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Chapter Five
How It Works
63 32 Next we launched out on a course of vigorous action,
63 33 the first step of which is a personal housecleaning,
64 1 which many of us had never attempted. Though our
64 2 decision was vital and crucial step, it could have little
64 3 permanent effect unless at once followed by a strenuous
64 4 effort to face, and to be rid of, the things in ourselves
64 5 which had been blocking us. Our liquor was but a
64 6 symptom. So we had to get down to causes and
64 7 conditions.
64 8 Therefore, we started upon a personal inventory.
64 9 This was Step Four. A business which takes no regular
64 10 inventory usually goes broke. Taking commercial
64 11 inventory is a fact-finding and a fact-facing process. It
64 12 is an effort to discover the truth about the stock-in-
64 13 trade. One object is to disclose damaged or unsalable
64 14 goods, to get rid of them promptly and without regret.
64 15 If the owner of the business is to be successful, he can-
64 16 not fool himself about values.
64 17 We did exactly the same thing with our lives. We
64 18 took stock honestly. First, we searched out the flaws
64 19 in our make-up which caused our failure. Being con-
64 20 vinced that self, manifested in various ways, was what
64 21 had defeated us, we considered its common manifest-
64 22 tations.
Fourth Step Workshop Dec 5, 2015
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