Tag: story

The Stages of Change

Do you remember what it was like when you were learning to ride a bike?  How to play an instrument, or drive a car?  The first few weeks and months may have been a struggle, but the results were so sweet!  Mastering a new skill brings a sense of freedom and accomplishment like none other — but there is a process involved.

Many people enter counseling because they are ready for change.  They want to get from Point A to Point B, learn new skills, and write the next chapter of their story.  What some clients don’t realize is that making changes in mental and emotional health and lifestyle is almost never a “quick fix.”  Learning and developing new patterns of thinking, feeling, and behavior takes time.  If you are willing to engage in that process, you can enjoy lasting, meaningful changes in your life.  Here is a brief rundown of The Stages of Change — they ar ...

             Eleri jumped seamlessly, no special notice the piles of hay in her way, except the leap that interrupted her rhythm. Every morning she was up with the crack of dawn, ready to go for her walk. Every morning she ran, so at other times she could rest and eat. The gate of her legs spread, pounding the ground in a musical speed. Her tail wagged delight.

            Animals are fascinating creatures. They have this rhythm to life. Hunt, eat, play, sleep. Hunt, eat, play, sleep. Rinse, repeat  Animals already know a basic tenant of life we humans miss. Life comes with a beat, but it also comes with the ups and downs of rhythms. Work is a glorified element of life in American culture. Or laziness is glorified. And, we’ve missed the beauty of the ups and downs of work time and rest time.

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Three frogs are sitting on a log. Two frogs decide to jump off. How many frogs are still sitting on a log? Seems like a very straight forward question, but I’d be really curious how you answered. The correct answer is three. Three frogs are still sitting on the log, because having decided to do something is not the same as actually doing something.

I see people wrestle with being a frog on a log all the time. Sometimes it’s in the smaller things, a new year’s resolution or a diet or exercise program. Other times it’s in the bigger realm of making important changes in life, choices that if acted upon would lead to more freedom in how they live and interact with others. But often times we get stuck in the place between making a plan or decision for change, and actually putting change into action.

The thing that most often gets in the way of action is fear. Life on the other side of cha ...