Change is the only constant in our lives, an oxymoron that will stand the test of time. Yet, change remains difficult for most of us; however, there are steps you can take to make the journey easier. Sometimes we do not even feel the need to change but the events around us force us to change. If you are thinking ‘how do I change?’ I will show you a process that can be applied to any area of your life that needs to change.
Change is hard
The world is changing rapidly whether it’s work and upgrading your skills and knowledge, school, at home, or even for personal reasons, there are forces that demand us to keep changing. We often don’t want to change and we are comfortable where we are even when the change is to our benefit! Add uncertainty in the mix and it becomes even harder. However; the inability to adapt often results in failure at some point down the line. What do these forces of change look like?
External forces of change
External change forces refer to outside factors or influences that have a direct or indirect impact on your life.
There are a number of factors to consider such as economic, social, political, and legal, and technical factors. These factors cannot be controlled and will influence what you do. Often times you will be forced you to change whether you like it or not and legislative consequences usually underlie the changes.
Internal forces of change
This is all you, these are in-house factors that an individual has control over. Internal pressure for change usually stems from inefficiencies, declining effectiveness, and other negative experiences caused by not performing well.
You can make the choice to change or not e.g. if you do not have certain skills to do a job or activity, you can decide to obtain them or not without legislative consequence. Internal forces can be controlled and changed through planning and development of self.
I want to change my life: Questions you need to answer
If you want to change, you need to gain clarity on why you want to change
Ask yourself the following:
- What has happened that is pushing me to change? (e.g. failing mid-terms)
- Which areas of my life need to change? (e.g. studying habits, less partying)
- What will happen if I do not bother myself with changing? (e.g. fail the course, not graduate on time).
Successfully changing yourself for the better
In addition to the above, you should be able to check off the criteria below to increase your chances of successfully changing.
- Have a clear picture of why you want to change
- Be willing to do the work to change
- Have the knowledge, capability, and resources to change
- Be accountable, when you fail to reach a milestone go back to the drawing board and get to the root of what happened.
How to change: Three steps you can take to change
Plan
What do I need to do to get there?
- Have a clear written understanding of the issue and what needs to change.
- Create a vision of where you want to be at the end of the process
- Formulate a strategy of how you will attain your vision and goals. You should also include how you will measure success along the way.
- Gather as much information about the process you will go through, thereby eliminating surprises that discourage you later on
- Understand how your journey is going to affect your life and those that you care about and determine if the negatives outweigh the benefit
- Identify the type and level of support you will need from e.g. family, co-workers, spouse, friends to be able to succeed
- List down the resources you will need e.g. monetary, time, people
- Have an action plan with short and long term milestones along with the dates on which you will achieve them
Do
Doing what I have to, to get there
- Carry out your plans according to a schedule on an action plan
- Track progress of your success in achieving your goals
- Identify any risks and issues you are or may face
Control
Am I getting there?
- Reinforce behaviors – amplify the positive and drop the negative
- Measure and evaluate your success
- Make necessary adjustments to your plans and activities
These are steps that you can take to change. If you are not sure of where to start your change journey, check out the guide on self-reflection. If you need help with guidance with planning, check out the reset guide.