Ch-Ch-Changes

Change comes in many forms.  We all have ideas of what we would change and the reasons behind those changes.  When change isn't successful or we don't see it through all the way, we can get discouraged and give up.  This is a pattern with which I am quite familiar.    Learning how to break this pattern can be quite difficult and I feel like I am on the path to breaking it, so I wanted to share with others what I have learned. 
For a while now I have been at the contemplation stage of [big fancy psychology word] change.  I have been essentially deciding whether or not I want to make permanent changes to my life.  Ironically, my journey through the stages of change parallels that of the clients I serve through adult mental health services.  This month I have been working with clients that are not really progressing on to the next stages of change (aka...managing their mental health symptoms enough to overcome barriers to adaptable life).  So the 5 stages of this model of change are pre-contemplation, contemplation, preparation, action and maintenance.  I think that I smash together the contemplation and action stages and skip the preparation stage...guess what, this sets me up for failure and disappointment.  

When deciding to make changes in ones life, we should look at the 3 elements of motivational interviewing to really determine the level of commitment to making said changes.  The 3 elements can be measured on the Ruler of change (1 through 10, 1 least 10 most). 
When making plans for a change in your life here are the elements to ask yourself about.
1.  Importance:  How important is this to me on a scale of 1-10?
2. Confidence: How confident am I that I will be successful on a scale of 1-10?
3. Readiness:  How ready am I for this change to happen on a scale of 1-10?

If importance his high and confidence is high, but readiness is low, then changes are there will be no progression towards reaching whatever the goal may be.

This might explain why I am stuck in the contemplation stage.  Not all of the scores of my Ruler for change are high.  In fact, I am not sure that any of my scores on those 3 elements are high enough to move to another stage.  Importance is the highest ranking element, because intellectually I KNOW and FEEL that the changes I want to make are important to me and my family, but I hold no confidence that I can make it.
A little bit of me isn't necessarily ready to let my old life go and start new.  So what will push me over the edge and make it to the next stage?

Give this a try and let me know what you think...did it work and did it provide you would more successful outcomes.  I sure hope it does for me.

-Amy