One of my early sponsors, 3 Finger Freddie, used to wave his stubs under my nose and say “Utilize, not analyze, Red.” At first I didn’t appreciate his putting his hand in my face but he was working such a great program. One that I wanted very much. So, I asked him what he meant and he told me that I was trying to figure the AA Program out. He went on to say that, if I could figure it out, I could control it. He then asked how well my control of things had been working for me, before. I quickly realized that my life was truly unmanageable and I was having trouble controling anything.
3 Finger Freddie, Big Bud, The Professor and the rest of approximately half dozen men who had put me in a chair, told me to shut up and listen and that they were going to be my sponsors, SHOWED me a new way of life that I never dreamed existed in real life. These sponsors had been some of the baddest dudes in Detroit and now were ready, able, and willing to show me a kind of love that I also never knew existed.
Freddie asked me what good it did me to figure out why I did what I did when I was drinking in the madness. What difference would it make whether I figured out the mysteries of the “whys?” He told me that “just ’cause” was good enough for now. Those were all acts that happened in the past. The only real time was NOW! If I continually take care of my nows, the pasts will not haunt me and the tomorrows will not paralyze me. When everything is in the now, we can CHOOSE how to utilize them as they are happening. This is because we now actually have choices.
Since I now have choices, when I choose to just do the next right thing, I have no need or even desire to analyze any whys! All I should do to keep my tomorrows and yesterdays untroubled is to utilize the shortened version of the 3rd Step, simply saying “God help me” at every crossroad in life, and then letting Him. When all of my nows are handled in this way, the tomorrows and yesterdays become matters not to be problems. This is what Freddie meant about “Utilize, not analyze.” So simple but also so different than what had “always” been done.
Was doing this accomplished instantly? Get serious! Of course not. But my first attempts quickly became successes. I needed the tough love that was openly displayed by these ornery cusses. Deep inside, I must have realized this. If they said do something, I did it. Say something, I said it. Think something, I thought it. Soon, I was doing these things as if they were original from me. I finally realized that I didn’t have to figure everything out. I could actually step back and not feel defeated.
So, to quickly respond to the topic of how to utilized not analyze, just breathe. Step back and say “God help me.” Then step back and let Him. Starts out simple and with practice, becomes easier every time. It now works for me! God bless you!
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