“Failing to plan is planning to fail,” said Benjamin Franklin hundreds of years ago. The thing is, we all know it — we plan our careers, our hobbies, and our free time.
However, why do we put our personal development plan on the back burner in life? Why do we exert so much energy into other things, like working hard, and so little on ourselves? What’s the purpose of that? Evolving, expanding, and growing as a person is one of the key elements of life itself, right?
If the answer is “yes” for you, understanding the fundamentals is a great place to start:
- What Is a Personal Development Plan?
- Why Is a Personal Development Plan Important?
- How to Create a Personal Development Plan: 4 Tips From Lifebook Creators
If you think it’s time to stop ignoring your growth, then a personal development plan will inspire you to evolve and create the life you’ve always desired to live.
What Is a Personal Development Plan?
A personal development plan acts like a guideline to live for yourself and design a life you’re truly excited about. It makes you reflect upon the areas that you want to expand and what personal strengths will take you there.
Personal development focuses on your personal growth, but the essence of it all is that it will fuel transformation in all aspects of your being.
Jon and Missy Butcher, creators of Lifebook and trainers of Mindvalley’s Lifebook Online Quest, are advocates of the motto “Your life is yours — you own it.” And by fully integrating this belief, you get to take responsibility and power over what you want your world to look like.
Why Is a Personal Development Plan Important?
Your personal development plan represents a reality check and awareness booster. It highlights your strengths and makes you face your weaknesses, so you know exactly what to do and what to focus on.
Research suggests that when people have a vivid vision of what they want to achieve, they become more motivated to pursue their goals. For example, college students who set specific goals at the beginning of the school year were more likely to achieve them than others who just go with the flow of studying.
If you don’t have a clear vision of your future, you will be pulled into a rabbit hole.
— Jon Butcher, trainer of Mindvalley’s Lifebook Online Quest
Going on with your life without creating this vision statement would be like driving around with no destination in mind. Of course, you may end up seeing beautiful places from time to time, but it’s not always guaranteed.
Instead, when you’ve made up your mind and created your personal development plan, you can easily see and explore:
- Skills you’re already good at
- Abilities you can improve
- The next actionable steps you can take
- What you would desire your life to look like
- How much power you actually hold
- Where you need support and guidance
This way, you can gain more clarity, purpose, and unlock your biggest creative potential. And your self-improvement plan can be the catalyst to get you there.
How to Create a Personal Development Plan: 4 Tips From Lifebook Creators
Consciously deciding to look within yourself and make changes in your thinking, behavior, personality, and overall life can be a bit intimidating and daunting. Lifebook can help you get crystal clear on what you want from your life.
Here are a few simple steps you can take today:
1. Assess your current situation
Look at all areas of your life. Where would you like to experience more joy? Where would you like to live instead?
Jon and Missy talk about the 12 areas of life that everybody can resonate with. So grab your pen and paper and get ready to be completely honest with yourself about your:
- Health and fitness
- Intellectual life
- Emotional life
- Character
- Spirituality
- Love relationship
- Parenting
- Social life
- Financial life
- Career
- Quality of life
- Life vision
You can focus on your strengths and your weaknesses in each category. Once you accept and understand your starting point, you can move on to visualizing where you want to go on from now.
2. Visualize your ideal future
Think about every aspect of your life mentioned above. The following questions might help you learn more about your desired version of yourself:
- Where do I want to be?
- What kind of person do I want to become?
- Where do I want to live?
- What kind of people do I want to have in my life?
- How do I want to feel?
- How do I want to feel about myself?
- What do I want to do for a living?
The journey from your present to the future of your dreams can be more exciting once you visualize your destination with clarity and purpose.
3. Find your “why”
Knowing why you do all the things you want to do and why you start creating a certain kind of life is essential in order to make it happen. Your purpose will drive you, ignite your motivation, and make you get out of bed every morning with passion and excitement for what you’re about to experience.
The interesting part is that it’s all connected. You can focus on one category at a time, but you’ll see that you may find your motivation for one aspect taking into consideration another.
For example, let’s say you want to be fit and healthy, but the image of your radiant physique isn’t enough to send you right to that pilates class. A factor from another area of life (like being strong and healthy so you can live long to see your children grow) might contribute.
The purpose behind your actions is the fuel to create everything you’ve ever dreamed about.
4. Decide what actions need to be taken
Your personal development plan should include what kind of action your goals require to be achieved. You can start out by writing down a few actionable steps for each category.
What would it take to achieve the body you want? What kind of partner would you be to have the ideal relationship you want? How could you take care of your finances better?
Write down clearly and concisely some small steps you can take to start moving forward. Once you begin to see your progress, it can give you the motivation to propel you forward down the path to your ideal self or reality.
Let’s say, however, you aren’t quite sure of which steps to take to reach your goals. Trust that the steps you may need to take to reach your goals will unfold. As the ancient poet Rumi once said, “As you start to walk on the way, the way appears.”
Your strategy is where your goals live.
— Jon Butcher, trainer of Mindvalley’s Lifebook Online Quest
If you’d like to get inspired with some examples of personal development plans, you can read more stories from Mindvalley students who succeeded to design the vision for their life.
The Greatest Change Starts With a Great Plan
The reason why most people don’t want to create a personal development plan is that it doesn’t occur to them that they can have an extraordinary life. But the possibility is there.
Everyone, including you, can absolutely have it all. And with some guidance along the way, your path to self-actualization will be smoother and even more transformational.
That’s where Mindvalley’s Lifebook Online Quest, can come into play. With Jon and Missy Butcher’s expertise, you can discover how to:
- Transform all areas of your life
- Tap into your authenticity
- Enhance your skills and uplevel your weaknesses
- Accelerate your goal achievement
- Find your purpose
To get a taste of the Quest’s wisdom, you can sign up for the free Lifebook Online Masterclass and take the first step to your transformation.
And the best part is that your self-transformation journey doesn’t have to be a lonely ride. You’ll be part of a like-minded community of people with whom you can share your greatest passions and your most vulnerable fears. You might be surprised at how much care and support there is out there for you on your path to the life of your dreams.
Welcome in.
