The Action Stage is when you are actively engaged in performing the steps in your plan to achieve your goals. The difference between Action and Preparation is that in Preparation, you are rehearsing the changes, tweaking your plan and "sticking your toe in the water". In the Action stage, you have jumped in all the way and are working your plan and moving towards your goals. People in the Action Stage:

Have begun to make changes in the last six months. Have a plan of action, preferably in writing, that they are following. Have goals. Are committed to success. Have a risk of falling back in to their old patterns of behavior. Can get discouraged too easily. Slowly build confidence so they can succeed.

You should use every trick in the book, and perhaps invent a few, to keep your program going. You may be working on several areas of change at once (e.g. exercise and eating better) where changes in one area help to make changes successful in others.

The size and order of the steps you take can often be what makes the difference between being successful, or not. Trying to go from one extreme to the other usually does not result in lasting change. "Baby-steps" are more likely to work in the long run. Remembering that setbacks are a natural part of change helps keep you from falling back as well. For example, you may be doing a great job of watching your diet when you decide to go away for the weekend - and blow your diet. That's okay. When you get back, go back to healthy eating.

Next, we'll take a look at how Mark encounters and deals with some setbacks during his Action stage.

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