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Old 06-02-2011, 04:49 AM
  # 13 (permalink)  
DayTrader
12-Step Recovered Alkie
 
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Join Date: May 2010
Location: West Bloomfield, MI
Posts: 5,797
I just did a 4th and some principles made my list. For me, a principle meant "things I was taught," "beliefs I have/had," "popular beliefs," "ways/methods of doing things." I'm not saying that's WHAT it means.....or all that this is ALL it means......just that's what it meant to me this time through the 4th.

Some of these, I thought were "good" while others I thought were "bad." I wrote them down because they came into my head and I was thinking I wanted to explore the principles under which I operate and/or I think the world operates under.

Meeting makers make it
God helps those who help themselves
It's not whether you win or lose but how you play the game
Nice guys finish last
Priorities in life - why do I often put "wants" ahead of "needs"
If money's your biggest problem, you have no problem
Material possessions bring me happiness
If people knew what was in my head, they wouldn't like me as much
RecoverING
RecoverED
There are many paths to sobriety
There's "one" way to work the AA program (or a "right" way)
Powerless over ppl, places and things......
A man would....... / A woman would...... (I had several of these.....beliefs about what a "real man" or "real woman" would/should do)
As you are, you're not quite there (aka, not quite good enough.....yet)


.....hope that helps....those are the biggies that I got some decent work out of. Found some pretty funny, embarassing, and just interesting things out about the way I think (and react) to some of those things.

It does say, we list people, principles, or institutions with which we were angry.......so principles go on the list.

Before all that though, it tells us that the inventory is a fact finding mission and that the goal is to determine the stock in trade. Well, a LOT of my stock in trade didn't and doesn't have "anger" attached to it. I'm not usually mad at anyone.....not consistently anyway. Long story I won't go into but "anger" was a big weapon of choice for my father on my mom, brother and I so........as I grew up.......I've made a lot of effort to not "use" anger on/against other ppl. That doesn't mean I don't have resentments because I do......but if I just look for the ones wrapped in anger, I don't find many. "Stock in trade" right? Well, a lot of my resentments are rooted more in shame, guilt, fear, and other emotions. Writing about principles has actually a lot.......even more than writing about the ppl I was/am actually mad at.

We're looking for the stuff that's blocking us from our fellows......and ultimately........from God. Sometimes, I think that process calls for extra work, alternatives, and additional ways of "inventorying." -- first time through, just do what the book says and get it done....there's a whole lifetime ahead to modify and dig deeper.
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