Steps 6 and 7 of AA — Entirely Ready and Humbly Asked

Steps 6 and 7 are the most misunderstood steps in the program. They're short. They look simple. They're not.

Step 6: Entirely Ready

Step 6 states: Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character. The key word is 'entirely.' Not mostly ready. Not ready to have some of them removed. Entirely. This is harder than it sounds because our character defects — self-pity, resentment, dishonesty, fear — often serve a purpose. They protected us once. Being entirely ready means being willing to let go of the protection.

Step 7: The Humility Step

Step 7 states: Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings. The 12 & 12 describes humility not as self-deprecation but as an accurate view of ourselves — neither inflated nor deflated. The Step 7 prayer in the Big Book asks God to remove defects that stand in the way of usefulness to others. Not comfort. Usefulness.

Work Steps 6 and 7 with the full 12&12 in AABlueBook. Free year on iOS: bit.ly/aabfree.