Believe!

One of my favourite movie scenes to illustrate how much it counts to believe in ourselves!

What is a personal development plan in plain English?

If you would like build a personal development plan which enables you you to actually achieve your objectives, solid preparation will be the answer.



Preparation already gets underway with your curiosity about looking at this article, and that means you seem to be a great step ahead! However, there is also a much more to it.



So, suppose I showed you the way to use some great preparation techniques to develop a powerful personal development plan that takes you on the way to your goals?




A personal development plan - in simple terms

You may well ask: “What is really a personal development plan?"


The official Wikipedia answer to the process about the personal development plan is the following: “Personal development planning is the process of creating an action plan based on awareness, values, reflection, goal-setting and planning for personal development within the context of a career, education, relationship or for self-improvement.” (source).

In my simple terms: “A personal development plan is a plan of action that gets you from where you are right now to where you want to be in future. This may incorporate learning hard skills (like project management skills) along with soft skills (like active listening).”



Is this a bit clearer now? 

Is it complicated to develop a personal development plan? It can be. Everything can be complicated. In my opinion, it's also a question of mindset. 
So...

.


...why is it that we need a personal development plan?

Consider two benefits right this moment. Ready?


There can be huge benefits, both for you and your employer, if everything ends up as planned. In the event you finish this program as the project management professional, for instance, you can be referred to as the project management expert within your company and be engaged in different interesting projects. Added values for both parties.


Generally speaking, there are three varieties of motivation to create a self development plan:


1. A business related formal personal development plan: This is often a action plan linked with an annual interview or maybe action plan after a training. In terms of motivation, you will need to resonate with all the goals, even those suggested via your superior. 

2. A private related motivation, this may be a formal or informal plan. Should you decide to be a professional writer within the next 10 years, it could be helpful to do a formal planning.

3. A combination of the above mentioned.



However the question remains, how can you get it done?



Easy methods to develop a powerful personal development plan



When I make an individual development plan, I use the following questions like a guideline to organize myself best and then to make this plan as useful as you possibly can. Otherwise, I risk to lose the red thread. In spite of how much motivation I have got, without having a logic plan, I'm not really getting far.



Answer the next questions (not necessarily in this particular order):



1. Why should I want to write this self development plan?
Consult the top of this post, if you want a few recommendations.



2. What to write down? 
You will discover commonly five to seven main subsets of a personal development plan:

1. Goal

2. Success criteria (How will you know in case you have succeeded? Can you use the certificate of completion after your course? Be concrete. Think of KPIs.)

3. Action outline (What will I actually do to achieve those goals?)

4. Implementation (How will I practice what I learn?)

5. Timeline (or deadline)

6. Goal category/Skill (especially useful, when there is a mix between business and personal related goals)

7. Goal priority (weighting system: Discuss with your superior which goal is currently most vital. Hopefully the two of you agree.) 



3. How to write?

1. Profit from your company’s templates, if available. Maybe you may also re-purpose them for your personal objectives. Otherwise, simply use a straightforward spreadsheet initially with all the key categories stated earlier.

2. Goal: Apply reflection time to think about your objectives. This may be, for example, linked to a training or following a 360° Feedback Process.

3. Goal & Action outline: If you like to combine a goal with a key activity, I recommend you utilize the following formula: I commit to [Verb] + [Precise Goal] + [Frequency Per Week] + [Optional: duration] + [Purpose] = Action

4. Action: Research on specific actions. Refer to the company’s training catalog. Ask people close to you what their favourite course was on topic X. Use Amazon and look for specific keywords to obtain additional ideas. Check out some Educational Media out there (internet, podcasts, iTunes U) ...

5. Sign the personal development plan, even when it is only for your personal use.

6. Print out a copy for your office.



4. When to write?

If business related, this will depend on the situations. Is this plan linked to your annual objectives? Has it been triggered during a training? Throughout a 360° Feedback process? In all cases, you ought to be informed beforehand.



5. What to draw?


Finally, yes, I really believe plans should not only consist of words and numbers. Make a drawing on a different page, simply for your own personal use. Draw a picture or a symbol that you just link with your desired outcome of the plan. It does not have to be pretty.





What do you do once it is on paper?

Keep to the planning, shoot for some progress, not perfection by tomorrow. You'll be more satisfied and for that reason more motivated to keep going. 

Last, however, not least, be sure you treat yourself occasionally while!



Has the question on “What is a personal development plan?” been answered for you personally? What is your opinion about this type of detailed preparation? Does this make sense?

Interested to read more? Then visit the Self Development Plan site for more information to boost your personal growth!

Three sources to answer the question “How can I get self confidence?”

The key to more self confidence is to make sure you use three simple sources of information: You, Questionnaires and Educational Media.

You see, many people want to have more self confidence, notably at work to face the daily situations and discussions with the superior or colleagues. More self confidence and better self esteem very often comes along with a positive attitude, more motivation and hence more energy to deal with challenging circumstances. And who does not want to have more energy?

Are you ready to challenge yourself ? Let’s get to it.

 
The first source to get self confidence: You (free)

While it might be clear that you personally will need to act in order to become more self confident, it might be somewhat surprising that you, yourself, can also provide the answer, before looking for external support or advice.

So, what can you do to become more self confident?

1. Ask yourself whether you are really lacking self confidence. In most cases, we are actually lacking experience and therefore feel insecure at first. Which is natural, and not necessarily a reason to seek for support. There is quite a difference between being nervous while talking to the manager for the first time about a salary raise, than having sweaty hands every time you see this one person coming down the corridor. So, what don’t you like doing so much? In which circumstances? Why?

2. Ask and test yourself in what area you would like to get more confident. Narrow it down, to a specific field, are you, for example not comfortable in presenting? (Repeat this step once you have worked on a few others to see where you have progressed.)

3. Ask your entourage for feedback. Sometimes, people will not even notice that you are lacking self confidence. We automatically assume that they know. If you are uncertain, ask people who know you well.

4. Monitor yourself. Increase self-awareness by paying attention on how you react in certain situations. If you have an important meeting scheduled, use that meeting to observe your own behaviour and learn from it.

5. Observe others: Look for that person at work (or at home) that you respect and admire and see how they (re-) act in certain circumstances.

6. Manage your (lack of) confidence: Most of us get nervous when speaking in public. Finding a routine to deal with this situation in the future makes it more manageable and we feel less insecure.

Does this make sense?


The second source to get self confidence: Questionnaires (at some cost)

Completing a questionnaire or a test can not only provide clarity on your field of improvement, it can also provide a great dose of self confidence. Below is a list of three quizzes and tests which I have personally completed and can recommend. There are plenty of other good tests out there for you to choose from, it really depends what you want to know.

1. Mind Tools provides a (free) little quiz to check your level of self confidence and provides some indication of action at the end. It takes 3 minutes to complete.
2. Strengths Finder 2.0 is a solid test to increase awareness of your strengths, for once not your weaknesses.
3. Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is one of the classical tests on different personality types. It is a good tool to remind us that we all have different personality traits, and some of those make people more confident than others. The test can be completed online with a personal feedback by a certified professional. You might consider taking this test in connection with a classroom training, if possible.


The third source to get self confidence: educational media (at some cost)

Once you have completed a test like one of the above mentioned, it is easier to focus on the particular field of improvement where you are lacking self confidence. In many cases some kind of test or questionnaire is offered in combination with a training, so, if you are certain that you would like to boost your self confidence through a seminar or workshop, verify upfront whether there are tests involved.

Now, check out this list of recommended references I often refer to on a general basis:

1. Books (or e-editions):
a. "How to win friends and influence people" by Dale Carnegie  - one of THE books to increase self confidence in interpersonal relationships
b. "Thinking, Fast and Slow" by Daniel Kahnemann - great source to help understand how we are thinking, which can have a great effect on our confidence.

2. Online courses: If you are fond of online learning, take a look at Udemy or Udacity. There are courses available on all kinds of topics, and they are affordable.

3. Podcasts: Similar to the above, but if you prefer to listen only to short information nuggets, there is quite a variety of podcasts out there to explain how to build self confidence. For instance, there is one great podcast by Steve Pavlina.

Finally, to come back to the question “How can I get self confidence?”, pick out a couple of the resources mentioned, and give them a try. One by one. Maybe you do the first quiz I recommended above, it only takes 3 minutes and it is free. That will get you going.

I recommend you to build it in your self development plan, if you have one. That would allow you to complete the steps throughout the year without forgetting any. It is a process, and it will take time.

Liked what you've read? Then visit the Self Development Plan site for more information to implement your personal development action plan, at the workplace as well as at home.

Please note that the links provided in this article are no affiliate links.
Image credit: iStockphoto.

Do You Also Make This Mistake Once You Have A Personal Development Plan?

“Not doing anything. And ignoring the reality.” Now, that is undoubtedly the single most common mistakes relating to self improvement, notably for private topics. Does that sound familiar to you personally?

So, imagine I explain to you just how to begin with your individual development plan, even for your individual goals?


New Year’s Resolutions and what happens?

When I was starting a brand new job not too long ago, I got really devoted, invested time and effort, and was loving it. About 7 months later, it had been that time of the season again to contemplate New Year’s Resolutions. And mine was clear for me: Exercise. Exercise to release after work and to de-stress.

So, like a lot of people, I told myself that I will doing more sports within the New Year.
Ninety days later, not really a lot had happened. The motivation curve was lost again. And it also happened without me really noticing and noticing it, not really procrastination, just focused on other pursuits. One day, I got aware of the fact that was NOT happening, thus i began to reflect. “Why? What was the main reason why I didn't even do anything?” After a few moments it sunk in. I had created my goal, but
a.    It wasn't defined clearly enough,
b.    I didn't have map to assist me and
c.    There was little personal awareness and a spotlight on the topic.

How did I manage to get out of that situation?

Three proven tips to get moving on your own personal development plan now

Following this ‘discovery’, I researched a bit and sat right down to decide my very own “starting block” strategy. Together with some fine tuning at a later time, I put together a recipe which works for me personally up to today. No miracle steps, just steps, one after the other.
These are:

#1: (Re-) Define your goal clearly
#2: Do not start too soon, make a planning first
#3: Manage your fear, define a personal driver & be conscious.
I'll explain to you one by one.

#1: (Re-) Define your goal clearly
When you have established your initial form of  development plan, or maybe just written down some objectives around New Year’s Day, it can be difficult to really start and take action. One easy approach is to define your objective as clearly and realistic as you possibly can.

Here is a formula: I commit to [Verb] + [Precise Goal] + [Frequency Per Week] + [Optional: duration] + [Purpose] = Action

So, for instance, the aforementioned goal: “Do more sports”. Would turn into “I commit to re-start playing badminton once every seven days to wind down after work.”
If required, print your objective and place it somewhere the places you see it on a very regular basis.


#2: Do not start too soon, make a planning first
It doesn't mean you need a planning for each goal there is. A planning is great for difficult and complicated topics where you tend not to really progress without. If you would like to participate in the first time in a marathon, as an example, it's actually a smart idea to execute a planning for that.

What should the minimum different parts of a planning?
-     Fixed dates of activity
-     Outside Obligations (like fixed appointments with sport partners)
-    Weekly motivation dose: watch a motivational video
-     Milestones (where relevant)
You may use a simple spreadsheet or some tracking software. Personally, I prefer to personalise my planning in a spreadsheet, as most of the tracking software come at a price and tend to be complex. A question of personal preferences, I guess.


#3: Manage your fear, define a motivator & be conscious.

This last bit of the starting block method is concentrating on your personal mindset. The perfect written software full of information does not help you to, if you do not have the mindset to get going. So, how can you apply it?

Franklin D. Roosevelt once said: “The only thing we have to fear is - fear itself?”

Action 1: List your fear and obstacles to achieve your objective. Build a mind map today and look at it again in the future to incorporate more.

Action 2: Create a personal driver, if you don't already happen to have one. This may be a life motto or possibly a famous quote out of a song or movie... Ideally, it should correspond with your situation in your life, connected with your dreams and your goals.

Action 3: Utilize your personal driver to be more mindful of your every day life. There's a lot of distraction out there, try to concentrate on the core things, at home and at your workplace.

Now that you've learned my biggest mistake and just how I took care of it
In case that this really is something happened to you, what was your path of dealing with it?
Should you be stuck right this moment, go ahead and test my strategy.

Interested to find out more? Then visit the Self Development Plan site for people who want to grow, at the workplace as well as at home.