12 STEPS to Recovery — STEP #12 Practice Makes Progress
Focus on the Recovery Process
Far from being the ‘end of the road’, the final step of the Twelve is a launch site. We have had a spiritual awakening! Being awake now brings us to desire to carry on the progress we have made and to share the tools we’re developing throughout our life’s journey. The words are words of celebration: “Having had a spiritual awakening, we’ve got work to do”. No longer are we nowhere in life, we are somewhere, and we are gaining ground. This awakening is not a case of ‘having arrived,” it is a reminder that we have become equipped for ‘continuing on!”
The second part of the Step is a reminder: “…we tried to carry this message,” and we tried to practice these principles in all our affairs.” Trial is both a practical and brave way of growth. Most of our very best scientific and medical discoveries were made through trial and error. And yet it takes courage to fall short initially, but be willing to take another go at the challenge. A 12-Step slogan reminds us that ‘a problem shared is a problem halved, and a joy shared is a joy doubled. Carrying and sharing the message with others, doubles our experience, our joy and our resolve to continue practicing these principles in all of our life’s affairs.
As we have in the past Steps, we are trying new approaches where old habits, addictions or solutions haven’t worked. We are sizing up our challenges, at home, at work, in all our affairs, and practicing the use of new tools, new ways of trying out reliance on God’s power rather than our own. The word practice also reminds us that in Step Twelve, and throughout our continued journey, we are seeking progress, not perfection.