Change is life. Nothing remains static, not for a moment. Many changes that we experience are beyond our control, such as changes in the weather or national tragedies. Other changes are within our control. These are changes as losing weight, exercising, managing stress, or improving our relationships. As we spoke in the last post, big changes are taking place in our lifestyles around money. The economic challenge presents a crisis. We can face it with fear or use it as an opportunity for change, by stepping off the hedonic treadmill to build a more consciously caring community.
In the process of making a shift, we want to change or we want someone else to change. The mark of change is seeing new action occur. If action does not occur,it is believed that we are lacking will power or motivation. Research takes a broader look at change. In fact sixty percent of all change may take place before any action occurs.
The challenge of change, especially changing our lifestyle and habits, has been the focus of much research One of the pioneers is Prochaska and his colleagues, with the publication of their classic book, Changing for Good. They have worked on a variety of challenging areas for change, ranging from exercise, weight control, and stress management, to organizational change in business.
A key discovery in Prochaska's work is that of "Stages of Change." A central finding is that when the stages of change are identified and interventions are matched to an individual's stage in the process, the overall success of the program is greater than when the stage of change is not identified. Rather than just requiring will power, change can be a process that is successfully managed by anyone who understands how it works.
Rather than a single event, change is better viewed as a phenomena that occurs over time. Prochaska and his colleagues describe change as progressing through the following six distinct stages
His six stages of change are:
1. Wake up Call
2. Contemplation
3. Preparation
4. Action
5. Maintenance
6. Termination
We will be discussing these stages of change in the next six blog posts, considering this change in moving away from an emphasis on spending as suggested by advertising, to moving towards more emphasis on community and our relationships.
Prochaska, J. O. Norcross, J.C. Diclemente, CC. Changing for Good. New York: Avon Books, 1994
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