The Power of Simplicity and Truth – Tom F.

About This Speaker Tape

Tom F. maps out a life of high-stakes wreckage and sudden collapses moving from the executive suite of a mid-Atlantic company to sleeping under a bridge near Fort McHenry. He describes his drinking as an 'answer' that gave him a synthetic sense of superiority allowing him to lie about his income and love life with mathematical consistency.

After a stint in a psychiatric ward where a 6'3" nurse told him he was 'nutsy,' Tom F. found a direct no-nonsense sponsor in Wally. He dismantles the idea of 'doing the next right thing' as a vague goal arguing instead for a singleness of purpose: being of maximum service to a Higher Power and others.

He eventually walked away from a lucrative career at 57 to start a new business based on the power of attraction and spiritual principles rather than corporate prestige.

Topics

Timestamps

• 0:45 Tom F. explains the physical difference in how alcohol affects him versus a non-alcoholic.
• 4:10 Laughter: Tom F. discusses 'intellectual seizures' and his attempt to preach Oxford Group principles.
• 7:30 Tom F. describes his time in blue-collar bars in South Baltimore and his use of poetry to impress girls.
• 11:15 Tom F. details the 'direct hits' of his life: divorce and losing his career.
• 15:40 Tom F. describes his rock bottom: sleeping under a bridge facing Fort McHenry.
• 18:20 Laughter: The encounter with the nurse in the psychiatric ward and the 'deflation of ego'.
• 23:10 Tom F. discusses the measure of guilt and shame regarding broken promises to people and his Higher Power.
• 27:45 Tom F. describes his first meeting and his reaction to a 'sober but not recovering' alcoholic.
• 31:20 Mention of the 12 Steps: Tom F.'s experience working the steps quickly with his sponsor, Wally.
• 35:10 Mention of Step 4: The process of 'de-uniquing' and identifying resentments.
• 38:45 Tom F. discusses the difference between forgiving and forgetting.
• 43:10 Mention of Step 12: Tom F.'s views on the primary purpose of recovery and singleness of purpose.