#12and12

Step Three “Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.” “The more we become willing to depend upon a Higher Power, the more independent we actually are. Therefore dependence, as AA practices it, is really a means of gaining true independence of the spirit.”

“Not only are we more independent, we are even more comfortable and secure.”

“So how, exactly, can the willing person continue to turn his will and his life over to the Higher Power? He made a beginning, we have seen, when he commenced to rely upon AA for the solution of his alcohol problem. By now, though, the chances are that he has become convinced that he has more problems than alcohol, and that some of these refuse to be solved by all the sheer personal determination and courage he can muster. They simply will not budge; they make him desperately unhappy and threaten his newfound sobriety…His lone courage and unaided will cannot do it. Surely he must now depend upon Somebody or Something else.”

“It is when we try to make our will conform with God’s that we begin to use it rightly. To all of us, this was a most wonderful revelation. Our whole trouble had been the misuse of willpower. We had tried to bombard our troubles with it instead of attempting to bring it into agreement with God’s intention for us. To make this increasingly possible is the purpose of AA’s Twelve Steps, and Step Three opens the door.”

Over the past few years I have had the honor of working with some of the most amazing men and women. I have the privilege of coaching, mentoring, and challenging them. To watch them go from places of creative drought to excelling beyond my wildest dreams. Lets get something clear right away, it’s not because of me. It because we pray, seek God on the subject, and look for practical solutions to the obstical and move forward with goals. Some times this comes in steps, some times it’s just choosing to step out and make the jump.

Many times we become paralyzed by a situation because of fear. We aren’t able to think clearly. We literally convince our self not to move forward to succeed. We have a dream that we refuse to live because we tell our self things like, it cost too much, now isn’t the time, or I just don’t have time to focus on that right now. Maybe you have fear of lack of experience. I’m not smart enough to do it. I don’t have the degree needed to accomplish it. I’m afraid to make a fool of myself. Maybe you’re afraid of disappointment or being embarrassed. We could go on forever but what it boils down to is excuses due to fear.

So what’s your dream? To start running but your not athletic? To start your own business but know nothing about how to set it up or how to get it started? Want to start a new hobby but afraid of being embarrassed? Maybe you want to buy a home but have bad credit and no savings? Instead of writing off your dream because of the obsticals that you have to face to accomplish it, start by making a practical list of what needs to be done to make the dream come to pass. 

The big 4! Grab a pen and paper (yes I went old school). Okay, at the top of the paper write what the dream is. Under the dream you wrote, ask your self these four questions and answer them honestly.

1. What is my excuse for not accomplishing my dream?

2. What does my excuse stop me from doing?

3. If I no longer use these excuses,what would I have to do to accomplish my dream?

4. Why don’t I just do it now?

Alright…now you have called your self out. You answered the big four and you have a clear picture of what is stopping you from succeeding in your dream. Now it’s time to set some short term and long term goals to track your accomplishments as you go. You’ve faced your fears, removed the excuses, and have set your goals. Take that piece of paper and before doing anything, take the time to pray. Pray for guidance, wisdom, and open doors. God placed that dream inside of you for a reason. It’s time to remove the excuses and move forward.

A few more quick tips: Do your homework. Find someone who is either pursuing the same dream or has already accomplished a similar dream. Have a way to stay accountable. When setting your goals, make a poster that’s personal by placing pictures of the dream and the rewards for the accomplishment. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Find a support system that will encourage you rather then distract you and fuel the excuses. Most of all, keep praying and seeking God for guidance as you go.

"There is the obsession that somehow, someday, they will beat the game.....Our sponsors declared that we were the victims of a mental obsession so subtly powerful that no amount of human willpower could break it....The fact was we really hadn't cleaned house so that the grace of God could enter us and expel the obsession...Having reduced us to a state of absolute helplessness, you now declare that none but a Higher Power can remove our obsession."