Willingness – Episode 216

A member asked another member to be their sponsor. The response was, “Are you willing to do what I did for as long as I did it to get what I have?” What would your answer be? Where does that willingness come from? * Definition * What does this word mean to me today? * How is that different from how I understood it in the past? * Where does willingness appear in the Steps? * Step 3: Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him. * Step 8: Made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all. * But also: Step 4 — willingness to look deeply at ourselves. * Step 5 and 6 — willingness to change. * Step 11 — willingness to deepen our relationship with a higher power. * In fact, we can find it in all the steps! * Eric noted that you can put the word “willing” in front of each step: Step 1, “Became willing to admit we were powerless…”, etc. * Acronym: HOW — Honest, Open, and Willing. This is HOW the program of recovery works. * How did I become willing? * Examples of others — your stories of using the principles of the program in your own recovery helped me be willing to try them for myself. * Pain — “hitting bottom” over and over in different ways. Eventually willing to try something, anything new. A few tidbits from the episode: Psychology Today article: 5 Ways to Really Get Closer to Each Other Phone meetings web site. And the quote from Marilyn Monroe that Spencer mentioned: “Sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together.” Please call us at 734-707-8795 or email [email protected] with your questions or experience, strength and hope. Or just leave a comment right here. Music from the show Prince: Willing and Able Jason Mraz: I'm Yours Rush: One Little Victory