Transforming your life with a life coach
The Awareness, Acceptance, and Action model is a three-stage process through which you can empower yourself and transform your life. As you move through each of the three stages, you will experience the beginning of a true transformation.
AWARENESS
Self Awareness is the first step that initiates the process of change. If you do not have self-awareness, you would not even know which area you need to grow in. Self-awareness is just another name for mindfulness. Being mindful really needs you to be the observer of yourself. You begin by observing your own behavior and actions as you conduct your day. A great place to start your mindfulness practice is through meditation in the morning or reflection at the end of the day. Increasing your levels of self-awareness is a continuous process, as is growth.
What does a self-aware person look like? A self aware person is always cognizant of the thoughts he thinks and the words he speaks. He is constantly aware of the judgements he makes. He is aware of his emotions and has the ability to align them mindfully with this intent and his actions. A self-aware person is also always seeking to learn and shows humility in all areas of life.
For a person to be self-aware, the first step would be to have the humility to introspect. To know where you can be better or do better, you should be willing to accept that you do have significant room for growth and that life is nothing but a journey of growth. Another important step is to be able to take feedback graciously and use that as a tool for what is perceived as opposed to what you know.
It may sound easy, but most people are usually stuck in the very first loop of change. And therefore step two and three don’t really come into play at all. Once you have built the ability to constantly reflect and thereby increase your self awareness comes the next stage of acceptance.
ACCEPTANCE
Acceptance is a necessity. But how does one accept? Usually, the natural reaction to feedback is defense. However, when you are busy defending yourself or justifying your behavior and your actions you leave no room for growth. Therefore, the stories we tell ourselves become the first hurdles in our growth.
Hence, acceptance becomes a critical step in the journey of change. Accepting not just feedback but also accepting what is. Accepting that who you are is what you have to work with.
Don’t get me wrong though. Acceptance does not mean complacency. There is a fine distinction between the two. Acceptance does not mean you sit back and say this is how things are, and therefore I am. When I say acceptance, I mean accepting, specifically that there are some patterns you have identified in the feedback you have received or through the process of mindful reflection and introspection and that you have some things to work on. Acceptance would also need accepting certain circumstances the way they are and working within a given frame to recalibrate for newer ways of change to come in.
ACTION
If you have really accomplished step one and two, then you are way ahead in the game of life than most others! Once you are aware of what needs to change and have accepted that you will set to work on it, comes the next stage of action. Action is one of the most difficult stages. While awareness and acceptance are imperative, it does not mean a thing unless you act on it. So sometimes, you may be aware that there is something you have been meaning to work on for months or years, but have never acted on it as life was working just fine.
For change to be real, for you to build the drive to invest in personal growth, you must seek something more. Because change drives individuals to discover, create and grow!! Hence, change is not real unless we act on information. Remember, knowledge is only useful if acted upon. For instance, if because of the news I track I know the price of Apple is going to go up. What do I have? I have knowledge. Is this knowledge enough without action? Only if I do buy a share of apple based on this information do I stand to potentially gain (or lose?). Either way, without acting on this information, I would never know.
Therefore, once you have empowered yourself with self-awareness and acceptance, dive into ACTION. Set smart goals and Ask yourself, ‘Where am I now and where do I want to be’?
If you are feeling stuck or uncertain about your path to success, talk to your mentor or your coach.
Keynote speaker and Life coach, Pooja has transformed lives through her journey of mentoring and coaching for over two decades. To know more about the programs available, click here- http://pooja.coach/programs/.
