It may seem like people are changing all of a sudden around us. The person who suddenly decides to join a gym and then you see them working out every day. Or the person who suddenly decides to quit smoking. Or the person who suddenly ends a long-distance relationship. How about the person at work who has suddenly decided to leave their job and start their round-the-world trip?

It may seem like these decisions were made quickly, but there are various stages of change that these people went through internally before you became aware of the external changes.

Back in the 1970s, James Prochaska and Carlo DiClemente developed the SCM Model (Stages of Change Model) to theorize the various behavioural changes that a person goes through on their way to a successful change.

An understanding of these stages and the model can help you (and others) understand where you are on the spectrum so that you are ready to advance to the next level. There’s no use fooling yourself that you are ready for change when you’re not.

Lasting change only comes when you go through the various stages. The stages do not have to be progressive and it’s up to the person to decide at what stage they are in and how they will progress (or regress) to the other stages.

Of course, this is only one model, but it’s a powerful one to explain human behaviour and can help people understand how they can make lasting changes in their lives.

I read about this model years ago when I wanted to change careers. It really helped me recognize if I was really ready for change or if I just unsatisfied with my current job situation and I think it can help you, too.

The Stages of Change

1. Precontemplation

The Precontemplation stage is where you are not ready to acknowledge that you need to change. For instance, if you’re smoker you defend your bad habit to others when they nag you to quit.

Maybe you’re okay with your career of basket-weaving and no one can convince you that you need a new marketable career, even though you’re being evicted and can’t pay your bills.

You don’t see that you have a problem that needs changing.

2. Contemplation

The Contemplation stage is where you realize that something has to change but you’re not sure what it is or if you really want to make a change or not.

At this stage, you’re thinking and thinking and thinking that something has to change in your life but you’re still kind of wishy-washy about the whole thing.

I mean, you know that you could lose a little bit of weight but you’re convinced that you have a healthy relationship with your spouse and they don’t seem to mind (so much).

So what if it bothers you a little that you have no money at the end of the week because you spent it buying STUFF – after all, it’s going to be spent on something, right?

You’re not yet prepared to make any changes in your life, but you’re thinking hard about the consequences of not changing.

3. Preparation

The Preparation stage is what is says it is. You are preparing to make a change in your life. You are gathering information and thinking of changing, but you haven’t taken any real action yet.

This is where you start talking to other people who have already made the change that you want to make. You make a list of blogs and are starting to gather materials such as networking with other entrepreneurs because you think you want to make that career change. Or you sign up to receive some travel brochures on various countries that you would live to move to.

You are determined to make a change and your motivation is high. You’re starting to research everything that you need to know about making your change because you want to move to the next stage.

4. Action

The Action stage is where you and others actually see you making the change in your life. You have already decided to change and you are now ready to take action. You are walking your talk. There’s no stopping you because you have already determined that some behaviour in your life has to change and you are following through.

You’ve done your research and you know what you have to do and are doing it in this stage. You’re actively trying different techniques to stop smoking.

Or you’ve joined the gym and are going every day. You’re writing down everything that goes past your lips into your food diary.

You’ve started your blog and are now writing consistently. You believe in yourself and are taking positive action to change your life.

5. Maintenance

The Maintenance stage is where you continue to take action on your change. You are progressing and continuing to change.

This is where you continue going to the gym every day. You are continuing to use the smoking-cessation patches because you know that to stop at this stage means a relapse.

It’s really important when you are at this stage to renew your commitment to your new behaviour, avoid temptations and to have systems in place so that you don’t relapse.

For instance, you hire technical people to help you on your blog’s design or you start to accept guest-posts. You develop a system for working out every day. You enlist your friends and family by telling them that you’ll pay them $100 if they ever see you light up again.

6. Termination (or Relapse)

The Termination stage is where the new behaviour you adapted is now a part of your life. This can also be the relapse stage where you have abandoned the change and have relapsed to where you were before.

You are now a non-smoker. Your whole mindset has changed to incorporate the new behaviour into your life. You self-identify as a blogger, or an entrepreneur, or a world-traveler or whatever-the-case-may-be.

If you have relapsed, that’s a normal stage of the change model. Everyone slips and makes mistakes. But, the best thing is for you to try again. Maybe you failed at your first business model. Try a different one.

You ate the ice cream and gained 5 lbs back. Or you haven’t blogged in a month. Don’t beat yourself up about it. Just recognize the stage that you found yourself in, and regress back to the Action or Maintenance stage. Start again.

There is no shame is starting over. Lasting change takes time and determination.

Do you recognize any of these stages in your life? I certainly do! I’m currently in the Action stage where it comes to this blog. Prior to October of last year, I was definitely in the Contemplation stage. Regarding my career, I think I’m in the Preparation stage as I investigate new avenues of making a living.

What do you think? Is this a useful model for you to recognize the various stages of change and how you can progress (or regress) to ensure that your change is lasting?

Related Posts:

1. Using Visualization To Get To Point Z From Point A
2. The Only Words You’ll Need To Overcome Your Fears
3. From Homeless To The Infopreneur – Guest Post
4. Do You Need To Let Go and Forgive?
5. Are You Being Your True Authentic Self?

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Tagged as: Personal Development, Stage of Change