One of the Great Mysteries of Life, is the matter of HOW and WHY people change their behavior. 

Solving this particular mystery - or at least creating the most favorable environment - personally, and then when available, socially - is an implicit requirement of any Integral Transformative Practice.

So - what causes change? 

Let's take a quick look at one particular "master" of self-change, Steve Pavlina.

Steve Pavlina's articles rely quite a lot on the theory, or metaphor, that Tranformation is based on the Personal Will - what I think is useful tol call the Green Lantern theory of change.

A few of Steve Pavlina's articles:

How To Become An Early Riser

What is taken from the article is the assumption that one simply *just* changes your behavior.


Here's a modified quote about Green Lantern, to show what I mean:

As you may know, the Green Lantern Corps is a sort of interstellar peacekeeping force set up by the Guardians of Oa to maintain the peace and defend justice. It recruits members from all sorts of different species and equips them with the most powerful weapon in the universe, the power ring.

The ring is a bit goofy. Basically, it lets its bearer generate streams of green energy that can take on all kinds of shapes. The important point is that, when fully charged what the ring can do is limited only by the stipulation that it create green stuff and by the user's combination of will and imagination. Consequently, the main criterion for becoming a Green Lantern is that you need to be a person capable of "overcoming fear" which allows you to unleash the ring's full capacities.

Now, this seems to apply very well to the notion of the DOER of transformative change. Want to get strong?  Work out! 
Want to lose weight?  Eat healthy!
Want to get free?  Meditate!
Want X job?  Do Y!

In some sense, this X factor of will - some combination of self-discipline, motivation, and an understanding of one's own daily rhythms, and what works for you - is present in all self-improvement work. 

And when that will FAILS - as the studies show it inevitable does, for the majority of people, in various degrees - who is to blame, but your "lack of will?"

There is a problem with setup of course - mainly that it IS a setup, psychologically, without a deeper appreciation of the embeddedness of:

Weight of personal patterns
Embedded nature of social, functional, and logistical entanglements with society.
Personal psychological history, and those effects.

These effects above are why it is a good idea to have the small group dynamic - or even the motivated buddy dynamic - to engage in change, and self-improvement.