The Third Step Take inventory of your possessions! Begin prayerfully using the prayer on the right, and use the Inventory Worksheet offered below. |
| For group use when teaching this step to others Invite members of your group to share their Inventory sheets in group process. Don't read them aloud, but invite group members to share what insights they may have gained from this exercise. After the sharing time in your group is ended, invite members to re-visit their Core Priorities statement and line it up with this Inventory. Again, invite anyone to share insights who has them. The purpose of this exercise is not to render judgment on anyone, but to help everyone see more clearly into what often becomes invisible in life: "our stuff." |
| Prayer to assist you with this step Click here to print this or use it on your screen. Open your heart and prepare to take this step. |
| Tell us your story! What commitments have you made? What difficulties have you faced? What has worked for you as you chose to live more simply? How have you adjusted your lifestyle to one that is more sustainable? In what ways have you grown to be in solidarity with the poor of the world? Click here to send us a note and we'll share your story with others. To send us a video, song, pictures, poetry, or other media, simply attach it to an e-mail and send it to this address. |
| See a list of all 14 steps Step One: Step Two: You're on step three Step Four: Step Five: Step Six: Step Seven: Step Eight: Step Nine: Step Ten: Step Eleven: Step Twelve: Step Thirteen: Step Fourteen: |
| Step Three: Become aware of all that you currently have. Even if you believe that you don't currently have enough of the things of life, it's still important for you to be conscious of what you do indeed possess. So, in order to become more conscious, this step involves you wandering around your home (or homes if you have more than one) (or home and business if you where you live). Wander around with a note pad and the Inventory sheet which you can download here. Fill in this Inventory sheet carefully and |
| honestly. Don't skip things that you deem non-essential. You may have to look in your cupboards and closets, under your beds and in your attic, in your storage locker or basement. Be as complete as you can be. Once you have done this, lay it aside for a day or two, then pick it back up and simply read through it from top to bottom. What strikes you? What do you notice about what you own? How many check marks did you place in the column furthest to the right? |
| On the Side... People sometimes say, "This Inventory is impossible. We own too much to list it all!" If you're one of those, then this Inventory exercise will be especially helpful for you. Become mindful of all that you own. It will be a real grace for you. |
| Two powerful resources Click on the cover to buy the book. A New Look at Prayer: Learning to Listen to Your Inner Guide by Bill Huebsch This carefully written e-book helps you recognize your own inner voice which leads to "right living." Driving the Speed Limit: Learning to Live Simply, Sustainably, and in Solidarity with the Poor by Bill Huebsch This e-book provides you with a road map (almost literally) to help you make choices which are both satisfying and in support of the common human good. |
| Key Links Just Faith A site which supports a parish program to teach in depth about just living. Catholic Relief Services A powerful agent of change in the world, also leading the US implementation of this movement. Common Hope A non-profit agency working to end poverty in the third world by establishing there a middle class. |
