Personal Development PlansPersonal Development Plans Article: A common problem for a lot of people is not knowing what to do with their lives. Without a life purpose, you end up feeling directionless and lost. Feeling that way makes it difficult to create personal development plans. In my opinion, not knowing what you are supposed to do with the rest of your life is OK. After all, the rest of your life is a mighty long time and it is a tall order to expect to have it all figured out right NOW.
Deciding on some personal development plans is easier with focus and direction. Here are steps to help you get there: 1. Narrow your focus. Don't know what you want to do with your life? If not, that's OK...do you know what you want to do with the next month? The next week? How about the next day? It is difficult for many people to answers these questions. To me, it is a little bit like a cat chasing its' own tail: if you don't know what you want to do today, then trying to decide what to do with the rest of your life will cause you to chase yourself in circles. Figuring out what to do with your entire life is a big task and it might be easier to start backwards and focus on what you want to do in the next 2-3 hours. You can then use those small blocks of time to build the foundation your life. 2. Take the next 5 minutes to write down at least 10 simple things to do in the next 2-3 days. Try simple things like listening to your favorite song, spending some time outside, calling a good friend, look at pictures of loved ones or spend a few minutes meditating. All of these actions will help you get in touch with yourself and develop more self awareness. And, the more awareness you have, the easier it is to make meaningful personal development plans. 3. Have fun today. It doesn't have to be something big and it doesn't have to take a lot of time. The point is to incorporate something fun into your day. No matter how busy or hectic your day might be, adding some fun gives you something to look forward to. Fun stuff alleviates stress and gives you an energy boost. So, take a few minutes today to just feel like a kid again and have some fun. 4. In order to get closer to your life purpose, make a list of what you stand for and post this list somewhere prominent (mirror, dashboard, kitchen counter). Do you stand for honesty? Integrity? Forgiveness? Kindness? Knowledge? The environment? When you get in touch with what you value, it is much easier to begin living your life in accordance with your values.
5. Or, if it is easier for you, then make a list of things that you don't like. This list can contain big dislikes (certain people) Do you not like to argue? Do you not like watching football or other sports? Do you not like the snow? Do you not like to be separated from your family for too long? Do you like to work alone or in a team? Do you like routines or variety? Do you want to travel or are you a homebody? Break this list into two categories: (1) things that you don't like that are currently in your life; (2) things that are not currently in your life, but you know from past experience that you don't like them. For everything on list #1, begin to actively eliminate those things from your life. For example, if you don't like the way the furniture is arranged in your living room, then go move it around until you find a more pleasing arrangement. If you don't like your loud co-worker, then go buy a small fan to create "white noise" and drown him/her out. Getting rid of some of your current dislikes frees up your energy for the things you do like. For all the items on list #2, keep an eye out to avoid things these things in the future. Just being aware of them will help you to spot those negative people or bad situations from a mile away. Knowing what you don't want in your future can give you more confidence about having a good future. 6. Focus on being happy right now. You don't need to have your life figured out in order to find authentic happiness. Life is always changing, and as a result you will always have some personal development plans in your life. When you accomplish one thing, you will naturally move on to another goal. Said another way, figuring out your life purpose doesn't mean that you are guaranteed happiness forever, it simply means that you figured out how you want to live your life. That is all - nothing more! So, even if you don't know your life purpose, why not go ahead and feel good right now? Your life purpose won't protect you from life's ups and downs, it will just help to guide you through those positive and negative paths. So, go ahead and focus on being happy today, right now, and enjoy the process of figuring out yourself and your life.
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