Step Three between self-will and inventory
A decision expressed in prayer—and tested by what follows
The movement begins on page 60 with the Third Step decision, examines self-direction across pages 60–62, and gives the prayer on page 63. The chapter then turns immediately toward Step Four inventory. The prayer voices a new direction; the next action begins to make that direction concrete.
“We were now at Step Three.”
Alcoholics Anonymous, Chapter Five, page 63 opens in a new tab
From the Third Step decision to Step Four inventory
Decision · self-will · prayer · actionThe decision is stated
The chapter introduces Step Three and asks what turning will and life over means beyond the words themselves.
The Third Step official wording; opens in a new tabSelf-will is examined
The actor metaphor, repeated collision, fear, self-seeking, and self-pity describe the pattern the prayer addresses.
Listen to Chapter Five opens in a new tabThe decision finds a voice
The prayer asks for release from self-centered direction and for a life ordered toward usefulness. The text then considers readiness, companionship, and freedom in wording.
Read page 63 in full opens in a new tabThe decision enters action
The book calls the prayer a beginning and moves directly into personal inventory, the first part of the “vigorous action” that follows.
Read or listen to the Big Book opens in a new tabWhat page 63 says before and after the prayer
Direction · readiness · companionship · actionFrom self-direction toward contribution
The page begins with the results the book associates with the new footing: less absorption in personal plans, greater interest in contributing to life, less fear, and increasing consciousness of a Higher Power.
The decision is spoken
The prayer asks for release from the bondage of self, for usefulness to others, and for life to be directed by divine will. Each request answers the self-will problem developed across the preceding pages.
The complete prayer in Chapter Five page 63; opens in a new tabThe decision is considered carefully
The text describes pausing to make sure the person is ready. The words are therefore presented as the expression of a considered decision rather than as an isolated recitation.
An understanding person may share the moment
Many members found it desirable to take the Step with an understanding person. The chapter names several possibilities while recognizing that privacy may be preferable to misunderstanding.
The same idea may be expressed in other words
The book describes its wording as optional when the person expresses the same idea without reservation. The essential element is the decision being made, not verbal uniformity.
The prayer opens into housecleaning
The next sentence calls this only a beginning. Page 64 says the decision has little permanent effect unless followed at once by effort, then introduces the inventory of Step Four.
Continue into Step Four Chapter Five text and audio; opens in a new tabThe companion Step Three essay
Twelve and Twelve · pages 34–41A fuller meditation on willingness
8pages
The Step Three essay explores the inner work behind the decision: willingness, dependence, the proper use of will, and the action that continues through the remaining Steps.
Read the Step Three essay PDF; opens in a new tabHow the essay deepens the Step
Willingness opens the door
The key-and-door image shows how even a small beginning of willingness can create a practical opening.
Dependence is reconsidered
The essay distinguishes reliance on A.A. or a Higher Power from forms of dependence that obstruct adult responsibility.
Will is redirected rather than abandoned
The remaining Steps require sustained personal effort. Surrender is not presented as passivity or the end of responsible choice.
Prayer returns during disturbance
The essay closes by bringing the principle into moments of indecision or emotional strain, alongside the Serenity Prayer and “Thy will, not mine.”
Follow the Third Step through both books
Prayer · context · willingness · action| Question | Reading | Pages | What it explores |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where does the prayer appear? | Alcoholics Anonymous, Chapter Five | 63 | The words that express the Third Step decision. |
| What leads into it? | Alcoholics Anonymous, Chapter Five | 60–63 | The actor, self-will, fear, contribution, and the meaning of the decision. |
| What follows it? | Alcoholics Anonymous, Chapter Five | 63–64 | Readiness, freedom in wording, and the immediate beginning of inventory. |
| How is willingness developed? | Twelve and Twelve, Step Three | 34–41 | The door, dependence, will, prayer, and continuing action. |
| Where can it be heard? | AA.org book pages | Chapter and Step access | Official text, audio, and available ASL formats. |
Continue the reading
The prayer belongs between decision and inventory
Chapter Five shows the problem the prayer answers and the action that follows. The Step Three essay then develops willingness and the continuing use of will across the program.