Awareness
In the Straight-A Guide, the concept of Awareness differs from the earlier concepts. Each concept of the Straight-A Guide harmonizes with the others, but the earlier concepts have a singular purpose. With Attitude, for example, we speak about making a 100 percent commitment to success. With regard to Aspiration, we talk about the importance of visualizing success. Action requires us to accept that we must make progress incrementally. An Accountability Log helps to track our progress.
The concept of Awareness differs in that it has two prongs. Let’s explore each of those prongs.
Our Awareness:
When we commit to living a values-based, goal-oriented life, we become aware of opportunities that we can seize. Those opportunities are available to everyone in a similar situation. Yet individuals who proceed through life without a disciplined plan fail to recognize or appreciate the relationship between one decision and the next. When we commit to the Straight-A Guide, on the other hand, we visualize what others fail to see. With that visualization, we can plan. And with those plans, we can execute.
Awareness of others:
At the same time, to the extent that we commit to this deliberate way of life, others become aware of us. When others see that we’re focused, that we’re on a straight-line approach to excellence, they develop a vested interest in our success. They extend opportunities because they want to be a part of a winner. This is a simple concept to comprehend to comprehend. Winners attract winners and losers attract losers. Winners adhere to the Straight-A Guide. Losers make excuses about why circumstances repeatedly derail their life.
Those who read through Michael’s Daily Logs can see the importance that he places on the Straight-A Guide, and on Awareness in particular. He documents every day, tracking the progress that he is making toward the values and goals by which he professes to live. That investment of time represents his way of “keeping his head in the game.” He said that the daily logs make him aware of opportunities that he can seize, but those daily logs simultaneously make others want to become a part of Michael’s journey.
He attributed the Daily Logs that he began keeping in prison as to the reason that he built a support network. That support network opened opportunities for him upon release. For example, newspapers and television stations brought attention to his work. That attention led to his creating income opportunities. Those income opportunities led to his being able to serve others without having to worry about finding employment. That ability to serve others opened more opportunities. Every day he works to build his career, but everyday he recommits to the principals of the Straight-A Guide.