Stages of Change: Action
After becoming aware of our habits (Precontemplation), weighing them up (Contemplation), and making plans (Preparation), we’re ready to take Action.
This is the stage where change becomes visible. You’re no longer thinking about it, you’re living it.
What Action Means
Action is about:
Taking the first real steps toward your goal.
Replacing old habits with healthier behaviours.
Using strategies to cope with challenges and cravings.
Building consistency so the new pattern begins to take root.
It’s like planting a seed you’ve carefully prepared the soil for. The moment you water it, the potential becomes real. Over the following days and weeks it needs attention, nurturing, keeping an eye on to make sure all is going to plan.
Lower the Benchmark
One of the best pieces of advice I was ever given was to lower the benchmark of success. Bring the target closer. Widen the goalposts.
Sometimes the gap between where you are and where you want to be feels so wide that it is hard to see a realistic way across. Big visions are inspiring, but they can also create pressure. Small wins, however, relieve that pressure and build momentum. Every marathon begins with one step out the door. Every book begins with one word. Every bodybuilder began with one press-up.
When you shrink the first step, you make action doable today.
One thing today
Ask yourself:
What is one thing I can do that takes me one step closer to my goal?
One thing I can tick off today.
One thing so easy, so effortless, that I cannot fail.
Success breeds motivation, and motivation breeds further success, so make it easy for yourself!
Examples for different goals
Cutting down on alcohol: Drink one glass of water between drinks. Decide this in advance and keep the water ready.
Reducing anxiety: Do 1 minute of 6 x 6 breathing - 6 seconds in, 6 seconds out - just 5 slow breaths.
Waking up earlier: Set your alarm 10 minutes earlier. Put the phone across the room. Choose one small thing you will do when you get up.
Improving a relationship: Send one kind message. Name one thing you appreciate. Listen fully in one conversation.
Making more money: Make one sale. If that is not today, then make one call, send one message on LinkedIn, or take one concrete step that moves work forward.
These are small on purpose. The aim is to create motion and evidence that you follow through.
Choice
At the heart of action is choice. Every moment offers a fork in the road. Stay with the familiar pattern, or move a little closer to the person you are becoming.
Even the smallest decisions add up. Choose to pause instead of react. Choose one deep breath. Choose water. Choose to send the message. Choose to turn off the screen. Choose one step.
Repeated choices shape identity. Over time, those choices stop feeling like effort - they feel like you.
Becoming Through Action
Taking action is the real work. Through action, we become something new. Each choice in the direction of change is a step forward in our evolution.
If you’re ready to take action but need support, Evergreen Hypnotherapy offers hypnotherapy in Brighton and online to help with quitting smoking, reducing anxiety, easing depression, and finding relief from stress. Together, we can make each step smoother, easier, and more achievable.
Because Action is where change takes root. And when you step into it, you’re no longer waiting for life to shift - you’re creating it.
David
Evergreen Hypnotherapy🌱
