Are you feeling stuck in your current stage of life? Maybe you feel unchallenged in your job, or are going through relationship issues. Maybe you just graduated college or want to move closer to your family (or farther away – we don’t judge!) It might be time for a change. This change could be as simple as making small adjustments to your daily life or as significant as moving to a new city or getting a new job.
Kurt Lewin’s Change Model is a three-step guide to prepare yourself for change and make it as seamless as possible.
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Unfreeze
This step can be the hardest. You have a goal in mind, but no strategy to get there. And before you can move forward, you need to overcome the forces working against you.
These forces could be personal, a family member, a friend etc. or anyone else who doesn’t support this idea. At that point, you will be in a personal battle, asking yourself: “how important is this to me?” You need to know yourself and be ready to battle these forces in order to achieve this goal.
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Change
OKAY you made it past those real difficult battles. Now what? Mentally, you have figured out why you want this change and what change you want, but in this big world nothing just falls in one’s lap. You need to get out there and strategize about the best way to accomplish this goal.
What do you like to do? Where do you like to be? What is it going to take to get you up and moving towards this new goal? How are you personally motivated? Now, make an action plan. Answer these questions, and prepare yourself to make it all work. Talk with people around you and utilize your network to help!
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Refreeze
The time has come to make the change. You need to make this new idea a habit or something that will last long term. Due to all the self-reflection you have done in the previous steps, at this point you should feel confident that this will be the right decision for you. When it comes to implementing a change, it’s quite simple: take one small step at a time, slow down and think, and take the courageous step towards the goal, even when it isn’t convenient. Even when it was terrifying. Move forward. The change will happen if it’s something you really want, otherwise was it really something right for you?
