The idea of creating a plan for your personal development might conjure up feelings similar to when you're invited to attend a work appraisal. But, when it comes to your growth, it's worth giving it some attention.

A clear vision of your ideal future is a sure fire way of boosting your chances of living a meaningful life. And as part of that, having a personal development plan, is key to you making progress.

In knowing what you want for your future, a personal development plan can provide clarity and focus. In other words, it can act as a roadmap to help you stay on track to achieving your goals.

But if you've never given thought to creating a personal development plan, you might be listening to me wondering where you'd start, or what one could look like.

And if that's the case, no problem, I'm going to share a seven step process that can get you going on creating your own personal development plan and giving yourself a better chance of success in life.

1. Envision your ideal future

Start by making a bucket list of all the things you’d love to do. This could include travel, being debt free, or growing your business. When doing this, try also to give thought to the kind of people you'd want in your life. 

2. Prioritise

With your bucket list complete, take each item listed and place them in order of priority. Considering what is most important now, score them from one to ten, with ten being most important. 

3. Answer your why

Key to progress is being clear on why your goal is important. This is because knowing why your goal is important will help you to persevere and navigate difficulties and setbacks. 

4. Answer your how

Despite your creativity and ability to imagine an ideal future, your dreams won’t become reality without you first taking action. Make a list of every task you think is required to achieve your goal, set a timescale, and go! 

5. Create helpful routines

Motivation is often cited as being key to progress. But, in my opinion, feeling 'motivated' is overrated. This is because like other emotional states, it comes and goes. Routines on the other hand, remain consistent. 

6. Keep score

All competitive sports have a scoreboard, and for good reason. Knowing how you're performing, influences ongoing performance. Work out what you need to measure to track your progress, and check it regularly. 

7. Be accountable

There are few things more beneficial to your progress than accountability. Knowing someone will check in on how you’re doing can help you get things done.

The right person can also be a genuine source of encouragement. 

Summary

Applying these seven steps will get you on the track towards increased personal growth. And creating your own plan of action for how you’re going to achieve your goals, is key to creating your ideal future.

When thought through, created, and put into practice, a personal development plan can impact all areas of your life. Your physical, emotional, social, vocational, financial, and spiritual wellbeing included.

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If you think you might benefit from working with a coach, book a free Exploration Call with me to talk about what working together might look like.

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Photo credit: @honza_kahanek