Anthony E – Which of our shortcomings have we seen removed?Anthony E – Which of our shortcomings have we seen removed?
SoberQ
Anthony E reflects on how step seven of AA helps him handle ongoing shortcomings like ego and resentment through daily prayer, meditation and service. He shares how identifying his defects and committing to usefulness supports his continued sobriety.
2:59•15 Mar 2026
Anthony E on Shortcomings, Step Seven and Being Useful in Sobriety
Episode Overview
- Shortcomings such as fear, self-seeking, defensiveness, self-pity, resentment, dishonesty and anger are highlighted as common issues in recovery.
- Shortcomings are not removed permanently; a daily practice of prayer and meditation helps keep them in check.
- Losing conscious contact with a higher power can quickly lead back to ego, anger, resentment and self-pity.
- The seventh step prayer is framed around becoming more useful to a higher power and to others, summed up as "Be good, be useful."
- Working through the fourth and fifth steps helped Anthony commit fully to sobriety and focus on being of service to maintain his new life.
“"Our shortcomings aren't removed permanently. It's a daily practice of prayer and meditation that helps me start each day with my shortcomings tied up in a sack in the back of my mind."”
What drives someone to seek a life without alcohol? Anthony E steps up to share, in his own honest way, how step seven of the AA programme shows up in everyday sobriety. Speaking openly as "Anthony and I'm an alcoholic", he talks through the classic list of "shortcomings and defects" you’ll spot in AA literature: fear, self-seeking, defensiveness, self-pity, resentment, dishonesty and anger. He doesn’t keep it abstract though.
Anthony owns how these show up in real life as ego, self-importance, procrastination and perfectionism – even in something as simple as delaying this very recording because he wanted to "get this right" and "impress you". You’ll hear a very down-to-earth explanation of why shortcomings aren’t zapped away forever. Anthony describes his daily practice of prayer and meditation as a way of keeping his defects "tied up in a sack in the back of my mind".
When he drifts away from that conscious contact with his higher power, the rope loosens, and the old ego, anger and self-pity can spill out in a heartbeat. A key focus is the wording of the seventh step prayer.
Anthony loves the line that reminds him he doesn’t have to cling to these defects, and the next line that centres his life around usefulness: "I pray you remove from me every single defect of character that stands in the way of my usefulness to you and my fellows." For him, the message is simple: "Be good, be useful." By the time he’d completed the fourth and fifth steps, he says he was "all in on this sobriety thing".
AA had saved his life, and being of service became his way of holding on to that new life. If you’re curious about how character defects, daily practice and service fit together in recovery, this episode gives a clear, relatable snapshot that might get you reflecting on your own "sack" of shortcomings. So, which of your own shortcomings are you ready to see tied up for today?
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