so, i have started working my step 6 and i was wondering how you have worked 6, just to get an idea. i have a sponcer i am working my program and i am just getting input and ideas about how to work step six... so if you could please comment.... thanks

for me it was/is, all about preparing - summoning willingness and adjusting my attitude....for a lifetime of' letting go' of 'defects'......(my- excessive demands-) not about perfection- Nia

     Nia's right about the lifetime of letting go. One of the things we have to remember is that the defects that will be removed are the ones that stand in the way of being of use - and we don't get a vote in which magically disappear and which take a tad bit longer.
     My personal experience is the footwork is mine, the miracles are his. My desire for alcohol was lifted overnight. On my sixth step I asked Him (over a period of time) to remove those character traits I thought were "bad". Some are gone, others the answer was - not right now (it could have been no I suppose, but I ain't privy to that). That doesn't mean I say "ok, well so much for that" and continue to pull wings off butterflies. I need to do the footwork on the leftovers and work towards bettering myself. Obviously he may need me as I am and/or there is an object lesson in correcting these by my muddling through them. His timing isn't mine, nor his reasons.  
     There are some good step questions at http://www.12step.org/Tools.html and http://sponsorsaide.50megs.com/12StepWorksheets.htm has some more links
you may want to look over.
Take Care,
Dennis

Hi My Angel. Im so glad you are my friend. You mean the world to me. Life wouldnt be half as exciting without you in it. Thank God for Narcotics  Anonymous. And thank God for YOU!!!!!

For me working step 6 (and step 7 - it's hard for me to do one without the other) is about action and practice, practice, practice.  The first thing I did was make a list of all my character defects that I had discovered from my 4th step and those that I am just aware of.  I did some writing on each of them - identifying what they did/do for me, what they did/do to me, and what they did/do to other people.  But the most effective work for me was to create a list of the corresponding opposite of each defect (dishonesty -- honesty; resentful -- forgiving; impatient -- patient; etc.), and then each morning I would review the list to remind myself of what I wanted to practice, I would try to look for ways to actually practice those opposites throughout the day, and at night before bed, I would review the list and identify those character defects that I knew I had practiced that day.  Just the process of regularly reviewing my list (of defects and what the opposites were) helped create an awareness of them in me, looking for ways to specifically practice the opposites of my defects helped me learn how to be different, and reviewing it at night added to the awareness, as well as helped me remember in the future to practice the opposite.

I also found it helpful to focus on a particular deffect/opposite for a day, and throughout that entire day, I would look for ways to practice the opposite and/or avoid the defect.  This was especially helpful for some of the bigger defects of character that were more pervasive in me (popping up in lots of things I do).

And last but definitely not least, my sponsor has me work the steps on particular defects of character if they are causing me lots of problems, but obviously you don't spend forever doing all of the steps on every defect of character such that you can't get through the steps your first time through.  Focusing on one defect of character and working all the steps on it is is more of a "intensive stepwork" type thing. But the logic behind it is helpful even your first time through the steps - recognizing that you are powerless over your character defects, that your higher power can restore you to sanity,  turning your character defects over to your higher power for removal, etc.

Hopefully that makes some sense and isn't just a big confusing mess ...

I used my step four inventory and made a list of the opposites to my character defects, or the attributes I would need to over come them too.  Then I thought about the way my life would have to be to exhibit those changes and came upon some of the things that might hold me back like my own lack of belief in myself.  The whole point of step six is to be willing to allow our higher power to make those changes bearing in mind that for istance if we are impatient, then it will be circumstances that force us to exercise that patience which will change us.  You have to be willing to trust your higher power to make those changes in your life, and to be aware of those things as they happen.  Step six is about the courage to change but you don't have to make those changes yourself.
Going through that process helped me to be more honest when I humbly asked for those defects to be removed and made step seven a lot more meaningful.
I hope your step six goes really well and leads you into a really successful step seven.