Elsewhere we have looked at the nature of our Step 10 practice. It's clear from the AA Big Book that the practice of Step 10 is to be constant; the word "continue" or variations of it occur several times in a brief section of text.

The same emphasis on the constancy of practice appears in the description of Step 11 as well. Although the part that we tend to remember is the recommendation that we review our day in the evening and the morning, there are also suggestions that we continue the practice during the day, pausing when agitated, seeking for intuition and inspiration when it is unclear what we should do.

This Step 11 practice takes place against a background of clearing our minds of self-serving or selfish motives. Instead, our focus is on God's will, not ours. Once our selfish desires are out of the picture, the Big Book suggests, we are free to use our brains -- but only on the basis of the primacy of God's will.

When we consider that Step 12 recommends the practice of these principles in all our affairs, it becomes clear that the sincere working of the last three Steps is something that requires a great deal of time and attention. These are not Steps that will somehow magically work themselves. They are in fact extremely demanding -- which may explain the reluctance so many of us feel to give them the effort, energy and concentration they require.