Concept Six
The Conference acknowledges the primary administrative responsibility of the Trustees.
Please share your experience, strength, and hope as it relates to Concept 6. The opinions expressed here are strictly those of the person who gave them. Take what you liked and leave the rest. Member sharing on the Member Blog may be used in future Al‑Anon publications.
It is when I got into service that I paid attention to the Concepts and started slowly to integrate them in my life. It did not come as easily, as I first thought it would, but I worked at it regularly. Concept Six was not clear to me as far as how I could apply it in my life. I finally got it when in service, I had to delegate, respect the authority and see the responsibility that each one has, while still recognizing that I had a part in it. I was one that didn’t like to delegate, because… Read more »
I have recently been learning about the Concepts. My experience was that by about Concept Six, my enthusiasm for this project wasn’t at its original level. I stuck with it anyway, and I wanted to share something that I figured out. If you boil it down, the Concepts are a thoughtful system of Boundaries designed to keep our Service Structure in Balance. Once I caught on to that idea, it was much easier to stay focused. If I wasn’t finding the relevance in something I was reading, I looked for mention of “Balance” and/or tried to identify the Boundary of… Read more »
Concept Six addresses responsibility, among other things. This is one thing that I had no concept of before coming to the program. I had my own interpretation of responsibility and it was adaptable according to my wants and to the importance I was giving to the circumstances at hands. As I was living in fear and insecurity, in all the areas of my life, I refused to delegate anything, keeping in the process this illusion of authority and responsibility. I was hanging on very tightly to the strings of both of them, as they were offering me a sense of… Read more »
As stated in our book Reaching for Personal Freedom the Concepts before Concept Six have enlighted us on delegation, authority and responsibilityin, showing me how to show respect to others and trust them with whatever has to be done. When it came time to do something, in the past, the primary role was always for me. I was an overachiever and took everything under my wings, considering I was the best and sometimes the only one who could achieve such a task. I became overwhelmed, frustrated, tired, resentful, angry, etc., as well as not a very pleasant person to be… Read more »
I am grateful for this Concept as it applies to our Trustees and World Service Conference. The annual Conference is so vital as the voice of the membership for critical decisions and guidance throughout the year. The Trustees need clear direction from the World Service Conference to manage our legal affairs and ensure the World Service Office follows through with decisions from the World Service Conference. This year I am even more grateful as the Trustees were able to change the course of the World Service Conference and adapt to meet Covid-19 Pandemic restrictions. Virtual meetings and the ability for… Read more »
Thanks for opening this discussion! Concept Six has given me some better ways of living my life. The primary benefit is the idea of focus. I have learned that a common side effect of alcoholism in a family is finding it hard to focus. For this to change in my life I used several Slogans: “First things First” was especially helpful to help me return to my goal and to (at least) lessen my habit of multi-tasking. I had fallen into the trap of needing to solve all the problems in my life, be responsible for everyone in my reach… Read more »
I just read the June Forum on Concept Six and as we have gone into retirement and quarantine, we have kind of lost our roles and I have given over the jobs that I didn’t like and my husband seems to like and does in half the time I did them, but there have been some other jobs that I have not given over to him or stayed dishonest about even though I have been paying off the cards. There as been a couple of situations where my orders did not arrive and the worry I have had was not… Read more »
Concept Six is probably the Concept that has brought the most changes in my life and the one I had to work the hardest to put into action. I was everything that this Concept suggests we shouldn’t be: controlling, not trusting, unable to delegate, doubtful of others’ abilities, overly responsible, etc. I had much to learn, and learning I did!! When I realized how much I was off the right path, as an Al-Anon member and as a trusted servant, I knew great changes were in order. Looking into my behavior, I had to get on with the business of… Read more »