I help my sponsor when I ask for help.

When we first hear that sponsors are helped even more than sponsees when help is sought, we don’t believe it. Sponsors run good programs, or we wouldn’t have asked them to sponsor us. What we don’t understand until that time when someone seeks us out is that our program stays fresh only if we give it away to other people. This means that the more we share our own experiences, strengths, and hopes, the healthier we become.

Our growth is up to us. We will continue getting healthier and happier as long as we stay committed to sharing the program message. But we will have occasional “slips,” times when we fail to use the tools we thought we had mastered. Sponsorship comes in very handy then. Telling a sponsee what has worked for us helps us see how we have let the tool slip from our hands and allows us to rediscover it for ourselves.

The circle of help—from sponsor to sponsee to sponsor again—ensures the continued well-being of us all. None of us can maintain a healthy life in isolation.

Knowing I may help my sponsor if I ask for help today makes it easier to ask. I will be willing to fulfill my part of the circle.