Personal change is a very long process. In fact, it’s a lifelong process. You never stop changing or growing. You never stop bettering your character. I find that there are four basic steps of the change process.
First, recognizing what you need to change. This is what guides you. This gives you the focus of what you need to improve on to grow your character. Besides asking a trusted person, thinking about what happened in you day will give you a good idea of what you need to work on. For instance, you usually know right off the bat when you realize that what you just did was pretty stupid. Any regret you might feel about your behavior will indicate something you might want to change. Also, you can recognize what you need to change by asking yourself these questions: How does the environment change when you’re participating? How do others react? Sometimes you don’t need to search hard; it might just be right in front of you. Recognizing what you need to change is extremely important to improving your character.
Second, actually wanting to change. Do you actually want to change what you’re doing than just knowing what it is and letting it go? Do you really feel that you want to do something differently?
Now here is when it gets a little tougher. Okay so, you found what you need to do differently and you actually want to fix it, what do you do now? Where do you go from here? This is the third step; this is when you need to start changing. Keep in mind, at all times, what you want to change and be alert when you might slip into the old behavior you don’t like. Immediately divert from it and begin doing the behavior you want to make a habit.
The fourth step is just a reinforcement of the third step. Keep being alert and try hard not to do it until your form a new habit. Persistence is the key. Soon, you should be able to stop doing the thing that you really don’t want to do anymore.
By following these steps, you will be able to conquer the things you want to change and keep improving yourself more and more.
