How to Approach Practice in Steps to Knowledge

Watch Reed Summers during the Steps Vigil, Night 2, May 27, 2020.

Full Broadcast

So Patricia and I took some time today to step back and look at what are the components of being a student and then what is needed to begin and to continue once you’ve begun. So in the beginning, we need to make time to do Steps. We need to make literally two 30 minute periods a day to do Steps. We need to do the Review, which is…can be challenging in the middle of real life. We need to make physical space, quiet space, contemplative space. And we need to make mental space, space for our minds to think and entertain whole new ideas in the middle of a family, in the middle of, you know, culture all around us, perhaps. And then the last seven on this list are kind of qualities that we slowly build over time.

These aren’t virtues like you need to have this all in the beginning or you need to have it now. We have a little bit to start and we build it as we go, but these are all important, I think. 

The first is:

Desire: you have to want to do this. Why would you do this? There’s a little partial Step in the beginning of Steps that asks, Why am I doing this anyway? Why do you want to do this? Because you have to access your want. Your personal mind has to be on board. So finding what you want can be a process.

Consistency: staying with it every day, as Steps wants you to participate, versus every other day, or a couple times a week as our tendency may be to do. 

Being determined: even at the outset, knowing this is not going to be easy; this is going to be new. I have to do this all the way. 

Commitment: I’m literally going to do this for 365 days or more, and I’m going to do it daily. 

Openness: which is I’m willing to look at myself, my emotions, my tendencies, my beliefs. I’m open to exploring what’s there. 

Honesty: I’m honest enough to be willing to see what’s there. There’s being open and then there’s being honest. After that then,

Focus: keeping your eye on this dashboard experience day after day after day. 

So all qualities that are needed, either to begin or to continue.