MEASURE TWICE & CUT ONCE
In Financial UA and in all 12 Step Recovery programs, we learn how to take inventory of ourselves. We inventory our Resentments. We inventory our Financial Assets and Debts. We inventory our Character Defects. We inventory our Amends. We write an inventory of our Visions & Goals.
As we progress through the recovery process we have permission to begin visualizing what we want our life to look like. Often many members decide they want a job, career, vehicle, house, spouse, etc... It is completely within the realm of possibilities that anybody can have the burning desires of their heart. Sometimes, people seek out what is not a true, compatible fit. Sometimes people chase things that are a mirror of their character defects instead of entering partnerships with things that reflect their character assets..
We suggest that once you are ready to focus on the Visions or Goals you desire, you use the Spiritual Technique of Measure Twice & Cut Once. What this technique refers to is a strategy where you identify your objective, then you write TWO different inventories. The first inventory describes all the appealing qualities you want in the thing you desire. This inventory tends to focus on the surface--how it (or he / she) looks, how fast it is, how much it costs, what color it is, where it is located, how many square feet it takes up or how many bedrooms it has.
Most recovering addicts / alcoholics / debtors / financial underearners stop after writing this inventory. Frequently people get what they want only to find that the reality of the thing is not so satisfying: the paradise they dreamed of becomes their prison; the flashy new toy keeps breaking down; the superficially attractive partner becomes a continual source of persoality conflicts and power struggles; the home becomes an unmanageable financial burden; the flashy job becomes a source of stress and unsustainable expectations.
We find it's easier to preempt these types of problems rather than resorting to damage control after the fact. One way to head off these reversals is to do a second inventory. This inventory is a list of what you want the thing you desire to TEACH you; how you want to GROW and MATURE as a result of entering into a partnership with him / her or it. By identifying the deeper and more meaningful qualities for which you are searching, the better you can invite your Higher Power and Earning Power to help select a good fit that is congruent with your spiritual character--specifically that the object of your desire has the quality to inspire and motivate you to become your best, healthiest, wisest and most prosperous self. As part of your second inventory you may invite your Higher Power and Earning Power to be the "third party" within your partnership. By including this Greater Power, it can act as a spiritual buffer or referee, helping to create and hold the space and keep it healthy. Within that space you can enjoy the object of your desire with much more sanity and serenity. When members finally are introduced to what fulfills their second inventory, they find themselves much happier and more fulfilled. Additionally, these types of partnerships tend to be highly sustainable and capable of enduring short-term life challenges...and from the perspective of Higher Power, all life challenges are short-term.