“Happiness is not a goal…it’s a by-product of a life well lived.”
– Eleanor Roosevelt
I remember early in my sobriety I tried to force the 9th Step Promises to come true. No matter how much I willed them into my life they always eluded me. Then I stopped focusing on them and started focusing on the spiritual principals I learned by working the 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous. Similar to Eleanor Roosevelt’s quote, the Promises are not the goal. They are the by-product of working the Steps and living a spiritual life. They don’t need to be willed into your life. They find you when you stop looking for them and start living AA’s spiritual program of recovery.