AC PRINCIPLES

Self-awareness (knowing your true self) and accountability (behaving in accordance with your true self and taking responsibility for your actions) are key to your success.
Being in a state of alignment means you are in harmony with the people and circumstances defining your life.
Being in a state of personal balance means you are in an optimal state of being. You are providing your mind, body, heart, and soul with the attention they require.
The choices you make determine your state of alignment and balance. Alignment, Balance and Choice are the ABC’s of Authenticity. Your choices, over time, define your life story.
Deming’s evidence-based Cycle of Success, also known as the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA)Cycle, is comprised of four ongoing, interdependent activities: planning, execution, monitoring, and motivating change.
Certain behaviors come naturally to you and are easier to learn and apply than others. This explains why one of the PDCA activities is most likely a “go to” activity of yours. Here is a question to reinforce the concept of “go-to” energy?: Do you know anyone who is a natural planner? For example, they may be great at planning family gatherings or preparing for business meetings.
Typically your easiest interactions are with people who think and act the same way as you. (In AC terms, they share your dominant quadrant (DQ).)
In contrast, more difficult interactions tend to occur with individuals who behave differently than you. (In AC terms, their DQ is either opposite or adjacent to yours.)
Learning to recognize your blind spots allows you to be better prepared to deal with challenging circumstances and difficult relationships.
Your life would be easier if you could only interact with others and spend time in situations that match the behaviors, skills, and strengths of your DQ. However, adult maturity does not work that way. Life requires learning how to face various challenges. Using your Authenticity Compass, you learn to recognize challenges as opportunities for skill development.
If you lack skills in certain areas (specifically planning, execution, monitoring, and motivating change), you need to develop them in order to achieve success in life and work.
Circumstances that require you to stay in a prolonged state of coping can come at too great a price. Staying put in a situation where you can’t maintain personal balance (even after committed skill development on your part) will drain you and, most likely, cause you serious discomfort.

AC User Requirements

To use the Authenticity Compass properly you need to:

Be committed to self-awareness / mindfulness.
Understand Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs (the “deficit need” concept).
Embrace a domain-focused awareness of stress-management.
Understand Deming’s Cycle-of-Success framework (the 4-quadrant “Plan-Do-Check-Act” Cycle).
Understand Jung’s mental function compass: the brain mechanics of perception (facts & beliefs) and judgment (thoughts & feelings).

Lastly, character strength knowledge is not essential for AC use. However, recognizing the role character strengths play in living a rewarding, purpose-filled life significantly enhances its utilization.