Let’s learn about the 12 Principles (Honesty, Hope, Faith, Courage, Integrity, Willingness, Humility, Brotherly Love, Justice, Perseverance, Spirituality, and Service).

Years ago I helped start a Principles Meeting. At the end of the meeting, after discussing how well we did on practicing last week’s principle, someone would draw from a basket the principle we would be working on for the next week.

Let us see what the dictionary says about their meaning:

Honesty: Trustworthy, integrity, honor, morality, and truth.

Hope: Aspiration, desire, wish, expectation, ambition, aim, goal, plan, or dream.

Faith: Complete trust or confidence in someone or something. Trust, belief, confidence, conviction; optimism, hopefulness, or hope.

Courage: The quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc., without fear.

Integrity: The quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness. Honesty, probity, honor, good character, ethics, righteousness, decency, fairness, sincerity, truthfulness, or trustworthiness 

Willingness: The quality or state of being prepared to do something without knowing the results.

Humility: The quality or knowing it’s not all about me. Not taking credit when it’s not earned. Realizing that God has all the power and is given credit.

Brotherly Love: Accepting each person as being exactly who they are and loving them anyway. Forgiving any transgressions without expectations.

Justice: God’s plan in action while accepting the outcome of any situation as being that.

Perseverance: Steadfastness in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success. Persistence, or determination.

Spirituality: The quality of being concerned with the human spirit or soul as opposed to material or physical things.

Service: The action of helping or doing work for someone without asking for something in return.

Each one of these principles has its own special meaning and effects on my personality. If I could only do it 100% of the time, what a life I could have. The formula is already laid out; I just need to follow it.

There is no reason to wait for someone to start a Principles Meeting in your area. You can make your own basket with each principal, on paper, and draw one at the beginning of each week. During the next week, make an effort to put the principle into effect the best you can. By the end of week twelve, I believe you will be very pleased with how your life has changed. I know I was.