My first Sponsor used to tell me, "always keep the focus on yourself and your recovery as first priority in NA". I still practice this to come out of my tendency to look at others and what's wrong with their lives, find faults, express my displeasure and what I think they should do or must do instead... that I-know-how-to-fix-your-life attitude that subtly blinds me to everything that's wrong in my life by keeping me busy into fixing others' lives.

There is a very thin line between compassion and codepedency, and only the application of the steps enables me to identify that line and keep the balance... Just like the JFT meditation above says, I don't like others imposing on me, picking up my faults when they were not asked to, or someone taking my inventory, judging me etc. So why would I want to do the same to others? Do I think it's ok that I can do that to others but they can't do that to me? What's so special about me?

When I work on my personal recovery and try to practice the principles of this program in my daily life to the best of my ability, that's the best way that I give back. Many a times, I don't even have to carry the message literally in such instances. The mere fact of living the program is a message carried, clearly visible to others...

One of the spiritual masters I know of expressed something in this context, "I can best serve others when I serve my spirit."