Personal Plan:
Have you ever felt stymied in your job, or perhaps in your relationship? As if you are marching in place? Everything may be going on well in your life, but there’s a nagging sense of dissatisfaction.
As if life is saying to you that you are not where you should be – or where you would want to be.
This is where a personal development plan, also known as a personal plan, comes in. Personal development is about getting you out of that rut that you seem to be stuck in.
Your prosperity is based on the measure of time that you invest in personal development. In other words, your overall satisfaction in life depends entirely on you having and following a personal plan.
Larry Winget stated, “Nobody ever wrote down a plan to be broke, fat, lazy, or stupid. Those things are what happen when you don’t have a plan!”
Think about it, if a person intends on being lazy, fat, or impoverished, would they need a plan to develop themselves? No, they wouldn’t! All they’d need to do is sit somewhere and hope for the best.
Therefore, a personal plan is for one who wants to succeed in life. It is famously said, “If you fail to plan, plan to fail.” I always say… you need a 5-year-plan!
What is Personal Development?
Life, for most people, is tough. Imagine the obstacles in your life to be huge walls. Now think of personal development as a way to destroy any wall blocking your path to success.
An uncluttered mind will allow you to flow through life, peacefully and successfully.
Personal development is not only a way of solving problems; it is a way of growing. Writing a personal plan will help you:
- Envision a better life
- Chart it out and
- Act upon it
There is, however, a condition – you must muster up your courage and sense of ambition!
If you are a novice to personal development, you need to understand that:
- To create an abundant future, learn about yourself – the more, the better.
According to Life Coach Tony Robbins, every person has six basic human needs: four are personality needs, and two are spiritual needs. They are:
- Certainty: Assurance that you can gain pleasure, and avoid pain
- Contribution: A clear sense of service – a focus on giving to, helping, and supporting others
- Growth: An expansion of capacity, understanding or capability
- Love/Connection: A powerful feeling of union or closeness with someone or something
- Significance: Feeling important, unique, special or needed
- Uncertainty/Variety: The need for change, the unknown, new stimuli
Most people will fulfill at least four of the above needs, either negatively or positively. However, the two spiritual needs, that is, growth and contribution, are the ones that ultimately determine success in life.
Understanding these basic human needs will enable you to recognize the type of person that you are at present. This knowledge will empower you to transform into who you want to become.
- There is a reason why you do what you do.
For every decision you make, there’s a reason why you make it. There’s a reason why you live your life the way you do.
Therefore, understanding your needs will help you understand your actions, which in turn will help you understand your habits.
It is vital that you get rid of negative habits and any lousy attitude that you may have. Overcome any “woe is me” attitude by considering your current situation as normal to humans and yourself – victorious!
You are more than a conqueror!
- A hidden problem benefits you somehow.
You’ll be amazed to discover that some people love to hold on to their problems. This is because there are hidden benefits in keeping them. For instance, a person may keep a small problem, to avoid dealing with an even bigger one.
Sadly, this type of decision making often leads to needless and avoidable misery. Pain is inevitable, but suffering is optional!
Self-introspection and personal development will give you all the answers you need to resolve any problem you may have. There’s no challenge in life that is insurmountable!
Is the Present You Not Good Enough?
In this day and age of “I am enough” and “Love me as I am,” this section is sadly necessary. Wanting to improve yourself does not make you a substandard human being. As a matter of fact, it makes you more aware, enlightened, in fact, in comparison with the next person!
By purposing to venture into the transformative world of self-development, you are on your way to the top. You should be proud of yourself!
The most successful people on the planet, multimillionaires and billionaires, always work to improve themselves. Although, some may overdo it in their pursuit of perfection.
Tony Robbins is a life coach to the “Who’s Who” – some of the wealthiest and most influential people in the world. But why would incredibly prosperous people need his life coaching advice?
Paul C. Brunson, who has worked with Oprah Winfrey, says that she dedicates a significant amount of time to improve herself.
If Oprah and other billionaires think that they need to learn new skills, you may probably need to as well.
So, Where to Start?
Personal development being a vast industry, there are tons of resources available to you, both free and paid. You’ll find books, online courses, fitness, yoga, and meditation programs – from life coaching to individual counseling. Unfortunately, when we have too many options, we tend not to choose any.
Start simply by writing a personal plan. We are here to help you do just that, and we’ll even provide you with a 5-year personal plan template!
As you write your plan, purpose to:
- Invest at least 15 minutes of your day for the next 90 days, in personal development. Decide to do something positive daily, which will help you achieve your personal goals. Learn something new and useful every day. Good time investments have good returns.
- Change your mindset. Overcome your fears. For example, if you fear public speaking more than you fear death itself, get out of your comfort zone! Read about becoming a confident speaker, watch YouTube videos on how to give speeches, imitate powerful speakers, etc.
You become better with frequent practice. It is said that to become an expert in almost anything, you only need to practice for 10,000 hours. So, start speaking up at intimate settings, e.g., at a book club or Bible study, join your local Toastmaster club, etc.
How to Write a Personal Plan:
When writing a personal plan, you need to figure out:
- What your goals are – short term and long term
- What those goals are, and if they coincide with your values
- What your current life circumstances are
- The knowledge, skills or competencies required to usher you into your new and improved self and future
- The training and activities that you can participate in to meet those requirements
Once you get the gist of things, go into more depth. Ask, “Why do I want this?” and “How will I achieve this?”
There are some essential things to consider when creating a personal plan. Here are 9 steps that can help you:
- Define your goals
- Prioritize
- Development procedure
- Get support
- Set a realistic deadline
- Understand your S.W.O.T’s
- Take action
- Measure progress
- Evaluate and review
Step One: Define Your Goals.
What is your purpose?
The first step is – establish the goals that are essential to your achieving personal transformation. It can be something pertaining to your career or objectives that will improve or enrich or your own life. For example, you may want to start a new hobby/activity, lose weight, or learn a foreign language.
Establish your direction or purpose and clearly identify any activity. This will involve:
- Gaining awareness of your present standing and future potential, in your personal life and career
- Gaining an understanding of your interests, gifts, and talents – i.e., the things that motivate you
- Considering the realities that you encounter
Reflect on:
- Your value system, your private life, your family, money and career, obstacles and constraints, now and in the future
- The characteristics of the kind of goals that fit into your value system
Action Item 1: Write 10 essential goals that you want to achieve
Image: Action Item 1, PDP Template
Step Two: Prioritize
After having determined goals, the key now is to focus on the most pertinent item on your list – zoom in. Which goal on your list is the most important? Perhaps you want to achieve good physical form or acquire a postgraduate diploma.
Are there any areas of expertise that you can transfer to different facets of your life? Do you have extraordinary abilities that will be critical to your success? For example, excellent speaking skills will result in:
- Increased confidence
- Better communication
- Better relationships
- Career advancement, e.g., outstanding sales, successful negotiations, etc.
A personal development plan intends to help you improve the fundamental parts of your life. It will also inspire you to develop new skills and obtain more insight.
Action Item 2: Skim through your goals and select the most important one to work on first
Step Three: Development Procedure
Your development requirements will depend mainly on your personal goals, the resources at your disposal, and your financial ability.
Therefore, in this phase, you should focus on what your personal development plan’s procedure will be. Think about who you want to involve in your planning process. Brainstorm about your personal and career plans and objectives, and how you can attain these goals.
As a result of the above reflections, draw up a list of skills you need to acquire, improve, or update. Identify the gaps between your current knowledge base and what you want to learn.
Consider:
- Your learning style –
- Some learn by trying out new stuff
- Others prefer to observe
- Some choose to experiment
- Others carry out research
Do the “Learning Styles Questionnaire” to help you find out your preferred method of learning
- Your development needs –
Your development needs may emerge from actual or intended new tasks or responsibilities. Various instruments are available to help you assess your skills, for example:
- Personality tests
- Self-assessment tests
- Personal diagnostic tests and
- Standardized E.Q and I.Q tests
Consider obtaining both free and paid personal development resources from:
- Your employer
- Government and private advisory agencies
- Multi-media or online packages
- Professional institutions
- Your peers
- Networks
Action Item 3: Research courses you can do to achieve your personal and career goals. Create a personal budget that reflects your current financial position. Meditate on the big picture and refine your plan even more.
Step Four: Get Support
Don’t keep your personal development plan a secret! Invite your trusted friends, mentor, life/career coach, colleagues, and family to support and encourage you. Involving your allies in your development plan can galvanize you into action and cause you to do your best.
There’s always room for personal growth, help one another!
Action Item 4: Invite your allies to support you
Step Five: Understand your S.W.O.T’s
Conduct a personal S.W.O.T – Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats – analysis on yourself. We are all good at somethings and weak in others. You may have above average skills in certain areas, compared to others.
Even if you aren’t the most talented artist, actor, or singer, you can still be an excellent homemaker. You can be a warm and caring person, a doting parent, or a fantastic listener. What are your key strengths?
If you aren’t sure, feel free to ask your friends and family. If they are anything like mine, they’ll be more than happy to chime in with their opinion of you!
Recognize opportunities and threats.
Capitalize on new opportunities to achieve your goals much faster. For instance, you could start an online business to supplement your salary. Or you could begin managing your finances by drawing up a budget and spending wisely.
Your current behavior and habits can either uplift you or hinder you from accomplishing your goals. Therefore, you may want to stop doing things that threaten your good health, fortune, and reputation.
For example, to live longer, you should quit smoking, stop worrying, and stop eating junk food.
Action Item 5:
- Conduct a personal S.W.O.T analysis and write down the results:
- Which of your virtues can help you achieve your personal transformation goals?
- Which weaknesses should you work on?
- What are your opportunities?
- What are the threats?
- Ask your allies:
- What do you think are my best personal attributes?
- Am I patient, well-organized, outgoing, intelligent, persistent, brave, talented, fast-learner, open-minded…?
- Write down 10 opportunities to make use of. Commit to doing what it takes
| OPPORTUNITIES: |
- Write down 10 threats that hinder your personal development. Commit to stop doing things that are detrimental to your transformation, growth and well-being. Stop doing what hurts you and start doing what helps you
| START DOING | STOP DOING |
Step Six: Set a Realistic Deadline
Give yourself a realistic and clear timeframe to complete your goals. We sometimes need a bit of pressure to get us started and on our way. Begin with simple objectives to avoid distraction and discouragement.
Use 15 minutes daily to reflect on your personal goals. Changing or forming new habits may take much longer than the mythological 21 days – possibly 66 days or more. However, habit change is key to personal development and transformation, so make use of the power of habit.
Don’t propose lofty ideals without planning and strategizing to meet those goals. Instead of saying, “I want to be a millionaire in the future,” plan to double your income today. Make a plan and purpose to see it through.
Think about how wonderful it will feel and how you’ll reward yourself when you meet your objectives.
Action Item 6: Set deadlines to accomplish your goals
Step Seven: Take Action
In order to achieve your massive personal goals, multiple actions may be required. Therefore, start immediately!
For the knowledge gaps, skills, and goals that you’ve identified, ensure that your action items follow the SMART plan. Your goals should be:
- Specific
- Measurable
- Attainable/achievable
- Realistic and
- Timely
Select goals and objectives that challenge you and set you on new and fertile ground.
Action Item 7: Write down 3 – 5 important actions you want to accomplish within your defined timeframe.
Step Eight: Measure Progress
The best motivator for staying on track is your progress. Even if the evolution is minimal at best, it is still momentum and it’s commendable! Recognize your achievements and journal your triumphs, though they may be modest.
Do not despise humble beginnings!
Record the outcomes to serve as a reminder of what you have learned from your development activities. Record:
- The date
- The development goal
- The chosen method of development
- The exact date and time when the development goal was embarked upon
- The outcomes
- Any required or planned further action
If things are not going well, what can you do differently? You may need to adjust or formulate new strategies altogether to accomplish particular objectives. As the adages goes, “If you keep doing the same things, you’ll keep getting the same results.”
Step Nine: Evaluate and Review
In the personal development cycle, evaluation is key. There are two crucial issues you should reflect upon:
- Whether the personal development activity was appropriate and worthwhile and
- Whether and how your life and skills, in general, have improved as a result.
Evaluating activities pertaining to your personal goals involves asking the following questions:
- What am I able to accomplish more efficiently as a result?
- Has this experience revealed new personal development needs?
- How well did this method work?
- In what other ways could I have benefited from this activity?
- Would I follow this methodology or approach again?
Action Item 9: Review your records and write the strategies you need to improve or change. Also, create brand new ones to try. It is in your power to improve your circumstances.
Your Personal Plan Template
It must be said that the above advice may appear to be verbose. However, your personal development plan template and schedule need not resemble a dissertation on personal improvement. The above points should only serve as guidelines.
A PDP is usually assumed to be a cyclical process. Improvement occurs from moving around the loop.
The following chart is indicative of this process:
To summarize, when creating your personal plan and template, you should:
- Be cognizant of what’s important to you
- Decide what personal development goals need to be met
- Establish what opportunities and resources are available to help you achieve your goals. E.g., Coaching, training, individual research, and networks, courses (online and on-site)
- Participate in these opportunities
- Create a reliable method to monitor and maintain your progress Be aware of any impending obstacles – think ahead and mitigate any circumstances you come across
- Evaluate and review your outcome
- Have fun during the planning process, celebrate your successes, enjoy your personal development journey!
Embrace a Better, New, and Improved You!
Writing a personal plan can be downright tedious. But don’t be put off, and don’t give up! Personal development planning is a healthy and stimulating task that will be ultimately very satisfying. Just don’t give in to the frustration that might occur in the earlier stages of preparation.
If you don’t enjoy challenges, or putting in a bit of effort, that should become your new personal development goal. Personal plans give you a sense of direction and a means by which to overcome feeling “stuck.” Personal plans also build self-esteem by illuminating areas in which you have enhanced and improved your skills.
To help you, here’s a 5-year personal development plan template. We hope that it’ll take away some of the stress of designing your own template. Now fill up your personal plan template with all your vision and purpose.
There really aren’t any negative consequences to having a personal plan, only advantages. So, make it your personal quest to improve your life and to pursue happiness.
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