6th Month Step 6 gives me an opportunity to reflect on the balanced character traits, as well as the unbalanced character traits I discovered while working (Studying) Step 4 with a trusted Al-Anon member. With regard to those unbalanced character traits, as I reflect, I get to determine whether or not I am entirely ready to say ¡hasta la vista! to those unhelpful ones. This Spanish saying translates to: See you. See you later Until next time. I see the word “remove” in Step 6 as a noun rather than a verb. I “co”operate with Power greater than myself (recognizing… Read more »

Step Six gives me great hope because it reminds me that removing my character defects is my Higher Power’s job, not mine. I spent many years frustrated with myself, trying to fix or hide all my flaws. If I could fix myself, I would’ve done it a long time ago! Among the many things I’m powerless over are the “outdated coping mechanisms” that are now keeping me from living fully. Thinking of my character defects as survival skills I’ve outgrown helps me to look at them without beating myself up or hiding behind lies. The work of getting better is… Read more »

To me, the Sixth Step means a very big surrender. I surrender them all to HP and HP gets to pick and choose which character “challenges” (as my Sponsor likes to call them) he wants to remove in order for me to do what he wants me to do as far as being of service to him. Most of my defects have been removed very gradually and in very small doses. I believe he works with me as he works with everything in nature. For example, I love to look at pictures of the Grand Canyon which is 70 million… Read more »

My unintentional life’s mission has often involved mudding up waters that are crystal clear with the toxins of my old thought patterns. Thanks to God and the clearness of the program itself, he reveals my defects to me. He even puts people in my life that make my defects of character obvious given my interactions with them. Yes, I want those defects removed.  And sometimes I see the progress of removal. Then something happens to my thinking, and I drudge up some old pattern of thought and I’m back to my defective way of behaving. Consequently, I’m trying to focus on these three ideas… Read more »

Were entirely ready doesn’t mean that my defects of character will miraculously disappear as I first thought when I skimmed through the steps. It means that I have acknowledged and accepted that I have these defects of character and because they no longer serve me, I am ready and willing to let them go.

Step Six simply put asks of me to be completely prepared/willing to have God to take away these defects of character that I have. This requires of me also not use the «ifs» and «buts» that kept those defects justifiable. I have, over the years, accumulated defects, which in the past served me well. Those faults had become defense mechanism and sometimes survival tools when facing alcoholism at its worst. Because, I am in the program that time is gone! I must «one day at the time» try to be the best person that I could be. I have to… Read more »

Get ready to change! What does that even mean? I think the way to prepare for change is to adjust my attitude. To me the difference between Step 6 and Step 7 is that in Step 6, I find the courage to change what I can (my attitude), and then in Step 7, I will ask my Higher Power for further help. I found the P-5 version of the Blueprint for Progress to be really helpful in delving into what is going on with my attitude. At one time, I thought my attitude was something that happened to me. It… Read more »

Well I have to admit that I am actually excited to be working on my Sixth Step – “To be entirely ready to have God remove all of my defects of character.” I’m happy to almost reach the halfway point of the Steps and experience the healing they bring. Step Six makes me feel like I’m at the starting line of a track meet. “On your mark, get set, get ready (get entirely ready), and then the gun shot and GO! “Go” is my total release to the God of my understanding to take over! “On your mark,” was my… Read more »

In this program we always get what we need if we are faithful in reading our literature and staying in touch with other members. On page 177 in Courage to Change, I read “I am not perfect. The character defects I have carried around for so many years will not vanish instantly. But with faith and hope I can work my way through them one at a time, ‘One Day at a Time.'” Reading this page is so comforting to me. I have been in this program for many years and I still have days when my character defects rear… Read more »

Just finished reading The June Forum Step Six story. It’s true that becoming entirely ready happens over time as opposed to being zapped into an Al-Anon wonder woman. Maybe we’re always becoming entirely ready. Step Six reminds me of what I heard at a meeting once: Just do the next right thing. One of my favorite pages in CAL is about turning left. (See page 116 in Paths to Recovery on Step 11.) That story about turning left is like doing the next right thing. For me, sometimes I may not be sure what the next right thing is, but… Read more »

Step Six reminds me to once again focus fully on my Higher Power. I revisit Steps Two and Three before beginning Step Six, because this Step asks me to become willing to have that Higher Power remove my character defects. I am once again turning over my life and my will to the care of that Higher Power. Grounded in the awareness of, and relationship with, this Higher Power I can then contemplate becoming willing to have him remove the things in my life that trip me up, that cause me pain, that have become habits of acting on my… Read more »

In this Step, I remember being fearful of who I would become without all these defects. I could see how harmful my defects of character were and I had only known life with them. They were how I coped with situations and people. I felt naked and afraid of the vacuum that would be left if God removed them. What would I do then? Who would I be? This was uncharted territory for me and very emotional. I leaned into all the feelings. Upon confiding my inner turmoil with a friend, it was suggested to give it a try and… Read more »

I am not sure about Step Six as it is hard to let go of all my defects of character, but I do see that I can let go of the ones that I grew up with. I always felt responsible for all mistakes where I did it or someone else in the family. I am slowly realizing that I am only responsible for what I did; I am not responsible for how my younger brothers were affected by our father’s harshness and our mother’s manic depression attitudes toward perfectionism toward us or her harsh and abusive ways of raising… Read more »

My recovery is an ongoing process through the Steps. In working Step Six I saw what my character defects were doing to me so I became “entirely ready.” The first several times through I became more and more willing and open to having God remove my character defects. I did learn that I cannot do it alone. I need the help of the God of my understanding. However, I found myself telling my Higher Power which character defect to remove and when. This is when I saw how I was getting in God’s way. Very humbling indeed. Removing my character… Read more »

Prior to Al-Anon, I had become complacent and comfortable with behaviors that were destructive for me and unpleasant for people around me. Those behaviors were giving me a false sense of security. It was a way to survive in a rather turbulent life, the results of a dysfunctional life I had as a child and was now living as an adult. The pain experienced was too much to bear, after having done Step Four and Five. In doing those Steps, I had uncovered the roots of my problems. I became willing, with some resistance at the beginning, to give myself… Read more »