Steps 9, 10, 11 and 12 – O, CO., Step Workshop in West Virginia 2002 – Part 2 of 2 – 2002 – Bob

About This Speaker Tape

Bob O., CO., Step Workshop in West Virginia 2002 - 2002

A 240-pound former Chicago bill collector and 'psychopath' who once banged debtors against walls now advocates for a life of rigorous book-based action. Bob B. dismantles the ego-driven sponsor who directs a sponsee's life insisting that sponsors are merely guides and dependence belongs solely to a Higher Power. He details the grit of the eighth and ninth steps warning against 'overbalancing the books' or bowing and scraping and shares a story of a sponsee who faced potential prison time after faking a construction accident. Bob's current life is a blend of business and service working with inmates in a field he once resisted until his Higher Power 'wrenched' the opportunity from his fingers. He pushes for a life of adventure and risk arguing that the only way to trust a Higher Power is to put oneself in a position of risk and let the Higher Power pull you out.

Topics

Timestamps

• 0:00 Bob opens with a modified Third Step Prayer.
• 2:15 Discussion on the dangers of sponsors who operate out of ego.
• 6:40 Bob's strict adherence to the Big Book: 'If it isn't in the big book, I don't want to do it.'
• 10:15 Step 9: The concept of 'balancing the books' without bowing or scraping.
• 13:45 Story of a sponsee who faked a construction accident and the resulting amend.
• 18:20 Bob's history as a 240-pound bill collector in Chicago.
• 22:10 The difference between intuitive thought and impulsive thought.
• 26:30 Bob describes how his Higher Power 'wrenched' his career into working with inmates.
• 31:10 Step 10: The process of 'tenth-stepping' for clarity and perspective.
• 36:45 Step 11: The discipline of the nightly review and morning planning.
• 41:20 Step 12: Bob's specific 'deal' and boundaries for sponsoring newcomers.