Just thinking about changing without doing anything is actually how you start to change. it gives you an idea what you want to change and how you want to change it before you actually do. But in the middle of thinking about changing most people get stuck because they think they actually are not doing anything. this creates a negative self-fulfilling prophecy. And then you think that you are not someone who can bring a change and just think about it.

You need to break this cycle with deeper understanding as deliberate change comes in five steps.

• Pre-Contemplation:

This is the stage where you are not even thinking about change.

• Contemplation:

This is the time when few  things have occurred which have catalyzed some thoughts around whether you should change something. This is the stage where nothing gets change by you. You basically just think about how your life would be if you bring a change and the ways by which that potential change might happen.

• Preparation:

This is the stage when you have made up your mind to actually bring a change and then, you start preparing for it. In this preparation mode, you ask people who have been successful in bringing that change. You may also be announcing to others in order to hold yourself accountable for bringing the change.

• Action:

This is the stage which is the most visible as it brings actual behavioral changes. This is closely associated with change but it is not the final stage of the occurrence of change.

• Maintenance:

This is the stage that often requires most attention. You take a lot of time in thinking and bringing a change that you may overlook it. Maintenance is the stage where it is easier to think that all the tough work has been done. With support in the maintenance stage, you learn to prevent, examine, and explore your setbacks.

Via: Business Insider