Do we need a personal development plan to be happy?

Happiness is a journey but where are we going?

Take a few minutes to ponder if you are happy with where your life is going.

A personal development plan is a tool that will guide your decisions and actions based on your values, beliefs, and goals to help you lead a happier life.

Without a personal development plan, we may just end up reacting to all the information around us such as:

• daily events

• family, friends, customers, bosses and other people requests

• social media

• news

• other people’s achievements

• entertainment

“All you need is the plan, the road map, and the courage to press on to your destination.” Earl Nightingale

Who would Benefit from a Personal Development Plan?

Any person who feels:

• overwhelmed

• stuck in life

• stressed

• doubtful

• unable to make decisions

• afraid of making mistakes

• fearful of the future

• anxious

• unimpressed with current achievements

• dissatisfied with life

Step by Step Process

It’s important to keep in mind that we can only change ourselves and how we react to others or external circumstances.

However, many times our thoughtful response may produce a more favorable outcome to a situation that we cannot change by itself.

For example when someone is yelling at us because he or she is mad the immediate response is to yell back. If instead of showing our own anger we try to see the situation from the other person’ s point of view, the person may calm down and we may be able to work out together a solution for the problem.

Find out how to be happy practicing empathy.

Many times we listen or read inspiring stories about how others created a better version of themselves but we are not sure where to start our own journey toward a happier life.

Here you will find a step by step process to create your personal development plan that will make you happy.

Step 1: Think About Your Options

Here are some questions to consider:

What personal area would you like to develop most?

Which change would spill happiness over all the other areas?

What is the easiest thing to change?

You may want to improve your:

• relationships with loved ones, coworkers, boss, family, or friends

• healthy habits such as choosing low-fat food, following a specific diet, reaching your perfect body weight, exercising more, relaxing, meditating, or sleeping more

• time management such as taking action, prioritizing, making better use of time, making decisions, reaching goals

• money management such as creating a budget, saving more, investing, making more money, paying off debt

• employment such as changing jobs, getting a promotion, starting your own business, being self-employed

Now you have some ideas of what areas you may want to focus on.

Step 2: Make a List

Write in a notebook or a piece of paper all the different areas you would like to change.

Moreover, it is important to write it down because it can be confusing if we keep all the information in our head. While we write, our brain processes the information and we can think clearer of our options.

Here are more tips on how writing can make you happy.

Below are some ideas for personal development areas:

• Feel more confident

• Make better decisions

• Get along with others

• Be happy alone

• Take daily actions toward my goals

• Meditate

• Practice gratitude

• Ask more questions

• Find my passion

• Be more empathetic

• Listen attentively

• Manage time more effectively

• Learn to relax

• Develop a self-care routine

• Explore and eliminate limiting beliefs

• Venture out of your comfort zone

• Learn from failure

• Acknowledge and be at peace with your past

Don’t worry about writing too much.

Once all the information is written down take a break.

After a few hours or days, come back and take a look.

From all the different areas, which one would you like to change the most or which one will produce the biggest positive change in your life?

Step 3: Choose and Prioritize

Our brain can only focus on one thing at a time. If you want to see a quick change in your life, focus on one area at a time.

Write a goal for that area.

Here you will find out how working on your goals makes you happy.

Even if you are not actively working on all the areas you would like to change, your mind is aware of them as you wrote them down. 

If you are not sure how to prioritize, start with your health.

After health, move on to relationships.

If you are satisfied with your relationships move on to work or money depending on which one troubles you the most.

In addition, if you struggle to get up every morning to go to work, or if you are not able to make ends meet, work would be a priority.

Once you are happy with one area, move on to the next one.

Step 4: Review the Thinking Process

“We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make the world.” Buddha

The purpose of the personal development plan is to have a clear vision of what we want to experience in life while at the same time check our belief systems to make sure there are no contradictions.

In addition, a common problem when creating a personal development plan is when our goal contradicts a belief we have.

For instance, when people wish to have a healthy body weight, they want to lose weight to feel healthier but at the same time they feel safe in their overweight body.

Moreover, mental contradictions stop our personal development because even though we consciously know what we want, we are ignoring unconscious beliefs that will keep us where we are, just to make sure we are safe.

We may be sick of our job but we are stuck because we are:

• hoping for a promotion

• thinking it’s easy

• believing it’s safe

• worrying that nobody else would hire us

• speculating about the retirement benefits or pension

Step 5: Clearing Contradictions

A good way to clear mental contradictions is to write down all your thoughts and feelings related to that specific goal.

Start with writing down:

Why do you want to focus on this new area?

What motivates you?

Are there beliefs holding you back?

What do other people around you tell you about this issue?

Once you know why you are a this point it’s time to find out what you could change.

Keep an open dialogue with yourself in a journal.

Write down your thinking process and you will find out how to move on to the next level.

In addition, affirmations and visualization are helpful tools to move past our old  beliefs that make it difficult to create the life we want to live.

Here is additional information on how to be happy using affirmations and how to be happy using visualization.

Step 6: Track Your Progress

 

We need to measure our progress toward our personal development plan.

Moreover, having daily and weekly objectives will ensure that you are focused and working on your goal.

• What is the first goal you want to achieve? 

• When do you expect to see progress?

• What are your daily actions?

• How are you going to measure progress?

• What exactly do you want to feel?

Step 7: Keep it Interesting

There may be some obstacles and detours to making consistent progress in our personal development plan.

Therefore, if you are not making as much progress as expected or if you reached a plateau, take a deep breath and think of it as part of the process.

• Is there new information to consider?

• What are the problems?

• How could you overcome these problems?

Your fears will come up and try to hold you back. You will need strategies to act despite your fears.

Consequently, think about the problems that will arise as a way to prove how much you really want what you say you want.

Here are some examples of problems or fears that will come up once you start working on your personal development plan:

• You may not follow through with your plan everyday

• You may be scared of what others think about you

• Others may not like or accept you anymore

• Others may criticize you

Moreover, anticipating these difficulties will help you to deal with them once they come up.

The personal development plan that you created is a tool that will evolve and change with you.

Work on your goals, come up with new ideas, and don’t let the slow progress or obstacles discourage you.

And remember that happiness in a journey, not a destination. Enjoy the process.

What area would you work on first in your personal development plan? Let me know in the comments below.