Endigar 577 ~ Throughout Each Day
From the Daily Reflections of October 16;
This is not an overnight matter. It should continue for our lifetime. (Alcoholics Anonymous, page 84)
During my early years in A.A. I saw Step Ten as a suggestion that I periodically look at my behavior and reactions. If there was something wrong, I should admit it; if an apology was necessary, I should give one. After a few years of sobriety I felt I should undertake a self-examination more frequently. Not until several more years of sobriety had elapsed did I realize the full meaning of Step Ten, and the word “continued.” “Continued” does not mean occasionally, or frequently. It means each day.
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I have worked the steps four or five times and each time I have gone deeper and found something I missed before. This last time, I actually finished my ninth step completely. I realized that because I viewed the last three steps as maintenance steps, I did not believe them to be mission essential. They were good ideas that I approached with the mindless performance of brushing my teeth or cooking or laundry. They were chores that required discipline and consistency but would do nothing to improve life, just maintain it. This has been particularly true of the tenth step. Now that I have actually developed a system for working it, I am making more discoveries about myself and using the subsequent transformations to live life more powerfully. The maintenance of step ten is to keep climbing upward in the way I live my life. It is not the maintenance of the flat line ritualistic performance I accepted in active alcoholism as my highest achievement. Devotion to step ten is easier when I realize positive growth one day at a time.
Daily Reprieve 
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