Ready to Create a Personal Growth and Development Action Plan?

Do you have a personal growth and development action plan? If not, don’t worry. Or if your action plan needs updating, you may like to keep reading and do these steps first.

Why Create a Personal Growth and Development Action Plan?

Life is challenging. There is a lot calling for our attention. Subsequently, we can get distracted with bright shiny objects if we don’t stay focused on being present and bringing our dreams in to reality. One thing I still remember vividly from hearing Dr Wayne Dyer speak over the years is –

“Don’t die with the music still in you.”

That quote remains with me today and is one of the reasons I continue to grow and evolve using my action plan. Another reason, is I am naturally curious and a passionate learner. However, over the years I have learnt that learning per se isn’t any good unless it’s applied.

I knew that from being an athlete, however I also continued to learn and be reminded of that in my second career after university as a registered teacher and ICF coach. The quote that I use to remind me of this is by Confucius –

“To know and not do, is to not yet know.”

What Is Personal Growth and Development?

It may be easier to start with what it is not. Personal growth and development is not about fixing people or helping influence them to change to your ways or points of view. For me, I see personal growth and development as helping people discover, develop and accept their true and authentic selves. Being whole-heartedly themselves, so they can show up and share their gifts and abilities with the world.

Over time, this might mean tweaking some things that may no longer be working – as each stage of life requires new skills and resources. For example, growth and development may look like learning a new skills (i.e. emotional literacy), tweaking some habits, behaviours and actions, making a commitment to yourself or learning to trust yourself. It is totally up to the person who is creating the plan.

Personally I think the most important aspects of personal growth are awareness and self-awareness. Why? Because we cannot tweak what we are not aware of.

Ready to Create a Personal Growth and Development Action Plan?

Before creating a personal growth and development action plan, the following steps might be useful –

Step 1 – Creating Awareness:

As indicated above, the first step to creating a personal growth and development action plan is awareness. I have shared the Self-Care / Wellness Wheel in my journal before. This tool is the one I use coaching people who are wanting to work with me around their self-care and wellness. Clients rate their level of satisfaction on a scale from 1-10 on how satisfied they are in relation to that area of self-care.

I also have another tool I use (my version of the wheel of life) that I use with clients who want to look wholistically at their life (not just their self-care). I created this from my own experiences of life, whilst learning the research behind what makes up a meaningful and fulfilling life (and yes it is up to you, what areas make up your life). So that is step one, now on to step two.

Step 2 – Reflect:

After working through where you are in relation to your life or wellness adventure and how satisfied you are, you can then reflect on why you gave yourself those numbers / score. This helps you to get in touch with each area and can start to develop awareness on what you want to transform and/or change.

Step 3 – Decide:

Once you have reflected on the numbers and why you gave yourself that particular rating, you can then decide what your area of focus will be. It doesn’t have to be the lowest score, it is the one you feel is calling for attention at the present time. On to step 4.

Step 4 – Commit:

The next step is to make a commitment to yourself. Remember –

“Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now.”

~ William H. Murray.

Step 5 – Identifying Your Personal Growth and Development Needs

Now you have committed to yourself, you can start to map out your personal development and growth action needs. There is a lot of personal development available nowadays, so I think it is important to invest time in identifying what works best for you – both your learning style and needs.

Over to You…

I hope this post has helped you to decide if you are ready to create your own personal development and growth action plan. Once you have identified your needs, you can then create your action plan.

If you are ready to reclaim your courage and take the next step towards your freedom and opening your heart, why not join our Toolkit?