My good friend Charles pointed out that I didn’t comment much on Step 12 in my previous blog…I did try to group many of the steps together to simplify what they may be trying to do…but it is true that Step 12 is a unique step, and also a very important one.

Step 12:
Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

There is a notion of “Service” in most 12-step programs, which provide an outlet for those who are trying to change their behaviors, to help others.  It might just be handing out literature, or cleaning up after a meeting…but the idea of becoming more involved in helping others can have a very powerful effect on our own behavior.

A “spiritual awakening” sounds pretty heavy to me.  I used to always think of such a statement as way out there, really!  But since beginning this project, I have realized many things about myself, and I believe I have come to understand it much better.  While many of us may never feel as though we have had a spiritual awakening…I’d liken it to an epiphany or a paradigm shift…a profound change in our view of the way things are.  This is because, although we began this project to help others, I didn’t actually understand how everything is interconnected.

When we believe that our actions have a major impact on what goes on in the world…when we find a strong purpose for our lives…it can be viewed as a spiritual awakening.  For me, it has less to do with religion, and more to do with the way I live my life…it is an interesting and great feeling to believe you have a purpose in your life…as everything you do begins to make more sense, and have more meaning.

So, from my own reflection of our experience creating this film, and helping others each day to find their own potential in life, it maps very closely to Step 12.  Basically it means, that if we can incorporate our own experience and change into the way we fundamentally think , if we do what we can to have a greater purpose outside of ourselves…then ultimately, this form of Service to a greater good in turn makes us stronger in resisting negative forces that may lead us down a bad road.

Do I shop healthier at the grocery store because I know what our movie stands for? Yes!

Do I exercise every day to set a good example for the others I help each day? Yes!

In many ways, this ability to become part of our own change, and to use it to help others, makes us more accountable for our actions.  If nobody was watching us, if we didn’t feel like it really mattered at all…maybe I’d go to McDonald’s more often for a Big Mac (because I do like them).  You can see this often with people who have lost a great deal of weight — they maybe become trainers or coaches…and while this may help other people, it helps each of us to keep our own behavior in check.

If that makes sense…