Browsing all posts in Character.

Serenity in Action

You’ve likely asked to be granted the serenity to accept things you cannot change, and the critical part of that process is recognizing those things you cannot – that’s the wisdom you ask for. Wisdom is hard to acquire if we are in chaos with our thoughts and attitudes. Wisdom comes from listening, learning from [...]

Practice These Principles in All Our Affairs

One thing that becomes crystal clear as you move through the steps in sobriety is this: the steps are not just about staying sober one day at a time, they are about living life with integrity on a daily basis. Most societies thrive when they have strong principles for how we interact with one another.  [...]

When Was the Last Time You…

Imagine how differently you would approach each day if you asked yourself a series of questions at the start of the day: When was the last time I told the people I  interact with on a daily basis, “Thank you” for some gesture, kindness, or task? When did I last stop moving, talking, and thinking [...]

Taking Stock without Taking Names

One of the easiest old behaviors to fall back into is blaming people for your problems. It’s so important to always come back to the core of every issue: what part did I play in this?  What can I do to change it? If I can’t change it, what can I do to help myself [...]

Searching and Fearless Moral Inventory

In early recovery I eyed this step with trepidation: I already  hated myself enough so I really didn’t know if writing it down in detail was exactly a good idea. Frankly, what I learned doing this step was that one of my items was this self-criticism that was over the top.  I used this sort [...]