BALANCING PERSONAL GROWTH GOALS
Personal growth is one of our deepest human needs. When we don’t commit to a personal growth plan, we stagnate or become trapped by our limiting beliefs. However, we can’t just say we want to grow and leave it at that. We must set clear goals to create an effective personal growth plan and act on it.
Remember, “true balance comes in action, not in discussion.” You’ll never overcome your personal growth challenges just by thinking about them. Create a personal growth and development plan that consists of actionable items. Then work to tackle any obstacle in the way of your goals. You will become the best version of yourself with hard work and dedication.
WHAT IS A PERSONAL GROWTH PLAN?
Your personal growth and development plan is a completely customized blueprint for your life. It starts with your purpose: What will bring you the most happiness in life? From there, work backward. Determine the habits you must develop and the skills and knowledge you must master. Establish the step-by-step goals you need to achieve to get there.
Personal growth isn’t just for those feeling stuck or having a significant obstacle to overcome. Everyone benefits from working through a personal growth plan. Learning to continue your personal growth is essential to building confidence, reaching your goals and finding fulfillment. If you’re not growing, you’re dying – so it’s time to get growing.
DETERMINING YOUR PERSONAL GROWTH CHALLENGES
The first step of setting personal development goals is to decide what is essential in your life. What does your personal growth and development plan mean to you? Does it mean becoming a better communicator with your partner? Do you envision professional success? Would you like to adopt a sustainable healthy diet and get into better physical shape? Do you want to become better at handling your finances? No matter your personal growth challenges, there’s a way to achieve your goals.
Growth and success mean something different for everyone, but personal growth plans usually tackle four areas of life: professional, relationships, intellectual and physical health. Within these areas, you can tailor your goals to your life to ensure you continue growing.
Balancing Your Professional Goals include both short- and long-term aims for your career. They have actionable items and named deadlines. For example, you want a promotion within the year, to reach a certain role within five years and then strike out on your own and start a business within ten years. These goals also include professional development such as certifications and attending conferences.
Balancing Relationship Goals can mean finding love if you’re not in a relationship or strengthening your current partnership. If you’re in search of love, you’ll work on defining and finding your ideal partner and overcoming your limiting beliefs. If you’re in a partnership, you may want to reignite the spark or stop arguing.
Balancing Intellectual Growth means feeding your mind, gaining new skills and staying inspired to always keep learning. You could decide to tackle a long novel you haven’t gotten around to, learn how to play the piano or commit to doing a crossword every day.
Balancing Physical Health is one of the most common areas for improvement in a personal growth plan. On the surface, your goal is to lose weight or build six-pack abs, but dig deeper. Physical health is ultimately about living an overall healthy lifestyle that will give you the energy and vitality you need to go after your other goals.
THE CATEGORIES OF PERSONAL GROWTH PLANS
There are as many personal growth plan examples as there are people, but for our purposes we can break them down into seven categories. These include:
PERSONAL SKILLS
These can be the skills you’re born with – or they can be learned and acquired. To excel in all areas of your life, you must understand which of your skills are the strongest and which ones need more work.
PERSONAL GROWTH
Growth requires evolution. In order to achieve business, relationship, life or physical goals, you must evolve into a different person than you were before. You must deepen your knowledge and remain open to growth.
PERSONAL POWER
Personal power applies to the authority you grant to others. If you want to grow, you need to take back some of your personal power. Stop letting other people control you.
PERSONAL IMPROVEMENT
To improve your life, you must keep a positive mindset and work hard. Any growth relies on personal improvement. If you aren’t pushing yourself to become a better person, you will never achieve your goals.
PERSONAL EMPOWERMENT
What is the unique power that you see within yourself? It has nothing to do with how others see you. Increase your personal empowerment by holding strong to a positive image and find creative outlets that you enjoy.
PERSONAL ANALYSIS
Personal analysis is when you get serious with your strengths and your weaknesses. No one is good at everything. Be truthful when it comes to analyzing where you come up short and what you can do to make improvements.
PERSONAL OBJECTIVES
Setting personal objectives are essential for creating change and achieving goals. Ambition will get you nowhere without a clear set of outcomes in mind.