FOCUSING AND LISTENING
There is a direct linkage among self-examination, meditation, and prayer. Taken
separately, these practices can bring much relief and benefit.
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 98
If I do my self-examination first, then surely, I’ll have enough humility to pray and
meditate – because I’ll see and feel my need for them. Some wish to begin and end with
prayer, leaving the self-examination and meditation to take place in between, whereas
others start with meditation, listening for advice from God about their still hidden or
unacknowledged defects. Still others engage in written and verbal work on their defects,
ending with a prayer of praise and thanksgiving. These three–self-
meditation and prayer– form a circle, without a beginning or an end. No matter where, or
how, I start, I eventually arrive at my destination: a better life.