When trying to decide on some individual changes that I believed I could make

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1 Conrad1 Kevin Conrad Change Management Assignment James Carlopio 25 July, 2010 Individual Changes When trying to decide on some individual changes that I believed I could make throughout the semester, several came to mind. I said to myself, I want to make significant changes that are not only achievable, but also will be good for my health. I decided on three main changes to try and execute to the best of my ability. These were drinking a glass of water every morning when I awoke and every night right before bed, going to the gym at least four times a week and also changing my diet to more fruits and vegetables instead of take-out and fast food. Over the course of the semester I went through many challenges that made fulfilling these changes difficult, however still achievable. When reading through the text assigned for the class, I came across two main principles that I was going to follow throughout my process. They were, The Principle of Consistency (Carlopio 123) and The Principle of Imitation (Carlopio 124). I felt that if I could dedicate myself to being consistent, then I would feel a better sense of pride every time I fulfilled my change goals. I took the imitation principle in a different way. I have always really liked going to the gym, playing sports and being active so I decided that I would imitate someone else s workout regiment to better improve myself. I researched multiple personal trainers and professional athletes workout routines and took bits and pieces from each. I focused on the

2 Conrad2 concept of muscle building with a smaller focus on cardio training. It is very evident that these principles helped me to succeed with my change goals. I decided I was going to conduct a Stakeholders Perception Analysis for each change: the first change, drinking water in the morning and at nighttime. I concluded that the Relative Advantage was a 5, due to the fact that drinking water right when I wake up and right before bed would make me feel better. It would allow my digestive system to work more easily and in return I would feel a lot better throughout the day. I gave Compatibility a 5 as well because I knew that it would fit into my schedule. Complexity I decided was to be a 1 because it wasn t a very hard task to do every day. I then decided that I would try it out and if it seemed to work, I would stick with it; therefore, I gave Trial Ability a 5. It would also be very easy to observe if it was working, so I gave Observability a 5, as well. Finally, I thought about Re- Invention. I decided that I could certainly modify the change if I wanted to. I had the ability to only drink a glass when I woke up every day or just before bedtime, so I also gave it a 5. Now that it is the end of the semester I can say that I did achieve my goal of drinking a glass of water in the morning and at night, however, there was some resistance I had to deal with along the way. If I went away for the weekend traveling, like I did quite frequently, I had to make sure that I had a water bottle full at night, for the morning. This became a challenge because I would go out for the night to a bar and forget that I hadn t done this previously. There were also mornings that I would wake up and not feel like it was a good idea to drink anything. This was not a very frequent event, though, and knowing that it would most likely

3 Conrad3 help me, I usually did drink a glass. Overall, I would say that I stuck with this change to the fullest effort. It greatly improved my moods and the way I was feeling each and every day. The second Stakeholders Perception Analysis I conducted was for the change of going to the gym at least four times a week. I decided that the Relative Advantage, Trial Ability, Observability and Re-Invention were all 5 s. I know it would be better for me to go to the gym and work out, I could try it out and if I didn t like it or if it wasn t working I could stop, results would be seen very easily and quickly, and I could always modify it to fit my schedule conflicts with class and travel. I decided that the Compatibility was only a 3 because taking four classes can be very stressful. Also, I knew that I would be traveling a lot throughout the semester and would be gone from Thursday to Sunday most weekends. Finally, I decided that the Complexity was a 1 because I could clearly understand why it was important to go to the gym and get in better shape. Once again I ran into some resistance. I did do my fair share of partying over the semester and there were days that I just couldn t motivate myself to get to the gym. Also none of the places I traveled to had gyms that I could access. However, I made it a point to go for a run instead when confronted with this problem. I would say that there were about four or five weeks when I just couldn t get to the gym at least four times. I do feel as though I did make up for it by going five or six times a week on weeks that I didn t have assignments due and when I wasn t away for the weekend. Therefore, I would say that the overall success was achieved. I have seen serious results in the way that I feel and the way that I look. Ever though I haven t

4 Conrad4 lost all the weight that I was hoping for, I have increased my muscle mass and energy levels to all time highs. The third and final change that I made was changing my diet away from fast food and garbage to more fruits and vegetables. I came to the conclusion, once again, that the Relative Advantage, Trial Ability, Observability and Re-Invention were all classified as 5 s. I have always known that eating more fruits and vegetables was better for you and I know that I like these types of food, so trying it was no problem. I knew that I would be able to see or feel results and I had the power to modify my diet when and where I saw fit. The problem was in the compatibility. I knew that I would encounter a lot of trouble trying to prepare meals every night that consisted of vegetables. Being a college kid means that you are constantly on the move, therefore, I gave Compatibility a 2. I decided on giving Complexity a 1 because I know I understood it; it was not a hard concept. Good, healthy food is much better for you than McDonald s. By the end of the semester, I concluded that I had undoubtedly failed this change. Things in my environment just seemed to move too quickly. Most nights I didn t have the prep time to cook or the adequate groceries to do so. I found myself eating anything that was easy to access and relatively cheap. There were times when I tried to fight the resistance in myself and would opt not to go out or just go out later so that I could make a good, healthy meal, but those times were limited. By the end, I tried to justify drinking water and exercising as an excuse to eat whatever I wanted.

5 Conrad5 Overall, having the chance to experience a new country/continent, to study and travel has been a great experience. While I did not achieve one of my change goals, I still feel as though I succeeded. Being placed in a new setting with different cultures, attitudes and perceptions is a difficult task of change in and of itself. I not only achieved that but also succeeded in making two significant changes to my life regarding my health. There is no doubt that I will continue to stick to the changes that I have made over the past three months and to continue to work on improving my selections of food choices and ultimately my overall diet. I can only hope that I will have the opportunity to experience many new and exciting changes in the near future.