My Take on The Proactive Twelve Steps for Mindful Recovery

[Ponder]

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Book Description - http://lifesherpabooks.com/proactive12steps/
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The Proactive Twelve Steps:
The Proactive Twelve Steps for Mindful Recovery by Serge Prengel
https://www.amazon.com/Proactive-Twelve-Steps-Mindful-Recovery/dp/1892482134

Step 1: I get it:
What I’ve been doing is self- destructive. I need to change.

Step 2: I see the big picture:
The way to stop relapsing into self-destructive behaviours is to build a healthier sense of self.

Step 3: I have an action plan:
From now on, I am squarely facing everything that is in the way of feeling really satisfied with my life.

Step 4: I honestly look at the effects of my actions on others and myself.

Step 5: I take responsibility for my actions.

Step 6: I see that my knee-jerk reactions have to do with being in the grip of more or less conscious fears.

Step 7: I strive to find my motivation in a deeper sense of who I really am, rather than fear and defensiveness.

Step 8: I stop blaming and feeling blamed, with a willingness to heal the wounds.

Step 9: I swallow my pride, and sincerely apologize to people I've hurt, except when this would be counterproductive.

Step 10: I live mindfully, paying attention to the motives and effects of my actions.

Step 11: I stay in touch with a broader sense of who I really am, and a deeper sense of what I really want.

Step 12: A growing sense of wholeness and contentment motivates me to keep at it, and to share this process with others who are struggling.
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The Proactive Twelve Steps for Mindful Recovery by Serge Prengel
https://www.amazon.com/Proactive-Twelve-Steps-Mindful-Recovery/dp/1892482134

" Discussion of Step 12
A journey of transformation
Joseph Campbell analyzed myths throughout a
multitude of cultures in human history. He found
striking similarities among them. He pointed out that
the "hero journey" of myth is symbolic of the process of
personal growth.

The Twelve Steps are a great tool for your own "hero
journey", the process of becoming who you really are.
The journey starts with the realization of your lack of
power: You have a very real problem; and your ways of
dealing with it aren’t working. As you’re no longer in
denial about this lack of power, you embark on a quest.
By the twelfth step, you are more keenly aware of how
what you do affects your experience of life.

In other words, you have become more aware of how
and where you have control. You’re shifting your focus
to what you can control to actually make things
happen instead of banging your head against a wall.
You see the world with different eyes, you experience
the world in a different way. It is as if you had been
transported into a different world.

Awakening
In the original wording of the step, the sense that a
powerful transformation has been happening is
conveyed by the phrase "spiritual awakening".
It is as if you had been asleep until such a time as you
have this awakening. When you're asleep, you may not
notice what's happening around you. But you certainly
notice the alarm clock that's waking you up.
The world outside hasn't change. What has changed is
the way you experience it. From feeling powerless and
victimized, you now feel more at peace with the world.
This is a different perspective, a much broader one.
There are still many things you'll feel powerless about.
But you have less of a tendency to take the things you
are powerless about as a personal insult. You tend to
get less mired into what frustrates you. And you direct
more of your energy in directions where you have
some power to get what you want. You feel better
about yourself.

Staying on course
Implicit in the idea of feeling better about yourself is
the notion that this will motivate you to stay on course.
Let’s say you start a program of physical exercise "to
get fit". You won't stay fit unless you keep exercising.

And chances are you'll keep exercising if you actually
enjoy the exercising itself, as opposed to feeling it's
something you have to do only as a means to an end.
This process is not about acquiring anything, other
than habits. It's about practicing these habits, one day
at a time.

Reaching out
You reach out to others out of altruism... but there is a
benefit to yourself as well. Sharing your experience is
not about dealing with others from a one-up position
("I know all the answers, and I have to educate others
who are less fortunate than I am"). It makes you feel
more connected when you to associate with other
people who experience similar problems."