While taking a graduate course on addictions, our professor asked us to decide on some simple change we would want to make and then to make and maintain that change for one month. We did this exercise to help build our sensitivity for those struggling to change from drug and other addictions. While this exercise is so simple at its core, the results were staggeringly disappointing. The simplest of change appeared as near impossible or impossible. What in the world was going on here? Through our continued study of change we found that certain elements were typically necessary before change would happen and that maintenance of that change would require, possibly, even more effort or commitment. You know what I’m saying; it’s like New Year’s resolutions. They either quickly or slowly fall apart, but they fall apart.
In graduate school we were exposed to a method that assists people with making change. It is called Motivational Interviewing. When I read and heard more about it, I said out loud to my professor, “This is more important than anything we have learned so far. Why has it taken so long for us to get to this information?” Here I was nearing the end of my graduate school experience.
In a nut shell, this method is built on the premise that people make change only when they are ready. It could be any change, to include stopping smoking, to lose weight, to achieve a specific goal, to get a divorce, to change jobs, to start a business, to get physically fit, etc. If people aren’t ready, they will be full of reasons (excuses, rationalizations) as to why they aren’t about to change.
The beauty is that a good life coach or therapist can walk you through the steps to asses your stage of readiness to change and guide you to make the changes that you want. The process involves an assessment of how changing or not changing would impact your life. This process has helped me to make some important changes, yet there are times that even I have to get outside help. Yup, I am a life coach and I have to hire a life coach. So, I do what I know works!
Lon Ohlfest LMHC, Life Coach
