, dishonesty, resentment and fear - and deal with them as they arise rather than ignore or avoid them. It's not easy and I'm not pressing for perfection but for progress. Daily practice of prayer and meditation helps me practice love and tolerance. I like this about Step 11 -

Those of us who have come to make regular use of prayer would no more do without it than we would refuse air, food or sunshine. And for the same reason. When we refuse air, light or food the body suffers. And when we turn away from meditation and prayer, we likewise deprive our minds, our emotions and our intuitions of vitally needed support. As the body can fail its purpose for lack of nourishment, so can the soul. ~ Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 97-98

I think it is great that you are working the steps, dusty. I hope that it is okay that I have moved this post to our 12-step section. There you can read what others have done.

Sincerely,

Liz

Hi Dusty!

These are the instructions for working step 10. I will make a separate post for step 11.

STEP 10 CONTINUED TO TAKE PERSONAL AND WHEN WE WERE WRONG
PROMPTLY ADMITTED IT.

Step 10 which suggests we continue to take personal inventory and continue to set right any new mistakes as we go along.

We vigorously commence this way of living as we cleaned up the past.
We have entered the world of the spirit. Our next function is to grow in understanding and effectiveness. This is not an overnight matter. It should continue for a lifetime.

(The 4 specific instructions for Step 10)

Continue to WATCH for selfishness ,dishonesty ,resentment, and fear. When these crop up , we ASK God/HP at once to remove them. We DISCUSS them with someone immediately and make amends quickly if we have harmed anyone . Then we resolutely TURN our thoughts to someone we can help love and tolerance is our code.

STEP 10 PROMISES:

THESE CAN ALSO BE USED AS A CHECKLIST TO SEE IF I AM WORKING STEP 10

And we have ceased fighting anything or anyone-even gaming urges. For by this time sanity will have returned. We will seldom be interested in gaming. If tempted, we recoil from it as from a hot flame. We react sanely and normally, and we will find that this has happened automatically. We will see that our new attitude toward gaming has been given us without any thought or effort on our part. It just comes! That is the miracle of it. We are not fighting it, neither are we avoiding temptation. We feel as though we had been placed in a position of neutrality--safe and protected. We have not even sworn off. Instead, the problem has been removed. It does not exist for us. We are neither cocky nor are we afraid. That is how we react so long as we keep in fit spiritual condition.

Alcoholics Anonymous pp.84-85 (gaming substituted in the few places that said alcohol)