Your Personal Development Plan

It might sound simple but constructive change rarely happens without a plan.  The difference between a wish and an accomplishment is the plan.  Hopefully, the last few posts that discuss thriving and taking radical responsibility for your life have prompted you to become aware of some changes you want to make that will move you up the Thriving Scale.  How will you turn those hopes into successes?

1. Create a clear picture of success. This is a critical first step.  The clearer the goal, the more likely you will reach it.  You might want more money.  How much more?  The path to $100 is very different than the path to $100,000.
2. Set milestones. Milestones determine how quickly you will reach your goal.  If you want to reach your goal in 12 months, you can’t have milestones that require 10 years.  Milestones are individual steps toward your goal.  If you want to have an extra $100,000 in the bank in one year, your milestones will indicate how much you plan to have in your account at the end of each of the next 12 months.
3. Action steps. Action steps define the things you will do to achieve each of your milestones.  Good action steps are well thought out.  They include taking risks that might be outside your comfort zone but are necessary to hit your milestones.
4. Your calendar. Put your action steps in your calendar so they take precedence over all other activities. This step wires your plan into your life on a daily basis, but only if you use your calendar effectively.  Discipline yourself to follow your calendar diligently.

Take the time right now to write out a Personal Development Plan.  Limit yourself to one issue you want to change.  Work through all of the steps, even if they aren’t all complete.  You can modify your plan as new issues and opportunities arise.

Please send your plan to me at [email protected].