08/12/2024
How I deal with problems today. If you know, you know (altered to resonate with self)
In the exact order:
Step 3 - "The problem
"Selfishness , self – centeredness ! That , we think , is the root of our troubles . Driven by a hundred forms of fear , self – delusion , self – seeking , and self – pity , we step on the toes of our fellows and they retaliate . Sometimes they hurt us , seemingly without provocation , but we invariably find that at some time in the past we have made decisions based on self which later placed us in a position to be hurt .
So our troubles , we think , are basically of our own making . They arise out of ourselves , and I am an extreme example of self – will run riot , though at first, i usually doesn’t think so . Above everything , we must be rid of this selfishness . We must , or it kill us ! God makes that possible . And there often seems no way of entirely getting rid of self without His aid . Many of us had moral and philosophical convictions galore , but we could not live up to them even though we would have liked to . Neither could we reduce our self – centeredness much by wishing or trying on our own power . We had to have God’s help .
Upon Awakening – Pages 86 & 87 "The Solution"
On awakening let us think about the twenty-four hours ahead. We consider our plans for the day. Before we begin, we ask God to direct our thinking, especially asking that it be divorced from self-pity, dishonest or self-seeking motives.
Under these conditions we can employ our mental faculties with assurance, for after all God gave us brains to use. Our thought-life will be placed on a much higher plane when our thinking is cleared of wrong motives. In thinking about our day we may face indecision. We may not be able to determine which course to take. Here we ask God for inspiration, an intuitive thought or a decision. We relax and take it easy. We don’t struggle. We are often surprised how the right answers come after we have tried this for a while.
Step 11 "The Action"
"Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out."“God, direct my thinking, especially that it be divorced from self-pity, dishonest, or self-seeking motives.”
“God, show me all throughout my day what my next step is to be. Give me whatever I need to take care of any problems. I ask especially for freedom from self-will. That thy will be done.”
