There is an old saying, “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.”  If you are not ready to commit to being healthy, there is nothing that anybody can do to help you.  On the other hand, if you are ready, you are over halfway there!

Different Goals

There are different levels of mindset toward change and the willingness to work towards it.  See if you can place yourself in one of these categories.

1-Precontemplation- These people are not ready for change because they don’t believe  they have a problem.  Frequently they blame others for their negative lot in life.  They tend to be defensive and are the ones who are usually court ordered to participate in rehabilitation programs.  They simply do not want a change as much as they want the behavior that got them to where they are.

2-Contemplation-You might say that “they’re thinking about it”.  They recognize the behavior as having a negative impact on their health but have not made a plan to correct it.  This stage can last for months or years.

3-Preparation-At this stage, a person is putting together a plan to change the negative behavior.  It usually takes about 30 days for this to fully develop.  Usually he will make a public commitment during this stage and begin to develop small positive changes.

4-Action-At this point the person is applying a consistent, visible action to change the negative behavior and replace it with positive habits.  This is about 6 months on average and is a big investment in both time and energy.

5-Maintenance-This begins about 6 months into the Action phase and lasts a lifetime in order to solidify the positive changes.

Fail 10 Times, Get Up 11

Sometimes we fall back into old habits and have to go through the stages again.  Analyzing our behavior and looking for triggers that caused us to return to bad habits is necessary to effect permanent change.  Sometimes we “feel like a loser” because we backslid, but the truth is that we learn every time that we repeat this cycle and if we DON’T. QUIT. … we eventually learn how to change our behaviors for permanent success.[1]

Other Indicators of Likely Success

1-A major upheaval in your life has made change mandatory.

2-You’re at the end of your rope.

3-You’re tired of merely surviving, you want to thrive and enjoy your life.

4-Your current life will not perpetuate your dreams.

5-An inner voice keeps calling you to be, have and do more. [2]

Where do you find yourself in these lists?  Are you ready for a better life?  If you are not where you need to be to fuel your hopes and dreams, then work harder.  It’s worth it.  I promise! ;-*

[1] https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-recovery-coach/201712/are-you-ready-change

[2] https://www.huffpost.com/entry/7-signs-you’re-ready-for-a-major-life-change_b_7225108