From the Just For Today Daily Meditation:

Walking the way we talk

Page 369

"Words mean nothing until we put them into action."

Basic Text, p.58

The Twelfth Step reminds us "to practice these principles in all our affairs." In NA,

we see living examples of this suggestion all around us. The more experienced members,

who seem to have an aura of peace surrounding them, demonstrate the rewards of applying

this bit of wisdom in their lives.

To receive the rewards of the Twelfth Step, it is vital that we practice the spiritual principles

of recovery even when no one is looking. If we talk about recovery at meetings but continue to live

as we did in active addiction, our fellow members may suspect that we are doing nothing more than

quoting bumper stickers.

What we pass on to newer members comes more from how we live than what we say. If we advise

someone to "turn it over" without having experienced the miracle of the Third Step, chances are the

message will fail to reach the ears of the newcomer for whom it's intended. On the other hand, if we

"walk what we talk" and share our genuine experience in recovery, the message will surely be evident

to all.

Just for Today: I will practice the principles of recovery, even when I'm the only one who knows.

When I first started going to meetings, sometimes, it was hard for me to figure out if people were really

living what the said. I was still at that in between stages of not trusting anyone and being so vulnerable

I trusted everyone.

When I speak at meeting I try to be as honest as I can when it comes to walking and talking. Sometimes

how I want things to be and how things actually are might be different. But I still try to walk the talk.

At this point I have a few 24 hours put together and sometimes it is obvious that people are not living

what they are speaking in the meetings. But can I still learn from them? Yes. I can still learn from what

they say, I can still learn how I want to live my life from them.

I can even learn how I don’t want to live my life. For example the other day I heard someone state

“I know so much about this program that I get in my own way.” My first thought was “I don’t ever

want to say I know so much about this program.” I feel if I think I know so much about the program

I become unteachable, unwilling, and dishonest, and those are just my feelings.

Every time that I go to a meeting I try to learn a new thing; rather it’s something that I didn’t know

before or a new way to look at something I have known since the beginning.

It also helps that I have a support group who is there at any time that I can bounce ideas off of and who

will BLUNTLY point out anything that I need to change.

Just for today: I will become more aware of walking the talk.