Little known fact about me: I was a on the school newspaper my junior and senior year of high school. A long with that I had to take a journalism class. In this class we learned how to write news articles. You know the whole "who, what, where, when and why" thing. I'm beginning to realize these are the same questions that need to be asked for successful behavior change. Let me explain.
- WHO: the person trying to make the change. Others to be considered are the person's family and friends as they will either help or hurt the odds of change occurring.
- WHAT: the goal of the change. The more specific the better. Saying, "I'm going to be more healthy" won't get much changed. Saying, "I'm going to eat vegetables at every meal" is much more likely to be adhered to long term.
- WHERE: the place where the change will take place. Do you have to find a way to avoid the break room at work? Do you need to rearrange your kitchen to make it easier to cook vegetables at every meal?
- WHEN: how long are you giving yourself to make these changes? Again the more specific the better. A clear deadline helps to keep you moving toward the goal.
- WHY: what makes this change important? This is probably the most important question. The answer to this question is what you're going to go back to anytime you start to waiver on your commitment to change.
You have to answer these 5 questions to begin to have a good news article. The same goes for having a chance at changing your behavior. In answering the 5 Ws, you are also answering a sixth question. You're answering the how. If you can answer all 5 Ws very specifically, then you are creating a roadmap leading to the change you want.
