Step 6

Having identified our character defects in Step Four, and having shared them with God, ourselves, and another human being in Step Five, we become ready for God to remove them in Step Six.

Accepting our defects with humility allows our healing to begin, and honesty with our Higher Power and ourselves plays a major role in becoming entirely ready. “Entirely” means completeness, which means letting go of trying to control our defects. We are asked to be entirely ready as we work our program, writing, sharing, meditating, and asking for knowledge of our Higher Power’s will in our lives. Continuing to be entirely ready becomes a way of life, not a one-time event.

Defects can be seen as behaviors and beliefs that stand in our way. Defects of character are not who we are spiritually; they are codependent behaviors that we have used to survive life. In becoming entirely ready, we learn to own our defects. When we ask our Higher Power to guide us and we trust in this process, we have a spiritual experience. The keys for Step Six are strong faith, trust, and a connection to our Higher Power.

This Step does not say how or when our defects will be removed. We can use Step Three to remember that it is not our plan. It is our Higher Power’s plan for us that we accept, even when we do not understand. This is our Higher Power’s plan for us that we accept, even when we do not understand. This is our Higher Power’s will. Many times we realize a defect has been removed and we are not sure when it happened. Again, we are reminded that recovery is a journey, not a destination.

When we recognize a character defect with which we are struggling, there are tools to help us. We can speak to our sponsor, attend a meeting, write in our journal, and ask our Higher Power for guidance. We can use positive affirmations if we feel overwhelmed as we work this Step. We recognize that Step Six is clearly about progress, not perfection; it is not about how far we have come, nor how far we have to go, but about being on the path of recovery. We invite our Higher Power into our lives and we let go of the results. As we truly surrender to this plan, we may or may not see progress. Our job is to continue to work our program, one day at a time, to the best of our ability.

We relied upon these character defects for many years. Because of this, we struggle to let go and be entirely ready. Indeed, it takes effort and is not easy to let go of old “friends” such as obsessing, the need to be right, people-pleasing, judgment, fear, procrastination, and perfectionism. We become entirely ready, so that our Higher Power can remove our character defects. Step Six is another Step that reminds us how important it is to practice letting go.