Am I ready

to

change?

Research has shown that self-change is a staged process. We move from not thinking about changing a behavior, to thinking about it, to planning to change, and then testing out ways to do it before we actually start.

When we think about changing a behavior, these are some of the questions we may ask:

• Why do I really want to change the behavior (the benefits or "pros")?


• Why shouldn't I try and change the behavior (the challenges or "cons)?


• Do my "pros" outweight my "cons"?


• What would it take for me to change the behavior and overcome my "cons" (what's my strategy)?

To move forward, our "pros" must outweight our "cons" AND we need realistic strategies to meet our challenges and overcome our "cons."

To help you understand your stage of readiness, take this short quiz and honestly answer the questions below:

1. The goal or behavior I want to work on first is:

2. My reaons for wanting to change this behavior are:

3. The challenges that I have to deal with in changing this behavior are:

4. My strategies for dealing with those challenges are:

5. My goal for next week with respect to this behavior is:

Setting small, appropriate and achievable goals is the key to forward motion. And small goals turn into larger goals which turn into new behaviors which turn into the foundational building blocks of a new healthier, happier life!