SoberRecovery : Alcoholism Drug Addiction Help and Information - View Single Post - Step 10

justanothrdrunk · 08-07-2008, 08:00 AM

Step 10 - Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong, promptly admitted it.

I've never had any trouble taking continuous personal inventory when it came to the negative. Upon request, I can provide a long list of reasons why I'm a horrible person, what I should be doing that I'm not doing, things I'm not good at, etc.

With continued work on the 12 steps, I've become fairly comfortable in admitting when I'm wrong. It sure is easier on me when I'm not carrying guilt around for making a mistake. And when I make a mistake, I know it immediately. The sooner I admit I'm wrong, the better.

The thing I'm not so good at is giving myself credit when I do the right thing from go - when I don't make a mistake - when my mind is about to blunder but my heart takes charge and I behave like a sincere, decent human being.

In listening to others' experiences with the 10th step, I'm hearing that some also inventory the good stuff, the positive. While I agree that this is a good thing to do, I'm not so sure that it's really part of the step. Not saying it isn't either, just haven't made up my mind yet. So I want to hear what you think.

When I think of the 10th step, I sort of pair it with the 4th step. And the 4th step is all about defects. In the 4th, I list my defects in the form of behaviors from the past (negative behaviors). Continuing on with the steps, I make amends to people I have harmed. Now that I have taken care of the past, I can focus on the now so that I don't have to go too far back in time to make amends. I admit my wrongs as soon as possible (promptly).

Like I said, giving yourself credit for doing the right thing is probably helpful for recovery. But is it really part of the 10th step?

08-07-2008, 08:00 AM	#1 (permalink)
justanothrdrunk Retired Pro Drunk Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Saint Paul, MN Posts: 782	Step 10 - Continuous personal inventory Step 10 - Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong, promptly admitted it. I've never had any trouble taking continuous personal inventory when it came to the negative. Upon request, I can provide a long list of reasons why I'm a horrible person, what I should be doing that I'm not doing, things I'm not good at, etc. With continued work on the 12 steps, I've become fairly comfortable in admitting when I'm wrong. It sure is easier on me when I'm not carrying guilt around for making a mistake. And when I make a mistake, I know it immediately. The sooner I admit I'm wrong, the better. The thing I'm not so good at is giving myself credit when I do the right thing from go - when I don't make a mistake - when my mind is about to blunder but my heart takes charge and I behave like a sincere, decent human being. In listening to others' experiences with the 10th step, I'm hearing that some also inventory the good stuff, the positive. While I agree that this is a good thing to do, I'm not so sure that it's really part of the step. Not saying it isn't either, just haven't made up my mind yet. So I want to hear what you think. When I think of the 10th step, I sort of pair it with the 4th step. And the 4th step is all about defects. In the 4th, I list my defects in the form of behaviors from the past (negative behaviors). Continuing on with the steps, I make amends to people I have harmed. Now that I have taken care of the past, I can focus on the now so that I don't have to go too far back in time to make amends. I admit my wrongs as soon as possible (promptly). Like I said, giving yourself credit for doing the right thing is probably helpful for recovery. But is it really part of the 10th step?