What are The Five Phases of Change?

I work with change. A lot.

And I’ve worked on my own change. A lot.

I’m now understanding what change looks like and have landed on the five phases below.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗿𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗣𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗲

At its core procrastination isn’t about laziness or apathy, it’s about fear: fear of failure, fear of rejection, fear of uncertainty, and fear of being wrong. The key is to identify the root of the fear. We encourage people to share their ideas on LinkedIn. Their number one fear is that they’ll be told they're wrong. They then start posting and their first complaint is that no one is noticing them.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗼𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗣𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗲

Two sources of motivation are discomfort in the present and/or the allure of an attractive future. When the future looks so much better than the present you'll be motivated to act, despite your fears. We’ve created a Story of Change canvas that helps people reflect on where they are now and where they want to be. Identifying an exciting contrast between the two is their fuel "to do".

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗣𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗲

Motivation gets us started, discipline keeps us going. The road won’t always be smooth and so we need commitment to stay the course. Cultivating habits that promote our progress is a form of discipline. If you struggle, get accountable. This is why we run Momentum groups, to help you build an action habit.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝗻𝗯𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗲

There are some roadblocks that discipline can’t overcome. They are invisible barriers that we don’t even realise are there. Identifying these deeper, unseen obstacles is key to the unblocking phase. The block is generally something mental, emotional, or situational.  When we teach our Happy Pricing course the barrier to charging more is less about knowing the right pricing strategies and more about one's relationship to money and self-worth.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗣𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗲

No one ever achieves anything alone. If you're truly honest with yourself you'll identify a key encounter or important piece of advice that helped you along the way. When you're blocked, getting support is priceless.

This support can come in different forms:

• 𝗕𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗻: Feeling seen and heard unlocks clarity
• 𝗕𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗱: Comfort and safety helps us recharge and reengage
• 𝗙𝗲𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗵𝘆: When others feel what we feel our load lightens
• 𝗙𝗲𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗲𝗿𝗹𝗲𝗱: Encouragement from others and celebrating our wins is motivating
• 𝗕𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗱: Powerful insight comes from within, we need help to discover it
• 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲: When we're overwhelmed all we want is to be told what to do next

On our Vision 20/20 program we run Wise Crowd sessions where participants get to experience all these types of support.

I hope my perspective on these phases helps you move forward.