Moral Inventories

A robust business excellence methodology is found in Six Sigma. This methodology seeks to improve processes using structured methods and analyses. The primary methodology of Six Sigma is the DMAIC (D-MAY-IC) process. This process provides an outline that any practitioner can use to improve a process.

The ‘D’ in DMAIC stands for Define step. In the ‘Define’ step, the practitioner identifies the exact problem that needs to be addressed, the current state of the process, and what the future state of the process looks like. This work provides the foundation for which a new, more efficient process to be developed.

The moral inventory found in step 4 of the recovery process is similar to the ‘Define’ process. The moral inventory provides the opportunity to truly review the past. This requires the addict to review their life, the bad and the good. Reviewing past sins and successes enables the addict to learn and understand what actions and drivers have shaped their life.

There are some key components to moral inventories. First and foremost, they must be honest. There is no sense in doing a moral inventory if there isn’t pure honesty. I remember doing my moral inventory and initially struggling with this. I struggled to write out the big sins I had committed. I was ashamed and it hurt to see what my past actions looked like. What I found was being honest led to peace. There is an amazing peace that comes with being honest. Being honest truly shows the Lord there is a desire to change for the better.

Next, apply grace. Yes, all have sinned and all have made mistakes. Self-deprecation doesn’t lead to success, in fact, it leads to darkness and more relapses. Something I had to remember was the moral inventory is establishing where I am right now. It is not meant to be a highlight reel of my sins and weaknesses - it’s quite the opposite. The moral inventory is meant to highlight strengths that I needed to develop to come unto Christ. So, I learned that I needed to apply some grace to myself during this process.

Third, be patient. Moral inventories come in all shapes and sizes. My moral inventory spanned more than twenty years of my life. It took several months to get everything on paper and really think through what drove my actions. There were days that I wanted to consider my moral inventory completed, but I felt in my heart that it wasn’t. I had to continue working. I learned the Lord was very interested in my moral inventory and I had to be patient in the process. It would be done in the Lord’s time and not mine.

Fourth, make sure to record the good things too! This was something I missed the first time I wrote a moral inventory. I found when I didn’t look for the good, I was so focused on the negative that I truly began to think I was a bad person. It wasn’t until my sponsor suggested I looked at the positive that I began to see I had done good things that I can be proud of. So, make sure to record the good things too!

Finally, moral inventories cannot be completed without the help of Jesus Christ. I learned very quickly that I needed the Savior’s strength to keep me safe, keep my mind open, and learn from my past. The first few times I tried to do it on my own, I immediately found myself fighting demons that I could not fight. Only Jesus Christ has the power to fight those demons and he wants to fight those demons for us - we just have to ask for his help.

The moral inventory is an amazing process! It helps establish where strengths are and where we can make strengths. In the Book of Mormon, the Savior teaches, “And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.” (Ether 12:27) The moral inventory is a way for us to come to Christ and humble ourselves before him.