June 11

Approaching Life Creatively

Page 169

"When we are engaged in creative action of the spirit, whether in our personal lives or in our service work, we may be surprised by the solutions that present themselves."

Guiding Principles, Introduction, "Guiding Principles"

Living clean and working the Steps gives us loads of practical experience with applying spiritual principles. Open-mindedness unlocks some doors for us in Step Two, and we learn the benefits of being flexible in our thinking. The trust required to turn our will and lives over in Step Three gives us new confidence in the quiet knowing we might call our faith or intuition. With these and other experiences to draw from, it gets easier to align our actions with spiritual principles. With enough practice, spiritual solutions become second nature. We find ourselves more flexible in our thinking and more ready than ever to engage in creative problem solving.

We practice listening to our intuition and learn to sift out impulses that are rooted in the disease. We tune in to what some call our higher selves, the better angels of our nature, or simply good judgment to find inspiration that's more closely aligned with our spiritual center. One member shared, "With some time clean and some Steps under my belt, I realized that my head wasn't always trying to kill me." Sometimes we're inspired to give up our seat on a crowded bus, to take a panel into a treatment center, or to get back to our education--age be damned!

Creative action of the spirit can lead us in any number of directions. We continue to be amazed by our creative capacity to craft spiritual solutions to the challenge of living life on life's terms. We stumble upon new career paths, find new ways to serve, and learn new lessons. When we are engaged in living in the world and participating with other humans, our focus shifts from our self-centeredness to a more global perspective. That shift might be just what we need to live in the solution as regular contributors to the greater good.

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I will approach life creatively today. I am open to inspiration and the guidance of a loving Higher Power and willing to contribute to our common good.