Becoming Willing

(c) 2010 Joan M. Newcomb

Many people have heard of the Twelve Steps, but many don't know that they've a mystical basis.  Bill Wilson, who started Alcoholics Anonymous, belonged to The Oxford Group, which had it's foundation in Christian Mysticism.  Bill took their 6 fundamental Steps and made them into 12 Steps, so that there weren't any loopholes that an alcoholic could slip through!

The 'bridge steps' he inserted were the ones with gentle suggestions 'came to believe' and 'became willing'.  Others are more definite: 'made a decision', 'made a list', 'made direct amends'.  It's all about easing yourself into action.

Becoming Willing is a wonderful way to ease yourself through transformation.  It's what you can do when you know you need to make a change but don't feel ready yet to do it.

I consider it the baby step between quantum leaps.

Say you have a difficult transition coming up, if you know you'll eventually have to decide or take action on something but currently don't want to do it.  All you have to do in the present moment is become willing.  It's a way of slowly turning yourself in the right direction.

It's amazing how quickly and easily change can happen after becoming willing.  It goes hand in hand with acceptance.  You finally stop resisting your own growth and expansion, and accept this is the way the energy is flowing.

This isn't the same as stepping out of prevalent energy trends, such as not matching the group consciousness of Unemployment and The Economy - in those circumstances you don't need to accept the way *that* energy is flowing!  But you do need to become willing to have a different experience than your peers!

Becoming willing is for when you feel stuck and unable to take action.  Your comfort zone is uncomfortable, but you don't want to feel the discomfort making necessary changes!  Or you're in a rut but don't know how to get out of it.

Becoming willing opens the doors to new possibilities.  Becoming willing turns your thoughts to new directions.  Becoming willing shows solutions you hadn't previously thought of.

So notice if there's any area of your life where you know needs to be different.  Let yourself become willing to change.  That's all you have to do this week.  And see what happens!