October 28, 2011

New Frontiers in Thinking, The Program Unveiled

The program in its entirety--Steps, Promises, Just for Today's, Traditions and Slogan--has many tools that work together to continue challenging me to get out of my existing mental "boxes." Boxes that would keep me from realizing there is always hope in every situation.

Each program of recovery makes its own Slogan selections and tweaks the wording on the Steps and Just for Today's, to meet its unique needs.  Alanon has particularly challenged me, with its Slogan, "Think." It is one which we did not choose to include in our top-Dozen Slogans in Emotions Anonymous.  

Yet I see that every 12-step Program is engaged in new ways of thinking,  through using the many tools listed in our guidelines.

Why not name these ways of thinking?  Recently I've stumbled across a book on thinking, that discusses ten specific ways to think differently and create success. I read closely and took note. Then I asked myself, "Aren't some of these embodied in our program tools?"  None of our Work is random, but it has a system, and it  sure creates lasting change!


After a bit of meditation and writing, I discovered an array of program tools that applied each of these types of thinking.  Big Picture thinking. Focused thinking. Creative thinking. Realistic thinking. Strategic thinking. Possibility thinking. Reflective thinking. Questioning popular thinking. Shared thinking. Unselfish thinking. Bottom line thinking. And two others that came to mind (that I have not named yet).


I'll be sharing some of my explorations with you over the coming weeks. I hope you'll join me to see how this work might shed light on your own Program walk.

2 comments:

  1. I'm interested in your thoughts on the tools and different ways of thinking. I tend to look at everything with a psychological perspective. My husband calls this "over thinking"..LOL

    You are absolutely correct, the 12 steps are a system that create lasting change. It took me awhile to see this, and if I don't continue to work the program, I quickly fall back into old ways of thinking..judgmental, stubborn, tit for tat, etc.

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  2. Thanks Lou, for you well-considered encouragement! I'll be moving forward to see where this takes us!

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I welcome your thoughts. Keep me honest~