Change is tough. It requires us to venture into the unknown, letting go of what we were previously familiar with. It requires self-control, discipline, time, and patience. These are reasons why people resist change to stay comfortable. In The Transtheoretical Model (also called the Stages of Change Model), developed by Prochaska and DiClemente, there are five stages:
Pre-contemplation – building awareness of subject
Contemplation - thinking and researching about the subject
Preparation – commits to take action
Action - implementation of plans
Maintenance – integration of change into lifestyle
While the Action stage is the most exciting, the 3 stages before it are crucial in ensuring better success in the implementation of the Action stage. One may stay at a particular stage for an unknown period. It may take weeks, months or even years of contemplation and preparation. However, this is perfectly normal and is described as ambivalence, meaning the state of having mixed feelings or contradictory ideas about something.
Remember, no woman is an island. Connect with the people in the community. We are here to encourage and motivate one another to make that change. If you are “stuck”, don’t worry too much about it, the time will come. What matters is that you do not give up. Start small, become 1% better each day. The compound effect of improvement will be remarkable.
Now that you have taken your first step by joining this community, which stage do you think you are in? 😊
