The second stage of living the Twelve Principles is about creating congruence – fitting the pieces of our life together in a way that works. The stage encompasses Principles Six through Nine: honesty, courage, commitment and responsiveness.
Principle Six is about living a life of honesty to yourself and to others. Recovery calls us to be continuously and rigorously honest. When your self-talk does not match your actions, the issue almost always involves a value. Working through Principle Six would help you tap into your ‘shadow self’; embracing it and struggling with it until you find your inner most strengths that you will find useful as you continue to grow into a person of integrity and grace.
Thought to ponder: What must improve?
Principle Seven builds upon having the courage to recognize our character defects and work toward replacing them with character strengths of purpose, moral behavior and doing the next right thing. This part of the Twelve Principles program will introduce courage as a resiliency skill to develop if you are to learn how to look past what people think and to the vision you have for yourself, then taking the leaps of faith to achieve your dreams.
Thoughts to ponder: What risks must I take?
Principle Eight is living out Step Eight of the Twelve Steps and expanding this commitment beyond making amends to doing the next right thing. This principle will guide you through making commitments in five integral parts of your life: sex, intimacy, work, money and lifestyle.
Thought to ponder: How am I responsible?
Principle Nine focuses on the depths of your recovery where responsibility grows into responsiveness. This principle is based on questions such as How can I make things better? How can I help my employer succeed? How can I deepen my relationship with my partner? How can I make my community safer? How can I be a better spouse, partner, employee, volunteer, church member, parent, sibling, child, in-law, neighbor, community member, citizen and steward of this planet? What is the next right things I need to do? (pg. 179 from A Gentle Path through the Twelve Principles)
