I used a phrase in a meeting the other day and, to my utter surprise, the team members I was with had never heard it before. It goes like this: “Nobody ever falls off the middle of the wagon.” In other words, make sure that you are solidly entrenched in the community–solidly in the middle of the pack, not dangling off the edge in danger of falling off.

When someone joins Alcoholics Anonymous, they are encouraged to do certain things to get engaged as quickly and deeply as possible, such as attending 90 meetings in 90 days, getting a sponsor, getting a service commitment, etc. 

We have the equivalent in Bright Line Eating. We say, “Come all the way in and sit all the way down.” There are so many opportunities in the Bright Line Eating Boot Camp to get engaged. You can get a buddy (or three!), you can be of service to others in the online support community, and you can make sure you’re completing the worksheets in the weekly modules regularly. 

In Bright Lifers (the membership program that follows Boot Camp 2.0), you can get even further engaged. There are opportunities to attend the daily Accountability Calls, join the Gideon Games, be a Guide, or find a Guide. There are so many ways to get involved and ensure that you are in the “middle of the wagon.”

This makes a great mantra. It’s a calming, supportive, action-oriented mantra. Something you can use when cravings hit or life gets stressful. It reminds you to reach out, be involved, and get connected. 

Also, when you’re at junctures in your journey, whenever you’re deciding whether to further or deepen your journey in a new way that might seem daunting or scary, you can remind yourself to stay in the middle of the proverbial wagon.