Honest Equals Improved
To the extent that I was honest, my life improved every time I did an inventory.
This morning I was reviewing my Step Four inventory from six months ago and comparing it to the one I'm working on now. So much is similar – the same character defects showing up the same patterns repeating. At first I felt discouraged. Haven't I grown at all? Am I just stuck in the same old behaviors?
Then I remembered: To the extent that I was honest my life improved every time I did an inventory. The improvement isn't measured by having fewer character defects to list. It's measured by how honest I can be about the ones I have. And looking at these two inventories I can see I'm more honest now than I was six months ago.
Six months ago I justified my controlling behavior. Now I can name it as controlling without explaining why it's necessary. Six months ago I blamed others for my resentments. Now I can see my part. Six months ago I minimized my people-pleasing. Now I can acknowledge how it costs me.
The honesty itself is the improvement. My life gets better not because the defects disappear but because I can see them more clearly. And what I can see clearly I can work with. The honesty creates the possibility for change even if the change isn't complete yet.
I will look at my defects today not as failures, but as old armor that once kept me safe. I will thank my Higher Power that I am now safe to face them with honesty. The honesty itself – even before any change happens – is improvement. It creates the foundation for growth.
