In our first post on change and Changeology, we discussed John C. Norcross’s fascination with change. In this second post we are going to look at the first part of Changeology, wherein Norcross discusses the science behind and keys supporting.
Change is hard. Not the constant change that permeates our growth in life. That’s natural and just a little bit difficult each time we do it. But, focused and intentional change is hard. We resist this type of change with a love/hate vengeance. Don’t fight this resistance; embrace it and use it as fuel.
Norcross’s Changeology posits we all change within Four Ambition Clusters:
- Bad habits or behavioral excesses,
- New goals or behavioral improvements,
- Interpersonal relationships, and
- The supremely important, but amoebic-like life satisfaction.
Regardless of the quadrant, however, all change is change that progresses through the same 5 steps using the same fundamental strategies to make the journey.
Precontemplators, those who are not yet ready to change, who may not even recognize they need to change, cannot be helped and no one, not even Norcross himself, can train you to help them.
Contemplators know where they want to go (they obsessively ruminate and chronically contemplate about specifically changing something in particular), they’re just not particularly ready to go there yet. Maybe, sometime, they will make a firm decision to take action and begin the next stage.
Preparation pushes good intentions toward small baby-step movements of setting goals and priorities and getting ready to make real change.
Action is where real change, modification of behavior and environment to overcome problems and reach change goals, occurs using considerable commitment of time and energy. These changes get socially seen and recognized. Those who stroke the actors, however, often lose sight of the preparation and maintenance work that preceded and will must follow the action stage to make change permanent.
Maintenance requires continued work and consolidation of gains made during action. Why is maintenance such a mandatory burden of owning a new trait? Norcross doesn’t say. At least, not yet.
Each stage requires completing a consistent set of tasks before graduating to the next. Norcross defines his path for these stages saying:
“I will speak of the 5 steps: Psych (get ready/contemplation), Prep (plan before leaping/preparation), Perspire (take action/action), Persevere (manage slips/maintenance), and Persist (maintain change/maintenance).”
While reading this, I thought to myself, “Son of a biscuit-eater, that sucker Norcross stole half the P’s of my P10 Principle.”
Nonetheless, as Solomon says, the more things change the more they stay the same. And Norcross agrees with Solomon as he admits he didn’t make this stuff up ex nihilo. He reveals he learned his P’s the same place I learned mine – from researchers doing research before he did. Norcross’s “secret,” however, is that you have to take all the appropriate steps in all the stages in order and work from whatever stage you find yourself through the rest of his 5 stage (“steps”) in order. Just like we say in the P10 Principle.
[reminder]Are you ready to make a change now?[/reminder]