Solving Personal Problems: Applying the Five-Step Model
J Gonzales
April 25, 2016

The objective is to control the problem and not allow the problem to control you. To productively manage a situation you have to practice using the 5-step model. The first step in the 5-step model is pinning the problem. The second step is establish your options. The third step is determine the advantages and disadvantages of each option. The fourth step is electing the solution you feel best suits. The fifth step is evaluating if the solution chosen is effective (John Chaffee, 2014).
In week 2, we discussed barriers and learned to identify them to rid ourselves from them. This was a great lesson however, from personal experience I can tell you that it takes more than just identifying the problems to make change. In recent years, I went through a divorce and a change in careers that have forced me to sit and examine my finances. I have set goals, time and time again, to save X amount of money each year for my children's college fund and have created spreadsheets on how I can accomplish this. While it looked great on paper and the system appeared solid, I always came up short on my goals and I realized that other areas of my finances were also being affected.
After studying critical thinking and the five-step model the last couple of weeks, I discovered that the first step to fulfill my goal (s) was to identify the problem. The problem is me. I have failed to take full responsibility for my past and future actions. I alone hold the cards to my failure and success. Taking accountability seems impossible because we are biased to ourselves, as we have learned about cognitive dissonance through this course (John Chaffee, 2014). However, if I accept the things I cannot change, acknowledge my actions and accept accountability, it is then that I can fully allow for positive change to