Here’s to Martha Beck’s Brilliance!
The real nuts and bolts of navigating change…
I worked as a tobacco cessation specialist for seven years, and in that capacity I learned a lot about navigating change, especially the four “stages of change”: Pre-contemplation, Contemplation, Preparation, and Action. In plain English: not yet thinking about change, thinking about it, getting ready for it, and doing it.
But never in those seven years did anyone talk about stages within change itself. Martha Beck’s book Finding Your Own North Star: Claiming the Life You Were Meant to Live is loaded with invaluable information and insights, but the way she describes change—as a process involving four stages, or “squares”—is brilliant. She gives the real nuts and bolts of navigating change. I wish I’d had her information during those tobacco cessation specialist years—I might have been able to help more people stay quit.
I’m giving you only a tiny window onto this priceless information. Pick up the book for more.
It’s the nature of each of these squares that captured me—I recognized them, as will you.
Here is Martha Beck’s brilliance, her four “squares” of change, and the mantra she recommends for each:
- Death and Rebirth: Change has struck, usually both inner and outer. Making small moves only is recommended. An overwhelming desire to turn back is normal.
“I don’t know what the hell is going on, and that’s OK.”
- Dreaming and Scheming: Thinking and planning, takes center stage. Time for Big Ideas, and to make wildly improbable goals. Big and bold moves recommended.
“There are no rules, and that’s OK.”
- The Hero’s Saga: It’s Real World time, where the rubber hits the road and frequent failures can be morphed into increasing successes. Courageous, bold moves recommended, tenacity required.
“This is much worse than I expected, and that’s OK.”
- The Promised Land: You’ve found your way to the real world manifestation of your dream! Time to enjoy it—go with this flow—as long as possible before another Catalytic Event catapults you into a new Square One. Small moves, small adjustments, recommended so you don’t rock yourself out of this lovely square.
“Everything is changing, and that’s OK.”
Coach’s Challenge: As humans, we are always in some stage of change. Which of those four squares are you in right now? Which of them do you recognize as most comfortable for you? Which one is hardest? Once you’ve identified where you are, use the appropriate mantra this week! Leave a comment below to let me know how this resonates for you.
