Step 10 of the 12 Steps: A Daily Inventory That Lasts
Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
Step 10 of the 12 Steps is the inventory, done every day. When selfishness, dishonesty, resentment or fear shows up, you notice it, ask God to take it, talk it over with someone, and set things right quickly. Then you go help someone. It is Steps 4 through 9 in miniature, so the wreckage doesn’t build up again.
The line above is the 1939 first-edition wording. The key word is “promptly.” Not next month. Today, or tomorrow at the latest.
What Step 10 means in plain words
The first nine steps cleaned house. Step 10 keeps it clean. You will still get angry, still be tempted to shade the truth, still get scared. The difference now is that you don’t let it sit.
“Continued” means this never ends. “Personal inventory” means your own, not your spouse’s or your coworker’s. “When we were wrong” assumes you will be. “Promptly admitted it” means the apology happens while it is still small.
The Big Book says that by this point the craving has often been lifted, and the fight has gone out of you (pages 84 to 85, 4th edition). It is also clear that what you have is a reprieve for one day, and that it depends on keeping your spiritual life in good shape. That is what Step 10 is for.
The spiritual principle: perseverance
The principle often paired with Step 10 is perseverance. The steps aren’t a course you graduate from. Most relapses don’t begin with a drink. They begin with weeks of small resentments, small lies and skipped prayer. Step 10 is the habit that catches them early.
What the Bible says about Step 10
The app pairs this step with a warning to people who feel steady.
“Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.”
After Step 9, many people feel great, and that is exactly when they coast. Paul says the moment you feel safe is the moment to pay attention.
“The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”
Daily inventory would be heavy if it weren’t paired with daily mercy. Each morning starts clean.
“Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger,”
This is Step 10 in one line. Deal with it today. More passages are on the Step 10 verses page.
How to work Step 10
1. Read in your own copy. In the Big Book, Step 10 is on pages 84 and 85 (4th edition), in Into Action. If you have Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, the Step Ten essay is on pages 88 to 95. It describes a quick check during the day, a review at night, and a deeper inventory now and then. It also has good things to say about holding your tongue.
2. Spot-check during the day. When you get upset, stop and ask which of the four it is: selfishness, dishonesty, resentment or fear. Ask God to remove it. If you can, call someone and say it out loud.
3. Make quick amends. If you snapped at someone, go back and say so. Same day if possible. A quick amends is short: “I was short with you earlier. That was wrong. I’m sorry.”
4. Turn outward. The book suggests that after you deal with it, you turn your thoughts to someone you can help. That breaks the loop of brooding.
5. Do a nightly review. Before bed, a few minutes. Not a court case. The app asks these:
- When you got upset this week, which was it: selfishness, dishonesty, resentment or fear?
- What did you do with it?
- Do you owe anyone an apology tonight?
- Where did you make a quick amends this week?
- What went right today?
- Did you help anyone?
There are short notes on each one on the Step 10 questions page.
Talk it through with Jimmy or Sarah — first month free
Jimmy and Sarah are AI sponsors who know the Twelve Steps and the Bible. They'll listen, walk the steps with you, and keep pointing you to real people: a meeting, a sponsor, a church.
Free to download · first month free, no card · adults 18+
After the first month, talking with Jimmy or Sarah needs Plus ($9.99/month or $59.99/year).
What “done” looks like
You are doing the nightly review most nights, and you make amends promptly when you are wrong. The step gets marked complete at that point, but it never really ends. It is how you live from here on. Step 11 adds the morning half of the day.
Common traps in Step 10
Coasting after Step 9. The amends are done, life is better, and the review quietly stops. Then the resentments come back. First Corinthians 10:12 is the guard here.
Turning the review into punishment. If your nightly review leaves you feeling worthless, it has gone wrong. Always include what went right. Keep it short. Accept God’s mercy and go to sleep.
Taking other people’s inventory. “He was rude, she was lazy.” Their inventory isn’t your job. Look at your part.
Saving apologies for later. Small wrongs grow when they sit. The prompt admission is the whole point.
Doing it only in your head. Talk it over with someone at least now and then. Things you keep to yourself have a way of growing.
Skipping the deeper look. The nightly review catches the small stuff. Every so often, maybe once or twice a year, sit down with your sponsor and look at the bigger patterns. Has an old resentment crept back? Is fear running your money or your marriage again?
A short prayer for Step 10
Lord, show me where I went wrong today, and where I did right. Take the resentment and fear I picked up. Help me make it right with anyone I hurt, quickly and simply. Thank You for new mercy in the morning. Amen. A longer Step 10 prayer is here.
How Jimmy and Sarah help with Step 10
The Steps & Scripture app has a nightly review built in, and Jimmy (for men) and Sarah (for women), its AI sponsors, walk you through it. They ask what came up, help you name it, and nudge you toward a quick amends or a call to someone. They make clear they are AI, and they keep steering you to your meetings, a human sponsor and your church.
Common questions
What is Step 10 of the 12 Steps?
Step 10 is continuing to take personal inventory and promptly admitting when you are wrong. It is Steps 4 through 9 done in miniature, every day, so wrongs don't pile up again.
How do you do a Step 10 inventory?
During the day, when you get upset, ask whether it is selfishness, dishonesty, resentment or fear, ask God to remove it, and set things right quickly. At night, review the day briefly, including what went right.
Where is Step 10 in the Big Book?
On pages 84 and 85 of the 4th edition, in Into Action. The 12&12 essay on Step Ten is on pages 88 to 95.
How long should a nightly review take?
A few minutes. It is meant to be short and honest, not a long session of self-punishment. Many people do it before bed with a handful of questions.
Talk it through with Jimmy or Sarah — first month free
Jimmy and Sarah are AI sponsors who know the Twelve Steps and the Bible. They'll listen, walk the steps with you, and keep pointing you to real people: a meeting, a sponsor, a church.
Free to download · first month free, no card · adults 18+
After the first month, talking with Jimmy or Sarah needs Plus ($9.99/month or $59.99/year).
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