How do you decide that you need to change? What would your desired change look like? What do you need in a change? How can you maintain the change that you have embarked on making?

The Transtheoretical Model proposes that there are five stages that we go through in order to refine and implement change in life. The stages are:

1. Pre-contemplation — at this point you are possibly open to change, suspecting that change needs to take place, but still not sure of the who, what, when, where, why or how of your change.

2. Contemplation — at this stage, you are aware of the change you want to make and are contemplating (thinking about/weighing) your options for change and the who, what, when, where, why or how of your change.

3. Preparation — here, you are making plans to make a change that you have thought about. Just like you prepare to go on a trip by deciding the location, and activities, then you pack for the trip. Here you have made the decision about your change and are obtaining the necessities needed to make your change.

4. Action — now that you have a plan, you are working the plan. Possibly here, you are discovering the other unanticipated needs that your change requires, but you are living out the details of your change.

5. Maintenance/Relapse Prevention — here you have successfully implemented your change and are reaping the desired benefits that you sought after in the Contemplation stage of change.

Example: Many of us want to lose weight or become healthier. At this point, you have not decided the medium of losing the weight such as diet, exercise, lifestyle change, etc., but are suspecting that you want to be healthier (pre-contemplation stage of change). Later, you start to think about the costs/benefits of losing weight and you consider what your needs are that drive the change (contemplation stage of change). After you decide that you want to try a local dance studio for cardio as a form of fun and exercise to lose weight, you research local dance studios that you could afford and meet your personal values (preparation stage of change). You finally find a studio that you think you want to go to, and you attend classes (action stage of change). As you learn about yourself and dance, you may come to enjoy it or decide that you want to look into something else, which would then either send you to Contemplation or to Maintenance/Relapse Prevention stage of change.

So what stage of change do you find yourself in? What changes are you considering for yourself? Is right now the best season to make a change?

One last note: the stages of change are not sequential, you can jump over stages, but typically change is facilitated in moving from step one all the way through five. But when life changes or you learn about your initial plan in the Action stage of change, that could send you to another previous stage of change. Remember, there is no backward momentum in change. Identifying your stage of change can help you determine what you need to know or do next in order to live out the desired change in your life.

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