One Day at a Time in Al-Anon:
The Greek philosopher Socrates said: “Know Thyself.” Step Four tells us how to go about it, making “a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.” We are to see ourselves as we really are — our characters, motives, attitudes and actions.
A deeply rooted habit of self-justification may tempt me to explain away each fault as I uncover it. Will I blame others for what I do on the ground that I am compelled to react to their wrongdoing?
It has been said that even a trained psychiatrist cannot analyze himself because of such blocks. This will challenge me to prove that personal honesty and humility can achieve what superior knowledge often cannot.
Today’s Reminder:
A total inventory of my good and bad qualities can be interesting and useful as a start on my work with Step Four. But when I am ready to dig in and correct my shortcomings, I will work on only one or two at a time, and for as long as it takes to satisfy me that I have made real progress in erasing them.
“Perfection is a long way off, but improvement can be made to happen every day.”