8 tips for personal development
Personal development plans are more than a trend. They aren’t just something that celebrities or people with a lot of time on their hands can do. Growth is an essential human need. It’s what brings us fulfillment and purpose in life. Growth equals progress, and progress equals happiness. But growth isn’t always easy. To set and achieve your goals, you’ll need the right knowledge, strategies and personal development goals.
What is a personal development plan?
A personal development plan is a set of goals and actions for your life. While personal development is related to your career, your relationships or your skills, these goals go beyond generalities, like making a lot of money or getting in shape. Personal development is about looking within and becoming the best version of yourself.
Personal development is different from other types of self-improvement. Your personal development plan will focus on your internal state, rather than your external desires, like climbing the career ladder or finding the love of your life. The personal development process involves digging deep into what will bring your life purpose, then becoming the architect of that life.
Why do you need a personal development plan?
No matter how you’d like to grow as a person, creating a personal development plan is one of the best ways to unlock an extraordinary life. It can help you identify and work on your weaknesses, play to your strengths, gain insights about your values and beliefs, fulfill your need for growth and more. It will improve your self-awareness and your confidence. So what is your self-development plan? It’s everything you need to be happy and find fulfillment.
What are some good personal development goals?
There are a few common areas people focus on in a personal development plan. Yet ultimately, the best personal development goals are the ones that mean the most to you. To help you get started, here are some common types of self-development plans.
Mindset
Your mindset is everything. You cannot achieve your dreams in any area of your life – career, relationships, finances, education and more – without a deep belief that not only are you capable, but that you deserve it. You can start transforming your mindset by:
✓ Overcoming your limiting beliefs
✓ Changing your self-talk
Empowerment
Confidence isn’t something you’re born with – it’s something you can develop. When you face your fears and get out of your comfort zone, you train your brain to deal with uncertainty and cultivate a deep belief in yourself. Here are some ideas:
✓ Networking or making new friends
✓ Mastering public speaking
✓ Practicing power poses and incantations
Education
Getting an advanced degree or a professional certificate is a typical personal development goal, and with online courses like Tony Robbins Mastery University, it’s easier than ever. But you don’t have to go back to school to continue your education. You can feed your mind with goals like:
✓ Learning a new language or instrument
✓ Seeking out different points of view
✓ Diving deeper into a topic that interests you
Creating your perfect personal development plan
What is your self-development plan? It’s not always easy to determine your goals – or to prioritize them. Here are some things to consider when creating your personal development plan so you can integrate meaningful strategies into your life that work with your short– and long-term goals.
1. Use online resources
As the world becomes more digitized, so do its resources. You no longer have to go to physical meet-up groups or classes in order to gather information about the things you’re interested in. Curious to learn more about finance? You can access financial resources online that teach you everything you need to know about stocks and investments. Interested in learning a new skill, like how to speak Japanese or play the guitar? The Internet is chock-full of tutorials and lessons that you can instantly access and easily further your personal development plan.
To reach your goals, consider using personal development tools like podcasts and e-books to learn more about relationships or your career. You can find apps with workouts to kick-start your health plan. There are already an overwhelming number of digital tools you can incorporate into your personal development plan and this trend will continue into the future. Virtual reality, 3D and voice-activated tools will become even more prevalent as the years pass.
Get ahead of some of these trends now by integrating e-courses, podcasts and apps into your standard routine. Think you don’t have time? Listen to one of these resources during your morning commute or while working out so you never waste a minute.
2. Access your mentors
Mentors who have already achieved what you want in life are one of the best personal development tools. Just as you can access classes online, you can also learn from mentors and leaders digitally. As Tony often says, “Success leaves clues.” Some of the most successful people in the world, including Tony, got where they are because they found someone they admired and mimicked that person’s success strategies.
Influencer marketing is such a huge field because we’re inspired by seeing others who have already achieved the success we crave. You can view content from and interact with your favorite leaders on social media as well as take online courses to learn from the best.
Technology has opened the door to mentors in various fields. Regardless of location or time zone, you can touch base with those who inspire you and drive you to achieve greatness. Programs like Tony Robbins Results Coaching enable you to become a more effective leader and gain clarity of purpose – all while working alongside someone who’s already forged their own path to success. When you work with a digital mentor, you can further your personal development plan on your own schedule.
3. Embrace remote work
Many jobs have moved remote – and people have much more time to put into a personal development plan when they aren’t in an office all day. Being location independent allows workers to not only create their own schedule, but to immerse themselves in fulfilling activities and cultures different from their own. Instead of commuting to the office every morning you can use that time to work on your fitness goals. Wouldn’t you rather spend an hour in the gym than an hour on the road?
Similarly, you may now be able to work anywhere in the world. Imagine yourself strolling through a village on your lunch break or practicing a new language during your morning coffee run. How would you change if you were able to immerse yourself completely in another culture? As more companies move toward a remote-friendly workplace, those who accept location-independent jobs will have more freedom to understand different cultures and grow professionally and personally.
You don’t even need to be abroad to expand your horizons and work on creating a personal development plan. There are plenty of domestic remote positions that allow you to open up your schedule, explore your city and work on your self-development plan.
4. Identify your strengths
Many people have the limiting belief that they must work to improve their weaknesses before they can capitalize on their strengths. This can lead to years of frustration, feelings of low self-worth and self-imposed barriers that keep you from thriving in your personal development plan. Instead, identify your strengths and passions and put more energy toward these areas.
When it comes to your weaknesses, you can usually find ways to manage them – such as delegating or outsourcing – so you can spend the majority of your time on the areas in your life that you excel at. If you want to achieve breakthroughs in any area of your life, you must manage your stories, state and strategies so they coincide with your best self.
5. Make a plan
As Tony says, “Lots of people know what to do, but few actually do what they know. Knowing is not enough! You must take action.” Once you determine your personal development goals, follow this step-by-step process to achieve them.
Step 1: Write a list of your most important goals.
Step 2: Identify the top five you’d most like to achieve.
Step 3: Write a specific timeline for achieving each goal.
Step 4: Write at least three of your strengths and weaknesses pertaining to each goal via a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis.
Step 5: Write actions you need to take in order to achieve your goal. Actions can include adding healthy habits to your daily routine or eliminating activities that prevent you from achieving your goal.
Step 6: Every week, write down what has worked well, what you have accomplished, what you still need to improve and what you’ve learned.
6. Focus on progress
Your self–development plan is never just about the end goal. You must focus on the lifelong journey, otherwise you risk your life getting stale. Instead of thinking about achievement, work toward progress. Research has shown that progress in any area of life is the key to happiness.
As long as you are moving forward – toward a stronger body, more educated mind and healthier relationships – your personal development plan is on track. Remember to take the time to have gratitude for where you are in life and what you have accomplished each and every day.
7. Designate an accountability partner
When you don’t have accountability, you are more likely to get derailed from the goals you set forth in your personal development plan. If you’ve put in the work necessary to develop a relationship where your partner is your number one fan, you’ve already got a perfect accountability choice in front of you.
A partner can help with plans involving getting in better shape or improving communication and, in some cases, may also be able to help you stay accountable to plans for your career. Better yet, build a coaching personal development plan with a Tony Robbins Results Coach who will be your champion, keep you on track and celebrate your success.
8. Create new habits
Creating a personal development plan that works for you is all about developing better habits to benefit your future self. Once you have established habits, your actions will become automatic and your goals will be that much easier to attain. How will you take action, and how can you make these actions impactful in the future?
Technology will continue to evolve and people will become more location independent. Take these factors into consideration when working toward growth. By staying true to your purpose and working to create sustainable growth patterns, you’re bound to succeed.
Ready to map out your plan towards long-lasting success?
Business Coaching can help you create a personal development plan with a lasting impact on your business and your life.