Access Your Power and Potential....Learn to Live with Intention

Researchers say successful change comes only in stages. How long it takes is an individual matter.

Change is a process, not an event.

Experts who study behavior change agree that long-lasting change is most likely when it's self-motivated and rooted in positive thinking. In October 2006, a British research group (the Economic and Social Research Council) released findings on 129 different studies of behavior change strategies. The survey confirmed that the most effective strategies are those where the person desiring the change envisions the targeted results in a way that is personally motivating, and then uses positive action steps to move toward their objective.

SMART Goals

Goals are easier to reach if they're SMART: specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time-bound. An example: "I'll walk 30 minutes at lunch time" is more specific and measurable than "I'll get more exercise." The goal should also be attainable: in the walking at lunch example, if you have trouble scheduling the 30 minutes at one time, consider separating the time into two 15-minute sessions. Another recurring theme is that you need practical or realistic ways to reach your goal: if you're trying to stick to a low-calorie diet, for example, it may help to keep around a bottle of water or low-calorie snacks.

Goals may be made more attainable and realistic if they are not too numerous as to limit your attention and willpower. Finally, whether or not your goals are tangible and easy to visualize, it is important that they are time-bound — that you have a frame of reference for fulfillment. A goal that appears distant and hazy will not motivate you to action as quickly as one that is clear and bound in time: "I want to take a course in public speaking this semester" is more clear and time-bound than "I want to be a better speaker".

Change Models Developed by Clinicians and Health Educators

Researchers in health care have developed a model first publicized by James O. Prochaska and Carlo C. DiClemente.* This model suggests a spiral of change, which presumes that a person is in one of five stages at any given time:

• Precontemplation, where you have no conscious intention of making a change — you may be demoralized from past attempts to change a particular behavior, or you may be unaware that the behavior is at odds with important personal goals;
• Contemplation, you may be considering a change, but ambivalence may lead you to keep weighing the costs and benefits;
• Preparation, you're making plans to change soon, and you need to create a realistic action plan with achievable goals — at this stage, it's important to anticipate potential obstacles and plan solutions and alternatives;
• Action, you are making the change and experiencing challenges, and you need to continue bolstering your motivation to practice the coping strategies identified in the "preparation" stage; or
• Maintenance, once you've practiced the behavior change for at least six months, you're in the maintenance stage and working to prevent relapse and keep the change fully integrated into your life.

The idea is that people move from one stage to the next, and that the path is rarely straightforward. Most people relapse at some point and recycle through certain stages, like a spiral. When relapse occurs during the maintenance stage (e.g., falling out of an exercise routine or regaining weight lost during the action stage), you may find yourself back at the contemplation or even the precontemplation stage if the relapse was so demoralizing that you don't even want to think about trying to change the targeted behavior again. Experts urge people not to be derailed by relapse, but to think of it as an integral part of the change process. You may find that what you have learned during the relapse can be used to adjust your strategy in a way that better adapts to your life and your priorities.

Anyone motivated to bridge a perceived gap between their current situation and their desired state can use this change model to formulate strategies for behavior change.

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