Paris Hilton

Paris Hilton is a changed woman….well, maybe not. Hollywood and CNN are fond of sensational stories and the idea that Paris – or anyone – goes from being self-centered, attention seeking and addicted to a role model for young girls in a matter of days, is the stuff fantasies are made of.

Don’t get me wrong, people change – and sometimes in dramatic, life altering ways. And there’s nothing like a stay at the county’s finest to motivate a person to begin the change process. Significant change often begins with an ‘ah-ha’ moment; a point in time where our behaviour collides with our world and we ‘see’ what we had been ignoring. But rarely is a dramatic event enough to ensure lasting change.

So, what does Paris (or anyone) who wants to make good on their promise to change their ways do after the shock of the ‘initial sensitizing event’ has faded? Hard work. Lots of hard personal work. There are specific steps to making significant personal change. She can use her jail stay to remind her of the pain of going back to her old ways….but it will take more than that to keep her on the path to a sober, more balanced life.