PICTURING PERSONAL CHANGE VISUAL GUIDE
with the Cow Path Model of Change™
Use the picturing personal change visual guide for a preliminary introduction to the Cow Path Model of Change™. Scroll down and view the six (6) images that represent the six (6) parts of the model. Change can feel overwhelming and sometimes a little scary. But when we begin to picture the process of change practically, the process can feel more manageable. The model, developed by Terri Lee Cooper, illustrates how deliberate, conscious change can unfold.
When you begin working through the Cow Path Model of Change™ you will see how each part of the model builds on itself. Each section of the model is demonstrated in audio format with follow-up journaling prompts. Once you understand the simple parts of the model personal change can begin to feel possible.
Scroll down to review the images.
Picturing Personal Change Visual Guide
Part 1/6 of the Cow Path Model of Change™
Original Potential
The Original Potential is the unique, innate tendencies, preferences, talents, and capacities we are all born with. It's a seed of endless possibilities. It is a part of us that has often been minimized through conditioning but is like a light that never goes out.
Picturing Personal Change Visual Guide
Part 2/6 of the Cow Path Model of Change™
Internal Robot
Each of us has an Internal Robot, aka the subconscious mind. This part of us prefers what is familiar, even when familiar ways of being do not serve us. The Internal Robot is stubborn and prefers the status quo, but it can be taught.
Picturing Personal Change Visual Guide
Part 3/6 of the Cow Path Model of Change™
Old Cow Path
Old Cow Paths represent familiar ways of being. Thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that have become automatic but do not necessarily align with our original potential or our current goals. Cow paths require no conscious thoughts or planning. Cow paths can be challenging to change, and we often feel "stuck" until we learn to meet the learning needs of the Internal Robot.
Picturing Personal Change Visual Guide
Part 4/6 of the Cow Path Model of Change™
New Cow Path
New Cow Paths represent new deliberate and consciously chosen ways of being. When we become the CEO of our lives, we choose new thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that serve our current goals and a freely chosen identity. To do this, we must meet the learning needs of the internal Robot.
Picturing Personal Change Visual Guide
Part 5/6 of the Cow Path Model of Change™
Filing Cabinet
The Filing Cabinet represents the storage of our memories, stories, associations, and triggers that comprise our self-conception. When our thinking and imagination are undisciplined, the Internal Robot accesses the mental filing cabinet in a manner that does not serve us.
Picturing Personal Change Visual Guide
Part 6/6 of the Cow Path Model of Change™
Future Self
The Future Self represents who you will become as you move down a new cow path. It is the embodiment of a consciously chosen self-image and the alignment of your original potential with current, freely chosen goals.
