NBA coach Kevin Eastman has been around dozens of great basketball players, up close. He was asked what made the difference between really good players and exceptional players.
“Exceptional players,” said Coach Eastman, “do the things that are unrequired.”
He explained that most players live for the praise of their teammates and coaches. They practice when required. They work out when required. They attend meetings when required. But the players in the Hall of Fame all do more than that. They put in unrequired practice, unrequired shooting drills, and unrequired study.
Could it be that the #1 cause of relapse is that we are simply doing what is required to stay sober? I mean, the bare minimum? We do what is asked of us and expected of us, but no more.
The men and women I know who have achieved exceptional sobriety all did the unrequired – extra therapy, extra Step work, extra calls, extra reading, extra meetings.
Recovery Step: The key to life, Jesus said, was to give up your life (Matthew 10:39). That means going all in. That means doing more than is expected. In recovery, that means doing the unrequired.
