A standard list of corrective measures:
(1) Stop it.
(2) Stop thinking about it.
(3) Keep your mouth shut.
(4) Mind your own business.
(5) Do something useful.
If you do not plug your phone in, it dies. If you do not
plug into God, so do you.
Want more power? Plug in for longer. Then use the power. It
is useless unless applied to constructive action.
Have a plan for the day. Have it include plenty of useful,
outward-turned activity, some life-maintenance, some physical activity, and
some fun.
If you are tempted to say something, ask, ‘is it both kind
and necessary? Must it be said by me? Must it be said now?’
If you are judging, ask yourself if anyone asked for your
opinion. If not, stop it.
Pity was supposed to be for others, not for oneself. Find
someone worse off than you and help them.
If you are angry, pause. Pause as long as necessary, praying
for peace and guidance. If neither come, remove yourself temporarily from the
situation so as not to cause harm.
If you are frightened, remember that God is looking after
who you really are. Anything that is real cannot be destroyed. Anything that
can be destroyed is not real.
If you have got a problem, do not think about the problem
beyond briefly jotting down pros and cons of different courses of action. Think
about God. Think about how the problem will certainly be solved as have all
others. Know that you will be guided and kept safe. Everything works out in the
end. If it has not worked out, it is not the end.
If you must ask for advice, ask one excellent person, not
five mediocre ones. Then follow it. The worst thing it can be is a terrible
mistake, and you make those all the time anyway. Step Ten will fix that.
If you feel guilty, make amends now for what you feel guilty
about or make a concrete plan if you are physically unable to make amends now.
If you still feel guilty, stop attacking people in your mind. If you still feel
guilty after that, drop the excessive spiritual ambition and sense of
entitlement and get over yourself. You are flawed. We get it. So we are. If
still stuck, ask yourself who are you not to forgive yourself when God already
has. Answers on a postcard.
If you are not actively seeking guidance from God in prayer
and meditation, the chances are that you will be running on self-will, unless
you are at peace and filled with quiet joy. If in doubt, pray for the next
right action and for strength.
Think about the past only (1) to work out who to make amends
to (2) to work out who to forgive (3) to work out how you would do things
differently in the future.
Think about the future only for practical planning purposes.
If very agitated, bring yourself back to the moment by
‘listening’ to your five senses and concentrating on those. They are telling
you what is happening right now. Is anything bad actually happening right now?
Remember the rhetorical question slogan: how important is it
anyway?
If you are depressed, consider the option that it may be
your life that is depressing more than some internal condition. Find someone
functional and happy and get them to review your typical day and week. They
will probably spot some structural problems straight away.
If you can’t get through to anyone on the phone, ask
yourself what you would tell a newcomer or sponsee if they found themselves in
the predicament you are in.
Drop the plan for others. When they are foolish, slow,
thoughtless, refractory, repetitive, stuck, wilful, contradictory, confused,
inconsistent, avoidant, or whatever else, hoorah! That is how they are meant to
be! Wonderful!
Drop the plan for your results. If you cannot achieve what
your ego wants, wonderful!
Be more actively thoughtful of others’ needs, especially in
company.
Continue the practice of just serving. Nothing more.
Be more cheerful by removing any sense that anything is
other than it should be.
Curtail engagements or interactions that serve no fruitful
(= altruistic or spiritual) purpose. Feel no guilt about this.
‘Anything you offer me by way of advice cannot possibly be
worse than what I have planned for myself,’ (Bill C.)
‘Your problem is that
you think you are separate from God. You are wrong,’ (Mildred F.)
‘Faith is the courage to take action despite the fear,’
(Sheldon F.)
‘I’m not scared of who might be around the corner. I know who’s
around the corner. My Higher Power.’ (Spiritual Paul)