I was very young, but I still remember the life lessons my dad imparted to me, 1) every choice has a consequence and 2) you only have three options when life happens, Accept it, Change it or Move on. ACMo is the bit I want to focus on today.
As alwasy a Chat GPT version is available at the bottom – and yes I know ACMo is an acronym for something else as well, but I like it 😛
In my previous article, we discussed failure and failure culture and the value of having a positive failure culture. A part of implementing a positive fail culture is understanding that in most cases you always have a choice and that choices have consequences. I use the ACMo method for making decisions about life, the universe and everything – please don’t sue me, also the restaurant at the end of the universe makes a great BLT.
As always I’m following the middle of the road here, the extremes exist and you probably can ACMo your way through it but for the reader’s sake let’s keep to the middle. Life does all sorts of weird stuff to you, I was in a car crash in Feb, My daughter had to get a serious operation, and work has been a washing machine of politics, emotions, dead ends and small victories. Friends have been facing divorce, theft, and death. The family have been greeted with new life, growth and opportunities, see, it is not all bad. But all of it is life, handing you a situation and you can ACMo all of this.
OK enough, WHAT IS ACMo?! ACMo is a cute acronym I use to describe the three choices you have in any situation, In many cases you can combine some of them but in most cases, you can make clean-cut decisions using one of the three.
A is for Acceptance: the process or fact of being received as adequate, valid, or suitable
When life hands you lemons…You can accept that you have lemons.
C is for Change: an act or process through which something becomes different.
When life hands you lemons… You can decide you don’t want lemons or you want to do something with them, perhaps lemonade?
Mo is for Moving On: to go on to a different place, subject, activity, etc
When life hands you lemons… You can also give life the finger and kindly step away from the offer of lemons and go somewhere else.
ACMo simplifies decisions by categorising them. This framework boils all the crazy options down to three really simple categories and based on these categories it’s easier to navigate consequences. No matter what option you have it probably fits into one of the three states. Once something can fit into a state, it gives you a nudge as to what should and could happen next. Let’s be honest here, time plays a huge role in how you make decisions, ACMo has a big thing for time, the more you have the deeper you can explore options and consequences and then make better decisions. But in principle categorising your options makes for cleaner decision making and that is what many of us struggle with.
Child Tested, Father Approved. ACMo has been around for a very long time, my dad taught it to me and someone taught it to him, it’s generational knowledge, and this means it’s been tested! I just gave it an acronym. This is super valuable in my line of work I deal with new thought experiments and models all the time and those new ones as shiny as they are, still need to be matured, tested and stressed. ACMo is a test approved by lived experience. I’ve used it often to make decisions, big ones, Getting Married, Having Kids, Buying Property, taking or leaving opportunities (some in strange countries), ending relationships, the list goes on and that is just in my personal life. But the key is that ACMo breaks down options into categories and that makes it easier to make lists, mind maps, scratch walls whatever works for you.
ACMo is also a situational system. While being time-sensitive, the more you use it the better you become at categorising situational things and making decisions based on those categorisations. I am not talking about instantaneous scary things, middle of the road remember. For example in many meetings and conversations I quickly become aware of the room, what is it like, what is the general temperature of the conversation and combining ACMo with a little GEM OF A MODEL called the Spine Model (Shout out to Danie Roux and Kevin Trethewey) you can easily drive conversations to better ends or quickly find the point to disengage and regroup. This is probably the most valuable use for ACMo in my day-to-day, categorising conversations and deciding what to do next.
Fighting analysis paralysis with ACMo and others. Yes, you can also overdo it with frameworks and become caught up in a web of mismatched concepts, watch out for that. But through lived experience frameworks like ACMo, simple as it seems, work well for fighting the overwhelming feeling of decision-making, which for many of us, is hard and can be painful. Ordering and separating options and ideas provides clarity and clarity is fertile soil for safety. Once you feel safe your brain kicks out of survival mode into let’s be cool mode and you can make better decisions. I highly recommend checking out the Spine Model, it’s really an amazing framework.
Not everyone is a list person, some of us struggle to separate information and adding emotions to that does not make it any easier. Remember a kind hand that helps to move some sticky notes around can make someone’s day!
Chat GPT for the WIN Title: “Navigating Life with ACMo: Simplifying Choices”
Life presents us with a myriad of situations, each demanding a response. ACMo, the Adaptive Communication Model, offers a simple yet powerful framework for decision-making. Here’s a concise guide to ACMo and why it’s worth adopting:
ACMo in Action:
- Acceptance: Acknowledge and embrace the situation as it is.
- Change: Seek to alter the situation or your response to it.
- Moving On: Decide to disengage and move forward elsewhere.
Benefits of ACMo:
- Simplified Decision Making: ACMo categorizes options into three clear choices, easing the process of weighing consequences.
- Time Efficiency: With practice, ACMo becomes a swift tool for categorizing situations and making decisions.
- Practical Application: ACMo proves invaluable in various scenarios, from personal choices to steering conversations in professional settings.
Using ACMo Wisely:
- Guard Against Overwhelm: While frameworks like ACMo provide clarity, avoid becoming ensnared in too many models.
- Embrace Clarity: Clear categorization fosters a sense of safety, enabling better decision-making.
- Adapt to Individual Needs: Recognize that not everyone thrives on lists; offer support tailored to individual preferences and emotions.
Incorporating ACMo into your decision-making toolkit can bring clarity and confidence, guiding you through life’s complexities with ease.
Mind, on the rocks?! 