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Phil…on Awareness to Abundance: the Seven A’s

Business and personal problems are often dealt with by looking for a ‘fix’ rather than looking at the cause. The “Seven A’s” is a useful tool that works in sequence to

identify and deal with problems. They are:

• Awareness

• Acknowledgement

• Acceptance

• Appreciation • Attraction

• Action

• Abundance

1. Awareness

Be aware of what you need to be aware of. Information that is passed on

about us in the corridors often doesn’t get back to us. So for example, you

may be dogmatic but not know it because people have not told you your true pedigree. Become aware of the things you need to learn most or the things

that get in the way of what you are trying to achieve. If, as a leader, you are

inclined to stray off-subject or go out on a tangent, then it is important that you become aware of that. It can be done through 360 degree feedback, asking

people for feedback in a group or personal situation. Once you know (are

aware of) something, you can start to do something about it. An alcoholic often doesn’t know he is an alcoholic until he becomes ‘aware’ of it.

2. Acknowledgement

Whilst one can become aware of something, it needs to be acknowledged.

This may seem like semantics, there is a difference. Awareness shows no

personal ownership whereas acknowledgement does. Until some ownership develops, nothing will be done about it. You might not like what you have

become aware of, but by acknowledging it you can start to deal with it.

3. Acceptance

Accept where you are at. You may gain awareness that you are dogmatic

through feedback from others and acknowledge it. Then you need to accept that you are dogmatic. That is not to say that you like it. Once you have

acceptance then you can do something that leads to…

4. Appreciation

Appreciate what you are. If you don’t, you will continue to fight against it. The

more you fight, the harder it is to let go. Appreciate that there is a good part to what you are, then you can start to work on the negative side because

everything has a light and a dark side. You can determine what is good about

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it, what is not and what you want to change. Therefore you have some

appreciation of where you are at. Sometimes appreciation can come before acceptance.

5. Attraction

Attract and act in the positive rather than the negative. Rather than try to stop

being dogmatic for example, try to minimise negative aspects and accentuate

the positive. Therein lies the opportunity to attract the right type of environment around yourself. Certain situations encourage you to be more

dogmatic, therefore start to attract the type of situations that don’t allow you to

be dogmatic.

For a smoker who says ‘I don’t need a smoke’, the brain hears the word

‘smoke’ which encourages them to have another cigarette. Look for situations

that allow you to do something else. Accentuate the positive; the negative will minimise itself.

This ‘Law of Attraction’ is what the book The Secret is built around. However, it can backfire because what you think about is what you attract. If you have

negative thoughts you start attracting those things into your life as well.

Therefore, it is important to have the previous elements in place – awareness, acknowledgement, acceptance and appreciation. These are what help you

attract the right things.

You also become more aware or conscious about what it is that you are attracting. This can be difficult in a world that focuses on negativity. Media

coverage is built on negativity, advertising especially focuses on a sense of

lack, of something missing. We get to feel that lack and want to fill the vacuum it creates; that is why we go out and buy, that is the premise of retail

therapy.

6. Action

Whilst it is important to attract and allow things to occur, it is also important to

take some ownership of a situation and act on it. Define the positive steps forward that you are prepared to take. Affirm to live a healthy life, rather than

say “I don’t drink anymore”. Take positive action rather than try to minimise

negative behaviour.

7. Abundance

In the belief that a glass is half full rather than half empty, focusing on the positive increases awareness that you do already have an abundant life;

knowing this allows that abundance to grow.

Like attracts like – attract the abundant positive rather than the negative.

Positive affirming actions are more successful than trying to ‘get rid of’

something. Constant mini diets do not work; to act on the decision to enjoy a healthy lifestyle is more likely to work.

Through positive actions we create abundance.