If you listened to my Radio Show yesterday, you heard about step 11 from the 12 steps.
“Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood him, praying only for knowledge of his will for us and the power to carry that out.
Prayer is defined as an act of wither reaching out to a Higher Power or going inward to a deeper knowing. Prayer is actively communicating. We are doing the talking. Meditation is a calm, lengthy, intent consideration. It is being still and listening. Stopping all argument, conversation, justification, and simply allowing ourselves to hear the inner voice of truth. Step 11 is a daily commitment to two things. One speaking out loud and Two is quietly listening. We carve time out of our busy day to do these things. This is the ultimate method of truly taking care of ourselves. The ultimate result of these actions is a stronger relationship with our higher power. When we have a conscious contact with our Higher power we are never alone. We do not feel lonely, we do not feel isolated. The stronger this relationship – the more comfortable we feel in our own skin.
The challenge –
Rules – Must be preformed for seven continuous days. If you forget or skip a day you must start over.
Day is only considered complete if both actions, Prayer and Meditation are completed.
Prayer – Can be either a simple conversation or a tradition or untraditional prayer based in your belief. For example; some choose the Lord’s Prayer and start their day on their knees, taking time to verbalize the Our Father. (Matthew 6:9-13) or try World prayers.org
Others choose to read from various writers such as Parmahansa Yogananda, Thomas Merton, Big Book, Dali Lama, you get the idea.
Meditation – There are many forms of meditation. Sitting cross legged on the floor and emptying your mind takes a lot of practice, and is wonderful for those that can achieve it. If you are new to meditation, try some guided meditation from Belief Net or search the net for one that you feel comfortable with. If you have never tried any meditation, please search it out and learn. Here is a well written start www.mudrashram.com
Next step – Make a commitment.
Today is _____________ I am making a commitment to myself that I will practice prayer and meditation daily for 7 days.
Making a commitment to self is the most difficult area of our life. We practice cheating on ourselves regularly. We sneak that extra piece of pie; we procrastinate on paying bills, doing laundry, home work, exercise. Hold this commitment with more respect than if you were standing before a judge hearing your sentence.
Remember you are that important!
And as always, send us your notes, experiences, likes and dislikes!
Tags: 12 steps, addiction, anger, Anxiety, call in, challenge, coach, day, Depression, ego, feelings, life, life skills, meditation, method, self-help, step 11
