I often help clients with creating their Personal Development Plans. I simply put them through an exercise to get them to work on one thing in the coming month that they want to improve or give special attention to. The concept is pretty simple but can be extremely powerful if done properly. Think about it…how would your life be improved and enriched if you spent focused time on one new area each and every month?
There are a few things you will have to do to make this work for you:
- Pick an area of focus. This can be an area that you are not as proficient or strong as you would like to be and you know that improving it will have a positive impact on your success or happiness. Or you can choose an area where you are already strong and you want to leverage your strength even more.
- Once you pick an area of focus, you must decide what specific action steps you are going to commit to take in the next 30 days. You will probably have a half-dozen action steps or more that will relate to your area of focus.
- You will need to monitor your performance and make sure that you are executing and measuring your results (where possible) to ensure you’re making the desired improvements.
The hardest part to any self-improvement effort is getting started. Once you see the positive changes, it becomes easier to get excited and forge ahead. So to help you get started, I’m going to provide you with a list of things you may want to consider for your area of focus for June:
- Procrastinate less and be more proactive.
- Be more present.
- Improve my problem-solving skills.
- Strengthen my relationships.
- Value my customers more.
- Experience gratitude.
- Stay positive.
- Eliminate excuses.
- Improve my self-confidence.
- Be more creative.
- Be a better boss/employee.
- Be more assertive.
- Be a better listener.
- Be less distracted by social media.
- Be a better time manager.
For an added bonus, post your area of focus on our facebook page. This will provide a little extra motivation and accountability. I’ll even give you feedback on possible action items if you want.
