Most people fail at personal development or never even try at all. However, some people think they must be perfect in all areas of their lives to be involved with personal growth, so why try? Knowing why people fail and how to ensure you don’t is a significant first step if you want to succeed. This article discusses why personal development plans fail and how to deal with them.
Improving Your Personal Development
You’re Fine with The Status Quo – It can be hard to admit you’re okay with how things are. But if you’re unwilling to devote time to your personal development plans, your action demonstrates acceptance. You’ll implement the program when you’re ready for change and become dissatisfied enough. So why not go ahead and start creating it, just in case?
Your Plan is a Thought – Taking the development of your personal growth plan seriously takes time and attention. Plus, the Plan does need to be “down on paper” or “in the cloud” somewhere you can follow, update, monitor, and track your efforts.
Your Plan is Too Difficult – You can make a too simple plan. And no plan at all. You can accidentally create a far too tricky program and not based on reality. You must start with where you are and what you have right now. It will not work if your Plan requires inputs you do not have, it will not work.
Developing your Plan
Your Plan is Incomplete – Work very hard to define your goals and objectives as you develop your Plan. Loosely defined objectives aren’t straightforward to follow. It’s like saying, “I’m going out West,” without knowing what that means and where you’ll stop. Be detailed about what you want and how you’ll achieve it.
You’re Focusing on Too Much at Once – While there are five areas of self-development and growth and many other areas of life you can apply, you don’t have to focus on everything. Instead, you can focus on one place at a time to get more apparent in your mind what you want moving forward.
You Need Goal-Setting Help – Knowing what action to take is hard if your objectives aren’t right. Ensure you learn how to create goals and develop action plans. Take those goals and follow through to succeed with your personal development plan creation and implementation. It would be best to define the who, what, when, where, how, and why of every goal you have.
Expansion of your Plan
You’re Expecting Perfection – It’s always better to take imperfect action than none, so don’t get too tied up in getting it all right before you start. However, if you’re not experiencing the results, you desire to start with the goal setting to ensure you didn’t skip part of the process.
You’re In the Wrong Environment – Sometimes, you may want to work on something and not realize that you can’t due to being in the wrong environment. For example, if you’re going back to college to get your law degree, but your spouse and kids won’t honor your boundaries so that you can study. Because of this, you cannot learn. Now you feel resentful.
Sometimes it’s hard to accept that the only person you can control is yourself, but when a personal development plan fails, that’s usually what goes wrong. The plans were contingent on someone else. Craft your goals according to what you want, need, and believe. This will enable you to succeed. Now that’s what I’m talking about!
Are you looking for help developing your personal development plan? We can help you. Just fill out this form and well will get back to you.
Every day of your life is a new opportunity. Whether you’re going through an upheaval, merely surviving, or bored, moving forward with your life is much more satisfying than simply “moving on.”
So, if you’re ready to move forward with your life like I am, follow these simple steps below:
Stop Expecting Easy
You may have heard the saying, “If it were easy, everyone would do it.” Unfortunately, many things in life are daunting. Self-development is one of those things. This is because there is a learning curve, and there may be challenges concerning maintaining steady progress, especially if you’re just getting started. I bet you thought life would be easy when you were a child. Then you grow up and discover that it’s much more complicated than you thought.
It’s not always easy to get to know who you are. Examine past traumas and experiences. Weed through your inner conflicts, and fight to become who you want to be. While this is not easy, it is a straightforward process that can lead you to succeed. And when you grow, you will feel like you can climb any mountain that gets in your way. Ask me, I know.
Expand your Knowledge
Stop Living in The Past
While you want to understand why you think and do certain things, avoid living in the past. Address the past by accepting that it happened. Work through your past by getting treatment for something negatively affecting your current situation. However, don’t allow yourself to live in the past because the contentment you seek is in the here and now.
When you focus on the present and learn from the past, you ensure that you’re well cared for. And when you do that, your future is almost certainly taken care of too. After all, the actions you take today to inform your future. All you can get from the past is a list of steps you took that worked versus actions you took that did not. Let the rest go.
How to Improve your Life
Stop Waiting for Perfection
If you’ve heard yourself described as a perfectionist, don’t take it as a compliment. It’s not. The best time to begin your next goal is now. There is no perfect outcome even if you follow your plans to a T. There is no time like now for getting started on anything you want to do. Find the worksheet I created for this to help you with your plans. Download it and fill it out. If you need help, I’m always available. Just set up a quick call with me here.
Instead of thinking thoughts like, “I’ll be happy when I reach my weight loss goal.” Or “I’ll start my business when my child is older.” Anytime you start a thought with “I’ll do this when…” stop yourself because most of the time, there is no real reason to put off your goals.
Stop Doubting
One way to squash doubt is to do your due diligence regarding research for all your goals. Here’s the thing, if it’s possible for someone, it’s probably also possible for you. There are very few cases where only one person can do something. You can learn anything and do whatever you want or at least something close to it. You need a plan of action and follow up on it step by step.
Plan Ahead
Start Planning and Doing
Once you let go of the fact that life can be challenging, and the past harmed you, and perfection and release yourself from doubt, you can start planning. You will feel better by learning to set goals in a way that leaves you with an innovative action plan that gets results. Then, use that plan to start the most critical thing in your life, the doing. Doing will move you forward more than anything else will.
After you let go of expectations and stop focusing on the impossible, you’ll see success. Once you create specific goals and follow your plan, you’ll finally start experiencing success. But don’t skip the very last step. You really must “do” to move forward in your life.
5 Reasons Why You Need a Personal Development Plan
Beginning today, we will begin a series of articles about creating a personal development plan. By the end of this series, you’ll have everything you need to make your plan for this year. So, let’s start with 5 reasons you need a personal development plan.
A personal development plan assists you in finding your purpose and developing your strengths. It also gives you the confidence to get out of your comfort zone. A good personal development plan will also help you improve your self-awareness. This combination will ensure you know your potential and live up to it with intention. Find your FREE worksheet at the bottom of this article.
Discover Your Purpose
On the road to self-discovery, most people want to know why they are here. If you want to know your purpose in life, focus on your personal development and create a written personal development plan to help you find it.
As you discover what makes you think the way you do, challenge your thoughts, and decide what facts you’ll use to make sound decisions. When you do this, you may come across additional information that will lead you closer to your purpose. You are more likely to feel good about your ideas and actions each day because you know they will have a particular impact.
Develop Your Strengths
Once you discover your strengths as you study yourself and pay close attention to how you feel about your actions, you’ll know what to develop. Focusing on what you are already good at is always preferable to focus on where you are lacking.
Getting additional training, practicing, and learning from others regarding the things you’re already good at doing is a much more pleasurable and successful way to approach your life. You’re naturally good at something that gives you joy and improves you. So, you may as well use your natural gifts.
Get Out of Your Comfort Zone
While you want to focus on what you are already good at, sometimes it takes time to see what that is. Getting out of your comfort zone has nothing to do with forcing yourself to focus on things you aren’t good at doing. Instead, it may mean simply showing someone else what you’re good at.
Boost Your Confidence
As you develop yourself, you’ll start experiencing success, and that experience will boost your confidence exponentially. Part of personal development is focusing on learning to have a positive mindset, taking the best care of yourself, and reveling in your skills and experience. When your confidence is strong, you’ll free yourself from paralyzing self-doubt, negative thoughts, and emotions. You can’t help but become strong when you craft and follow a plan based on self-discovery and your goals.
Improve Your Self-Awareness
Since personal development is about you, getting to know who you are is especially important. Knowing who you allow you to learn and lead with your strengths so that you can cope with your weaknesses realistically and kindly without lying to yourself or others about who you are. Self-awareness is the ultimate precursor to authenticity.
It would be best if you also had a personal development plan because you’re much more likely to succeed at anything when you have a plan. A personal development plan is a documented set of facts and information to help guide and direct you through the actions and habits that make up your life. For example, if you want to succeed in any dream, it starts with a goal. Then, through intelligent goal setting, your goals become a plan that you can follow, track, and even change throughout your life while remaining focused on your ultimate dreams and goals.
Use this worksheetto write out a simple plan you can start following today. Click on the words “this worksheet” to get your Free Copy Today.
Are you looking to start the New Year off on the right foot? Planning is a great way to ensure you make the most of your time and achieve your goals. In this article, we’ll discuss some New Year planning tips for planning out the New Year. These tips will help you get organized and achieve your goals. So read on to learn more!
New Year Planning Tips
Planning for the new year can be difficult, but here are some ways to make it easier.
Set aside time on your own or with your partner to assess what has worked well for you in the past year. Also, consider what could be improved and how you could do things differently.
Putting all these goals down on paper will make them feel more natural and achievable. Or you can use a planning tool like Trello. If you have trouble sticking to your goals, try setting smaller ones that you can achieve in a shorter period.
The Setup
Write Your Goals Down
Start Travel Planning
Learn Something New
Get Fighting Fit
Focus on Healthy Eating
Declutter Your Closet and Home
Make your New Year Resolutions List
Apply the Pareto Principle
Financial Planning
Consider your Relationships
Planning, Planning, Planning
Consider your Relationships
Think about your romantic and friendship goals. What do you want to achieve with the people in your life? How can you better those relationships in the new year?
Do you want more friends this year than last year? Are there some existing friends that you’d like to see more of? Maybe your goal is to date more. Whatever your relationship goals are, write them down.
Financial Planning
First, consider your finances and what you want to do with them in the new year. Plan your finances for the upcoming year by making a budget and sticking to it.
This will help you stay on top of what you have going out and what is coming in. If you use cash, make sure that there are enough bills available so that spending cannot continue without replenishing funds from somewhere else (i.e., your bank account).
Start a savings account and make transfers to it automatic. Keep track of your investments with a calendar or spreadsheet.
Do you need a new credit card? What about investing in stocks or bonds? Anything can help you move forward with your financial goals.
Apply the Pareto Principle
According to the Pareto Principle, 20% of your activities will give you 80% of your satisfaction. It’s also known as the 80/20 rule and holds that 20% of efforts give 80% of results.
You might wonder how this applies to things to do for the New Year – well, the rule can be used for almost any element of your life. You can even apply this principle to friendships. Spend the most time with those who make you the happiest.
Not advocating cutting out all those who don’t fall into this category but simply focusing on those who are the most enthusiastic about meeting up with you and who contribute equally to the friendship.
Lists are your Best Friend
Make your New Year Resolutions List
It’s tricky changing old habits and sticking to new ones. If you write a list of negatives you’re not allowed to do, such as eating sugar, you may be setting yourself up for failure.
Instead, create a list of positives you want to achieve, such as drinking water 30 minutes before meal times. Try to make SMART goals – i.e., those that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Timely.
Tell a few close friends about your goals so they can hold you accountable. Studies have shown that we’re far more likely to stick to a resolution when we’ve mentioned it to other people.
It’s generally best to set one resolution and stick to that rather than a whole host of goals. Reward yourself when you reach certain milestones (i.e., if you write ten pages in one night, reward yourself with an hour of TV).
One thing you might do is to put yourself number one on the priority list. We’ve found that this works great, especially if you always put yourself last.
Declutter Your Closet and Home
Now is the perfect time to start planning if you want to move in the new year. Look at different neighborhoods and what might be available there.
If you want to stay put but want to make changes around the house, start thinking about what those changes might be. Are there things around the house that need fixing up? Are there any big-ticket items you need to invest in for the New Year, such as a laptop or flat-screen TV?
Assess how often you use each item in your possession. For example, you probably wear around 20% of your wardrobe most of the time. Therefore, consider decluttering your closet and keeping only the most frequently worn items. It’s a similar principle for your home and if you find getting rid of things difficult, ask yourself whether an item is beautiful or valuable. Do it the Marie Kondo way. You have to love it, or it goes.
If it’s neither and you haven’t used it in at least six months, then let it go. Charity shops will welcome objects in good condition, and old CDs or books can usually be donated to a local library.
Education of the Fittest
Focus on Healthy Eating
Are you getting your five a day – the minimum recommended intake of fruit and vegetables? It can be challenging to fit so many in, but we have a few suggestions that may help.
Rustle up healthy and delicious juice drinks to start the day right. Why not try a new fruit or vegetable every so often too? There is always something new showing up at the grocery store.
If you find it hard to resist temptation when eating out, go to restaurants that only serve healthy food until you’ve achieved your ideal weight.
Get Fighting Fit
Are you planning to lose weight or gain muscle in the new year? You need a plan for that, too!
It’s a popular time of year to join a gym but first, ask yourself if that’s your favorite form of exercise. You’re more likely to stick to something that you enjoy.
Dance classes such as Zumba are another excellent option for getting fit; they burn many calories too. If you like being outdoors, consider cycling, running, or a boot camp.
Break your goal down into small, achievable steps for the best chance of success. For example, if you’ve always dreamed of running a marathon, start alternating walking and running over short distances before working your way uphill sprints to build up endurance.
Learn Something New
Seize the New Year by planning to learn a new skill. There are lots of resources online. Google is your best friend – remember that!
Try out a musical instrument, a new language, or a sporting skill; trying something new will energize you for the whole year. Additional benefits may include making new friends, getting fitter, or increasing concentration.
The Groundwork
Start Travel Planning
It is also an excellent time to plan your travel for the year. If you want to go on a couple of trips, make sure that you save up now. There are many great deals if you book in advance, and some airlines offer significant discounts when tickets are bought well in advance.
Do you have any trips already planned? You’ll also want to consider if any places might be off-limits because of political unrest or travel restrictions.
Whether you prefer to use a printed or online calendar, we suggest inputting key dates first, like personal vacations and school holidays.
With careful planning, you can maximize your time away by booking off dates on either side of some national holidays. Reserve the flights and accommodation as soon as possible, since they’re likely expensive at these peak periods.
Think about the trips you’d like to make in the next couple of months – skiing is a must for all winter sports fans. If there’s a bucket list destination that you’re keen to travel to, start saving all articles about it that you can find online.
One of the best ways to do so is on Pinterest, a goldmine of information for travel planning.
Write Your Goals Down
So, each evening, jot down what you want to achieve the next day. It helps to focus the mind. Don’t beat yourself up if your goals slip from time to time but give yourself a small reward each time you achieve one.
In addition, write out your goals for the next 12 months and post them somewhere visible so you’ll be reminded of them every day.
In Conclusion:
New Year Planning Tips
Achieving personal goals in the New Year is easier if you start planning for them now. The New Year isn’t the only time to make resolutions.
This should be a year-round process of taking stock of your life and planning how you want things to go. You don’t have to do all these essential tasks at once – take one step at a time.
Remember that it’s okay if things don’t go according to plan – keep moving forward! Also, be patient – it takes time to achieve your goals!
We hope you’ve found these suggestions for planning for the New Year helpful. Here’s to a fantastic year ahead. What are you planning for the New Year?
Today’s article is about getting comfortable with change. So hang onto your hats because it’s a good one. Dealing with a change in your life can be downright uncomfortable. Don’t you agree? I mean the larger the change, the more uncomfortable you will feel. Although these feelings are completely normal, there are several ways you can help yourself become more comfortable with change. I’ll explain below.
Let Go Of Past Convictions
If you face a big change, you’re going to have to let go of the way things were before. Whether this is how you used to do things or the way you used to think about something. Either way, you will be unable to embrace and be comfortable with your current change if you are still worried about something which happened in the past. It’s time to let go.
Decide Where You Want To Go
Time and time again, studies have shown that there is power behind visualization and positive convictions. And this most certainly applies in times of change. If you decide you will be comfortable with the change, no matter what may come your way, that is likely how things will go.
Know What Makes You Happy
In times of stress, it is important to know yourself and how best to release your stress. If you are facing an especially uncomfortable part of a change, it can help you do something you do find comfort in to lessen the feeling of discomfort. For example, if you like to run and have just moved to a new city, consider going out for a run in your new location to increase your comfort levels.
Learn To Adapt
This may seem like a given, but part of becoming comfortable with change is learning to expect things to change. Be ready to assimilate yourself into these changes. The change will seem much less drastic when you mentally prepare yourself for it. You can help increase your adaptability by spending time in meditation and visualizing possible changes that could come.
It could also help you have backup plans for yourself. So if something fails on the first try, you have a backup plan in the meantime until you try again. Just knowing you have a backup plan will feel a bit like a safety net, helping you feel more confident and comfortable when changes inevitably come.
Overall, change is uncomfortable, but you can help increase your comfort level by learning to let go, knowing where you want to be, and the things in life which make you happy. Change is inevitable, so increase your comfort with change by learning to adapt and prepare for it.
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