This year I have looked at steps 6 and 7 as the the two parts of the process of removing character defects. This is where I "discard" my shortcomings.
Step 6 is the step where I become fully willing do my part.
Step 7 is the step where I fully allow God to do his part.
Neither step alone is sufficient to remove my character defects. I think that my tendency is to lean on one or the other too much but both of them are necessary to fully complete the process.
In step 6 I had to remember the connection between my defects of character and my disease. I had to realize that I must overcome the irritability, restlessness, and discontent, that I experience when separated from my substance of dependency. I must realize that if I am to live sober I must find a manageable life or I will go back to using and drinking.
I had to learn that I could not realize the full extent and signifigance of my defect character defects without first doing the inventory and seeing how my ideas were poorly formed. The inventory guided me to see the full extent of there destructiveness and to find a new and deeper perspective of them. In most cases I had a rearrangement of motives and became entirely willing just through the deconstruction process of the inventory.
In other cases I have a hard time becoming willing to change some of my shortcomings. This is typically because I have liked them and/or lived them for so long. I may come to realize their destructiveness but I can't get motivated to change. I may fully realize that they are selfish but my desire for them is so deep that I have a mental blank spot and can't overcome them. These things are the the habits of a lifetime and are deeply entrenched in my subconscious.
In these cases I have had to repeatedly inventory them in order to overcome their ingrained nature in me. I have had to repeatedly inventory them in order for the realization of their destructiveness to grow to the extent necessary to motivate me. I have had to repeatedly pray for willingness in order to find the necessary perseverance overcome my desire for them. Many times I couldn't remember why I needed to persevere in this step. But i just kept doing it based on my step 3 commitment.
The results of this step were a rearrangement of the driving forces that once ruled me and were the source of my discontent. I couldn't focus on character growth before practicing destruction of self-centeredness. I couldn't focus on living up to virtues like a normal person. I had focus on overcoming my defects of character to allow for virtue to build in their place.
The results have been peace of mind, sobriety, and inspiration.
