Creating a Personal Development Plan

Creating a personal development plan can transform an individual’s life. It can help a person get in touch with their internal feelings, determine exactly who they want to be, and how they want to live their life. A personal development plan is often used by younger individuals that are constantly bombarded by peer pressure. However, adults can benefit greatly by creating their own personal development plan, to take the single step forward to transforming a life.


What You Admire


It is imperative to first decide exactly what types of characteristics you admire and other individuals, and would like to internalize on your own. These might be the types of characteristics that are easy to measure such as staying physically fit. It might include taking on a better and healthier diet, or living a life full of integrity.



Choosing the right types of characteristics that you find in other individuals that you admire should be on the top of the list. Decide which three characteristics you would like to incorporate in your own life, to begin the process of transformation. The types of characteristics you should focus on are the ones that are outside your personal comfort zone. However, they should not be so unattainable, as to become quickly discouraged.


Setting Successful Goals


To be successful, you will need to set goals. If the characteristics you selected above are tangible, like physical fitness, you will need to understand exactly what the goal looks like. It might include participating in a marathon, simply walking the neighborhood, or changing bad eating habits to healthier ones.


If the characteristics include living a life with high integrity, you will need to detail exactly what that looks like to you. It may mean ending bad behaviors, making better habits, or asking for outside help to achieve the goal.



Flesh It Out


Once the goals are firmly in place, it is time to flesh them out, to give them substance. It is time to expand the plan to add meat to the bones. It is impossible to skimp during this part of the process. Expanding the plan might include attaching some form of timelines or benchmarks where you need to reach a specific goal at a specific time. Be realistic, and flesh out the goals on a timeline that can be easily achieved.


Find the Support


It is much easier to obtain these types of goals in your personal development plan with support. It can be a family member, friend, therapist, physician or an exercise buddy that simply wants to take the route with you. With enough support, it is easy to achieve nearly any type of goal as long as it has been set in a realistic time frame.



The last portion of the personal development plan should include a way to celebrate your success. This can be done through by keeping a journal, or checking off a long list of necessary goals. Part of the celebration should also include a look back so that you can determine exactly how far you have come on the journey. Remember that slip ups are part of the process, and you will need to forgive yourself if you need to start the process over again.