PART FOUR
"TURNAROUNDS"
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Part Four Of The Writing...The Turnarounds
3rd Step Prayer---Be Neat and Thorough (Yeah, your fingers hurt)
Age 0-10
First Things First. Go back and number every single resentment. If there are multiple resentments against the same person, place, or institution you should "letter" them.
This is where the writing takes a turn and we look squarely at ourselves. The Big Book clearly lays the next part of the writing out for us. Notice that the Big Book does not give you a clear example of columns or format but a series of questions to answer. I would point out to you the "key" words used in what is commonly read in meetings, "How It Works." Thoroughly, completely, honest with themselves, demands rigorous honesty, honest, fearless and thorough, absolute(ly), searching, wrongs, shortcomings, admitted, half measures availed us nothing, progress, perfection. This is the portion of the writing where all of these words start to come alive in you, maybe for the first time in your life or recovery from the spiritual malady. On page 67 it states...
"Referring to our list again. Putting out of our minds the wrongs others have done, we resolutely looked for our own mistakes. Where had we been selfish, dishonest, self-seeking and frightened? Though a situation had not been entirely our fault, we tried to disregard the other person involved entirely. Where were we to blame? The inventory was ours, not the other man's. When we saw our faults we listed them. We placed them before us in black and white. We admitted our wrongs honestly and were willing to set these matters straight."
Out of this paragraph we draw a series of questions to be answered. And not lightly! With reflection. You are trying to get to the root of the problem. Before you took the 3rd Step the Big Book spoke to the fact that "our troubles, we think, are basically of our own making." They didn't tell you that they were! They dropped a couple of commas in that line and a couple of words in between, "we think." It is for each of us to arrive at this understanding through the writing. The more thorough the writing the more you may come to see what they saw.
These are the questions we answered for every single resentment. No half measures, answer every single one for every single resentment.
S - Selfish --- What did I want? D - Dishonest --- What was the lie I told myself? / Was it the truth? SS - Self-Seeking ---What was the action I took? F - Fear ---What was I scared of?
You do not have to write out every single "question" above. You will be "pairing" the answers to these questions with each resentment by labeling the answers in the following manner.
S - (answer the question) D - (answer both questions)
SS- (answer the question)
F - (answer the question)
You ever hear the saying about pointing your finger at someone or something in judgment or anger? If you turn your hand over while you are pointing at someone you will notice three fingers pointed back at you! What we see in others, especially through resentment or judgment, is usually a part of us or has been a part of us.
The next part of the writing will come directly from the work you do on this portion. That being said, if you half-ass this part the rest of your inventory will be half-measured thereby wiping out all of those "key" words that were mentioned on the top of this part! In the "Twelve and Twelve" Bill Wilson speaks of the 6th Step separating the men from the boys. Well this is the part of the writing that does just that. Always the 3rd Step Prayer before you write and start talking to God throughout the day as you go along. Remember...(c) That God could and would if He were sought.
Age 11-15
Repeat the same for each age group in increments of five years...