[nandm]

Day 5

Changing Habits

"The horror of that moment," the King went on, "I shall never, never forget."
"You will, though," the Queen said, "if you don't make a memorandum of it." Lewis Carroll (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland)

The first Step establishes guidelines designed to open up our consciousness, to help us see ourselves more clearly, and to discover where we have missed the mark. It helps us gain deeper insight into the "why" of our attitudes.

Behavioral psychologists call this process "successive approximations." A.A. refers to it as the Twelve Steps The purpose of this process is to help us develop our desired responses by doing one do-able step at a time. For instance, when we want to change such behaviors as drinking alcoholically or using mind-altering chemicals, binging, purging or overeating, compulsive gambling or sexual addictions, we can start b tying the proverbial string around our finger.

By following this process, we can create new patterns that will focus our thought processes on our specific goal. For example, most of us have an established morning routine. We go to the bathroom, brush our teeth, comb our hari, and follow all the habitual practices that ready us for the day. But what if we cahnge the sequence of these acts? What if we brush our teeth before we shower, or shave on the left side first instead of the right? Breaking the routine reminds us that our goal is to create a lifestyle free from dependency.

Today's Step: I establish sound new habits, one day at a time.

Step by Step. Muriel Zink