Creating a Personal Development Plan in 3 Steps
Success isn’t created solely by what you do during the work day. What you choose to do outside of your normal work hours is what will separate you from your peers and open the door for new opportunities. If going to a happy hour and watching television for three hours a night is your typical weekday evening, you’re missing out on many opportunities to advance yourself personally and professionally. This article challenges you to further your after-hours personal development in three quick steps.
1. Decide what areas you need to develop
Any area that causes you a ton of anxiety is likely an area you need to improve. If meeting new people is something that gives you nightmares, you would benefit from volunteering in a group setting such as Habitat for Humanity or joining a networking group like The Young Professionals of Chicago. Sometimes it’s not always easy to identify the areas you should develop, so don’t be afraid to ask your friends, co-workers or your manager for their opinion. Just be prepared for what you might hear as you’ll likely have to step outside your comfort-zone. Challenge #1: Write down three things you need to develop and list possible ways to improve each one.
2. Commit to the process of personal development
The tough thing about personal development is that you may not notice the changes in yourself as much as those around you will. Although this can be discouraging, trust the process of personal development and commit to improving yourself. In time, you’ll realize just how far you’ve progressed. To drive this process faster, give yourself some deadlines to be sure you’re moving at a good pace to achieve your goals. Challenge #2: Keep a record of your personal development, define deadlines and review your progress every thirty days.
3. Reward yourself for accomplishing your goals
Personal development starts outside of your normal work-day, so you won’t initially see benefits such as a larger paycheck or quick promotion. Think of personal development as a lifelong commitment, in which you align small rewards with each accomplishment as a way to keep yourself motivated. Have fun and be creative with your rewards and never cheat by giving yourself the rewards early! Examples of rewards might include buying a pair of designer jeans or the latest movie release on Blu-Ray. Challenge #3: Decide on the rewards you’ll give yourself for accomplishing each one of your goals.
Here’s a quick example of a personal development plan. Jake is a systems analyst for a Fortune 500 company. His manager feels he has great potential but he lacks the ability to communicate clearly. Jake decides to improve his communication skills by taking an effective communication course at a local community college and joining a Toastmasters group. For finishing the college course and achieving the level of competent communicator at Toastmasters, Jake is going to reward himself with a trip to Las Vegas for a 4-day weekend. He commits to achieving this goal in 9-months.
This method of planning, tracking and rewarding yourself is a great way to stick to your plan. If you’re having a hard time finding a resource to help you improve a specific area, please feel free to contact Gale or Mike. Visit TheMindsetGame.com for more personal development challenges. Have fun and good luck!
By: Michael Algrim
1-27-2010
Michael Algrim is the creator of TheMindsetGame.com, a website that encourages readers to take simple actions to maintain a successful mindset. By day, Michael works in the banking industry serving hundreds of small business owners throughout Northern Illinois by providing financial coaching.
