Taking action means work. I know, most of us are averse to the word “work,” but the kind of work I’m talking about here has nothing to do with punching in a time card and suffering through 8 hours. Our work on the steps of AA’s Alcoholics Anonymous program simply means using our energy to be disciplined and committed in the pursuit of our goal of long-term sobriety and recovery. It takes work to stand up for ourselves, to be patient or to accept the emotional discomfort of new behaviors. Catching ourselves in our shortcomings and changing our reaction takes work. The more familiar you become with your shortcomings the more you start to notice, “this feels familiar, I’d better stop and pay attention to this!” Whenever a reaction feels involuntary, it’s probably something that needs changing. The great news is that when practicing humility in Step Seven you really gain a sense of your own humanity and the ability to have compassion for yourself and for others. We are all in this together, and we are all the same. Putting Step Seven into action means, for example, when you consciously gather the courage to say “no” to the request of a friend who tries to guilt or shame you into saying “yes,” you are actually working your program of recovery. When you set a boundary, pause when agitated, practice restraint of tongue and pen (this is a huge one for long-term peace), choosing not to interact with people, places and things that trigger you- you are working on Step Seven! Getting Right-Sized: Step Seven Questions & Actions Part of getting right-sized in Step Seven means making changes with the activity of our minds in addition to accepting and expressing our emotions. We learn to gradually bring the different parts of ourselves into a healthy balance as we practice new living skills. For some people a daily dose of prayer, meditation, and affirmations is very useful. Here are some questions to help guide you through Step Seven: How has my understanding of my higher power grown? How have the previous six steps prepared me for step seven? How does being aware of my own humility help when working the seventh step? How do I plan to ask a God of my understanding or higher power to remove my shortcomings? How does the spiritual principle of “surrender” work for me in step seven? Am I comfortable with prayer and meditation- even if it means making up my own? Has my sense of perspective or “reality’ been out of proportion lately? Have there been times when I have been able to stop from acting on a character defect and practice a spiritual principle instead? Are there any shortcomings that have been removed from my life or at least diminished in their power over me?
You can also use affirmations. Here are some suggestions: I accept all of me, the “good” and “bad.” Today I will develop an asset and release one shortcoming. I will remember that I have choices and freedom today.
The “Seventh Step Prayer” is a great way to right-size your day: “My creator, I am now willing that you should have all of me, good and bad. I pray that you now remove from me every single defect of character which stands in the way of my usefulness to you and my fellows. Grant me strength as I go out from here to do your bidding.” | 
