Step 10 of the 12 steps

I live mindfully, paying attention to the motives and effects of my actions.

Original wording (AA):
Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.

An inner moral compass

Step Ten means staying conscious, aware of what you do in your life. Conscious, aware�?as opposed to living in a cloud of denial. Taking responsibility for your actions.

Step Ten is the compass that has you ask: Did this move help me move toward where I want to go?

Or, to put it into a more colorful way: How can you expect to soar with eagles if you keep behaving like a turkey?

Ultimately, Step Ten is about keeping in mind who you are and what you want out of life. Admitting being wrong is not about staying in a childlike role - the bad little kid who gets punished for being wrong. It's about noticing where you went off course, and gently putting yourself back on the right track.

This is a good time to revisit earlier steps, about being defensive, about shoulds...

This is a process. You have to keep working at it, because your habits are solidly ingrained. Going through this process is not a one-time thing that you do, and then it’s over.

This process is about learning a different way of dealing with life.

As you life goes on, you’ll keep facing the reality of what you do and who you are, and how you want to deal with that.