PROGRESS

Definition of Progress:
Forward or onward movement towards a destination.

Synonyms of Progress:
Advancement, betterment, growth, headway, progression, etc.

These notes are from recovery in AA and/or related 12 step programs. Readers are encouraged to click external links for more detail. We hope you find them helpful.

Love in fellowship.

Maturity is not an overnight miracle. Take things slowly, for spiritual progress requires time for growth. Remind yourself today not to push yourself faster than you need to go. –The 12 Step Prayer Book 241 | More…

We examine our actions, reactions, and motives. We often find that we’ve been doing better than we’ve been feeling –Just For Today | More…
Spiritual progress is made by pushing aside busyness and efficiency. We become receptive to inspiration by allowing empty spaces in our lives, some solitude and idleness. –Touchstones | More…

We have to accept that at any given moment we are somewhere in that ongoing process.
Spiritual bypass does indeed have a softer side, one that doesn’t define us as ‘less than’ or ‘immature’, but as mortal and ever evolving –Recovering Spirituality/Ingrid Mathieu Ph.D. p.81-91 | More…

In following the A.A. program with its twelve steps, we have the advantage of a better understanding of our problems. Day after day our sobriety results in the formation of new habits, normal habits. Learn daily the lesson of trust and calm in the midst of the storms of life. –24Hours | More…

Since most of us are born with an abundance of natural desires, it isn’t strange that we often let these far exceed their intended purpose. If we ask, God will certainly forgive our derelictions.

But in no case does he render us white as snow and keep us that way without our cooperation. That is something we are supposed to be willing to work toward ourselves. He asks only that we try as best we know how to make progress in the building of character. –As Bill Sees It | More… (p.204)

You cannot get it by taking thought.
You cannot seek it by not taking thought.

When we learn that part of our problem was trying too hard, being too self-sufficient, or being too controlling, our old ways tell us to try hard to control that. But then we are only doing more of the same old thing.

We learn that after making our decision, our Higher Power takes over. Now it is possible to be released from our own trying, to move beyond our own efforts by falling into the caring hand of God. –Touchstones | More…

We don’t know the road.
We only know we’re on the right one. –Keep It Simple | More…

Do we truly want money, or are we attempting to escape the basically insecure nature of life? Our desires, our wants, and our anxieties are spiritual issues.

When we admit the deeper fears and desires, we move closer to the spiritual truths of our lives. We can learn to have spiritual peace in an insecure world. –Touchstones | More…

Our program and the Steps have warmed us from the inside out. Just as a bonfire warms those who stand around it, the Steps take away the chill we have felt for so long.

At times, we’ll be tempted to move away from the Steps. At times, we’ll get tired of looking at our behavior and attitudes. We are by nature, controlling people.

We need to stay close to the Steps and the warmth they hold; Remember the chill of our disease. –Keep It Simple | More…

I have got rid of most of my inner conflicts. I was full of recklessness when I was drunk and full of remorse when I was sober. A.A. taught me how to get organized and to stop fighting against myself. –24Hours | More…

I no longer refuse to do anything because I cannot do it to perfection. Have I stopped hiding behind the smoke-screen of perfectionism? “In the world ye shall have tribulation. But be of good cheer. I have overcome the world.” Keep an undaunted spirit. –24 Hours | More…

We are progressing on schedule. Even when our personal hopes are unmet, we are given the necessary opportunities for achieving those goals that complement our unique destinies.

We might not consider every experience a gift at this time. But hindsight will offer the clarity lacking at the moment, just as it has done in many instances that have gone before.  –Each Day A New Beginning/Karen Casey 06/12 | More…

Some people bloom late. Some very late. And some, very, very late. But, they all bloom. And the longer it takes, the more spectacular it is. Quite the deal, huh? –The Universe

I’m becoming so secure in AA, I’ve even discarded the cute, funny, phony me my civilian friends used to know. I don’t have to dance with a rose in my teeth; I can just dance. And I don’t have to be the only girl at the picnic who can swing Tarzan-style from a rope into the river. I can swim calmly, like the forty-year-old mother of four I am.” ~Grapevine: Houston, Texas, June 1976 becoming so secure in AA, I’ve even discarded the cute, funny, phony me my civilian friends used to know. I don’t have to dance with a rose in my teeth; I can just dance. And I don’t have to be the only girl at the picnic who can swing Tarzan-style from a rope into the river. I can swim calmly, like the forty-year-old mother of four I am.” ~Grapevine: Houston, Texas, June 1976

We see it happening among us every day. We see thr newcomer a little more comfortable. They’ve found a sponsor and are attending meetings every night. We notice a spark of hope in their eyes, and they smile uncertainly when we encourage them to keep coming back. A few months later, they’ve learned how to make eye contact. They’re working the steps with their sponsor and are healing as a result. We listen to them sharing at meetings. We stack chairs with them afterwards. A few years later, they are speaking at a convention workshop. They’ve got a wonderful, humorous personality. They smile when they see us, they hug us, and they tell us they could never have done it without us. And they understand when we say, “nor could we, without you.” –Just For Today | More…

Rude awakenings lead to spiritual awakenings. Such awakenings often disclose barriers that block us from making spiritual progress in our recovery. Once those barriers are exposed, we can work the steps to begin removing them from our lives. We can begin experiencing the healing and serenity which are the preludes to a renewed awakening of the spirit. –Just For Today | More…