“Continuous and thorough action is essential to our recovery.”

– Life with Hope, second edition, page 68

I’ve heard the phrase “talk is cheap,” but in this program, I began acting on it for the first time in my life. Certainly, there’s nothing wrong with having good intentions and saying kind words to those around us; however, intentions and words are minor factors in comparison with the power of action. When I do my Fourth Step, I am reminded that it is a writing exercise, not a thinking exercise. Writing is the action I use to clear out old blockages and release emotions and energies that have been pent up for many years.

When I do my Ninth Step, I take action in the form of amending my behavior, changing the patterns of harm that I’ve neglected for all my life. I make meaningful amends to those I harmed, while making sure not to exacerbate that harm to them or others.
When I do my Twelfth Step, I remember that faith without works is dead. I take action in the form of giving service at meetings, helping to plan and organize recovery events, and sponsoring newcomers to facilitate their Step work. Even a five-minute phone call can be a powerful and life-altering action, if I use it to connect with another living soul. This is a spiritual program, but it is also a program of action. The spiritual life is not a theory; I must live it. I do not need to arrive at perfection, but I do need to put my principles into practice through action.

Final thought: Today, let me remember that recovery is not an event. It’s a process, and it requires action!