God gave us instincts for a purpose. Without a desire to be secure, harvest food, construct shelter, reproduce and be social the human race would die out. These instincts are necessary for our existence of course. But so often they far exceed their proper function. We allow them to bind us and dominate us and drive our lives. Our misguided instincts drive us to selfishness, dishonesty, self-pity, manipulation and fear. Oftentimes resentments and fear are based on instincts gone awry. Taking personal inventory in step 4 and in step 10 and confession can help us better understand our shortcomings. At this point we can own and take responsibility for our own feelings. This is freedom to me because I am ultimately responsible for how I process my own emotions. “Something or someone can not make me feel a certain way. Only I can allow myself to feel a certain way.”