“In my experience”. What a transforming way to communicate and begin dialogue. Those three words have changed my whole way of speaking and view on life and how I talk and share about it. AA taught me this wonderful gift of only sharing through “my experience”. Not what I think,  or guess, but just what I know through real times and events in my life. Never again do I need to tell someone what I think they should do but instead offer guidance from what I have learned by what I have gone through. If I have no experience in a topic asked upon me, my answer can be as simple as “I’m not sure”, “I have never been through that”. But then the next part is even better. After I have now said “I don’t know”, it can be followed with “I can find someone who does and has been through that and we can see what they have to say.” Speaking in only truths. You have been through it or something similar or you haven’t. It’s amazing. I don’t just talk like that in meetings or with my sponsor but in every situation now. I never knew something so small could make such a big impact on my life and how I felt speaking. I lived a life before when all I did was give my worthless opinions out constantly. Nobody ever asked for them but I sure believed everyone should know what I thought. You know, genius boy over here. Thank God I don’t feel that way anymore. Just those three little words made all the difference. When I got sober I didn’t want to lie anymore and by starting my thoughts and sentences with  “in my experience” my words will only be true.