The Maintenance Phase
Step Ten is the beginning of what some members refer to as the maintenance Steps.
Completing Steps One through Nine was like rebuilding a house—it required major demolition, construction, and a final clean-up. Step Ten, however, is the daily housekeeping. It's the difference between a one-time spiritual awakening and a continuous, spiritual practice. I used to resent maintenance, seeing it as boring or proof that I wasn't 'fixed' yet. But I realized that maintenance is where the real growth happens.
It's about staying conscious. If I stop sweeping my side of the street every day, the emotional and mental debris piles up quickly, making it easy to slip back into old resentments, fears, and control patterns. Step Ten is the simple daily tool that preserves the spiritual gains of the first nine Steps. The moment I think I’m 'done' is the moment I start drifting backward. I must commit to the spiritual discipline of daily upkeep to protect my hard-won serenity.
Today, I will identify one small daily routine (e.g., morning coffee, brushing teeth) and attach a conscious Step Ten inventory to it: 'What emotion do I need to release right now?'
