“Planning is bringing the future into the present so that you can do something about it now.”
– Alan Lakein
Standing at the top of Mariner’s Ridge, I looked out at the sun setting across the ocean with a feeling of complete success and satisfaction.
Why you may ask? Because after spinning my wheels and wasting my time for years, I had finally cracked how to get my life together once and for all…and success in my career, building my health and body, and even deepening relationships with friends and family finally was no longer just something I desired…but were goals I had accomplished step-by-step.
It was there, feeling like I was standing on top of the world that I realized a few of the great lessons in my life.
First, that my life and time was precious, and I had to make the most out of every moment.
Second, that the solution to making the most of my life was having a clear plan and direction, so you make the most of every moment.
My heart filled with gratitude, as I realized how fortunate I was that a mentor had shared the secret of creating a personal development plan with me, and that I had been able to use this powerful tool and template to completely shape every aspect of my life.
If you want to follow along, download this [ninja-popup ID=6572]Printable Personal Development Plan Template[/ninja-popup] (PDF)
[ninja-popup ID=6572]
[/ninja-popup]
If you don’t know where you want to get to, it doesn’t matter which way you go.
When you learn how to write your personal development plan, you’ll learn how to structure your thoughts as well.
When that happens, you will be amazed at the way your brain will subconsciously focus on what you want.
Why write a Personal Development Plan?
Because, frankly, it works. When you write down your plan you’ll get:
- Clarity. With the structure I lay out below, you’ll know exactly what you are doing with your life.
- Define The Why. We’ll tie it all together into your major “why” – so that even on days you feel lazy or unmotivated, you can remember why this really matters to you.
- A Course Of Action. Imagine waking up every day and knowing each day matters, and having a plan for what to do with it.
Let’s break it down into exactly what goes into it
What Is In A Personal Development Plan?
The personal development plan answers 3 questions…and [ninja-popup ID=6572]my pdf template[/ninja-popup] has the exact structure that I learned from mentors and tweaked
- What you want
- Why you want it
- How you plan to get there.
That’s it.
How To Write A Personal Development Plan Sections
- Page 1: Your Life Purpose. What were you born to do? What is the meaning of your life?
- Page 2: Your Dreams. Those far reaching thoughts and hopes that inspire you to action.
- Page 3: Your Beliefs and Values. What do you stand for? And perhaps, what do you wish your actions showed you stand for?
- Page 4-7 Goals:
- Short, Medium and Long Term Goals. We’ll take your dreams, break them down into goals that span years, months and finally days and weeks – so you know what to do every day, and also the general direction your heading.
- Page 8+: Success and Milestones. This is optional, but I recommend as you accomplish your goals, keep a log of some of the major milestones you’ve accomplished. You can also store certificates and other things that make you feel good.
Personal Development Plan Template
Ok, we discussed the sections that go into a plan…wouldn’t it be nice to see what it actually looks like? [ninja-popup ID=6572]You can grab my template here to print out[/ninja-popup]
Your Life Purpose, Your Dreams and Your Beliefs and Values – those all go on blank pages, one page at a time. I like to write them our bullet style
For the goal sheet though, I like to have a matrix to help me see exactly where I’m headed.
I like to go ten years out, but three or gives years is great too.
A typical download this [ninja-popup ID=6572]personal development plan template[/ninja-popup] (PDF) for goals looks like this:
Personal Development Goals
| Goal Area | One Year | Three Year | Five Year | Ten Year |
| Career | ||||
| Finances | ||||
| Physical/Body | ||||
| Social | ||||
| Personal |
For each box, answer these questions:
- What specifically do I want to accomplish?
- Why?
- Who can help me?
- How do I get there? (What actions do I need to take?)
Now It’s Time To Make Your Own
Grab your copy of this printable [ninja-popup ID=6572]personal development plan template[/ninja-popup] (PDF) for goals and get started
[ninja-popup ID=6572][/ninja-popup]