Turning dreams into reality doesn’t happen by accident. It requires a clear personal leadership strategy–including a solid personal plan of action– to make it happen.

There are a number of great personal action plans available today that can help you turn your thoughts into actions to produce amazing results.

The key is to understand and put into practice the process of setting goals. Once you can do that, you have the tools needed to achieve just about anything you set your mind to.

Completing an Effective Personal Plan of Action

Your Personal Plan of Action should take into account several areas of your life. Here are the basic components of an effective personal plan of action:

  • Home life / Family
  • Financial
  • Career
  • Mental
  • Educational
  • Health / Physical
  • Social
  • Cultural
  • Spiritual
  • Ethical

While we typically focus on one or two of these areas at a time–and some are of greater importance to us than others–we should have goals in each area to achieve a balanced life.

Putting Your Personal Leadership Strategy into Motion

Here are the basic steps we use with our clients to help them complete a wholistic personal plan of action. To learn more about details of our personal leadership program, feel free to contact us.

1. Jot Down Your Dreams

Here is where you think creatively and outline all of the things you want from life. Put aside logic and practicality. This is where you note anything you’ve ever envisioned or wished for–not what you are expected to want or achieve, or what seems reasonable.

Use your imagination and get everything down on paper. Come back to this list whenever you want to add something new. This is the first step towards achieving your goals.

2. Describe Your Future

Think about where you are now in life personally and career-wise. How did you get here? Was it intentional? Now think about what life will be like next year, five years later, and a decade down the road.

Write down a realistic yet optimistic description of where you expect to be in the coming years. What do you desire? This should be an objective and promising projection of what you want your future to look like in different areas of your life. Be specific.

3. Create Your Personal Mission Statement

Develop a personal mission statement which you can apply in every area of your life, personal and professional. This mission statement should be reflective of your personal beliefs, talents, and values. It is a constant reminder of who you are and who you hope to be.

Your personal mission statement can include the following:

  • Values and beliefs
  • Family Goals
  • Career Goals
  • Life Goals

Learn more about developing a personal mission statement here.

4. Evaluate Your Life Balance

Assess the different areas of your life to determine which need the most attention at this time. This would include home and family life, social life, financial health, career, mental health, education status, and other areas of life.

Assign each area a value to see which ones need the most attention right now. List them out in order of importance.

5. Identify Personal Strengths

Evaluate yourself to identify your best qualities, abilities, and characteristics. Think about how you will leverage these strengths to achieve goals.

6. Identify Areas for Development

Now that you’ve listed out your strengths, spend some time noting areas where you can/want to grow. Focusing on these growth areas will help you make the most progress in the shortest amount of time.

7. Record Your Personal Values and Priorities

List out the beliefs and values for each area of your life that will guide the choices you make. They will help you choose your goals as well as the strategies you will use to reach those goals.

Next, review the dreams you laid out at the beginning of your action plan to determine your priorities. Which one do you want to start working on first? Is it a family goal? A career goal? An educational goal? You will revisit these periodically and update your priorities as needed.

8. Map Out Your Personal Goals

Given all the steps that you’ve previously taken, it is now time to plot out your personal goals. Your goals should be S.M.A.R.T.: specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and tangible.

Learn more about setting personal goals here.

9. Identify the Actions You Will Take to Achieve Your Goals

Now that you have mapped out your goals, it’s time to jot down the steps you will need to reach them. Consider possible obstacles and how you will work around them.

Set an ideal target date for completion and how you will measure your progress along the way.

Personal Leadership Development Programs

Are you ready to take the steps needed to achieve your personal goals? Our results-driven personal leadership training progam can help you find success. Get in touch today to learn more about our personalized training!