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Think of your PDP as a roadmap to success for your life.  Your PDP gives you clarity for your goals and is also your accountability partner. This roadmap is your NO EXCUSE zone. Be flexible and adjust as you go along.

So what areas of your life would you like to improve or develop?  Possible areas: spiritual, family, financial, physical, personal, family or any other developmental area.

Personally, I have a PDP for my kids. This includes select areas where I am helping to shape and develop them. My daughter loves to draw. Actually cartooning is one of her favorite things to do.  I enrolled her in a cartooning art class. She loved this class and it expanded her mind and helped her to develop even more details and vivid colors with her cartooning and other art projects that she loves to draw.  What a great confidence booster. This is one example but should give you a starting point for your kids.

So we have our list. Now we are ready for the next step.

Step 2

If you have never completed a PDP skip this step until you get to Step 8. Step 2 should be a review of last year. Did you accomplish everything you wanted to last year? Make an accomplishment list. Often we get caught up achieving goals but do not take the time to stop and give ourselves a pat on the back. Why is this important? This is to remind you that you are a goal setter and more importantly, a goal achiever.

Step 3

We are now ready to fill in our development areas. Be as detailed as possible for each area. For example, if you want to lose weight or gain weight, write down how much and the date that you would like to reach your goal. I will lose 15 lbs by June 6^th is more definitive than merely stating I will lose 15 lbs. This creates a sense of urgency.

Step 4

Create a WHY. Why do you want to start a business, lose weight, run a 5k, volunteer. Buckle down because this why will serve as your reminder for the days that you want to quit or make excuses.

Step 5

For those areas that you assigned a date, mark them on your calendar or put them in your phone as a reminder. Find an accountable partner if necessary. Review your goals periodically to make sure you are on track.

Step 6

Create a vision board for your goals. Let’s say that you plan to pay off a loan. Write a check for the amount due and the date that you plan to pay this debt. Place this check on your board to serve as a reminder and create a sense of urgency. Saving for your dream vacation this year – put a picture of that exact place on your board.  This is also a good time to create a vision board for your kids.

Step 7

Celebrate you! Reward yourself for small victories. Get back on track and keep hammering at your goals.

Step 8

Year-end-review.  How did you do?  High five to you on the areas that you conquered.  Did you lose sight on some goals?  Figure out why and laser in what you need to do to make this goal a reality for next year.

Remember aim high and if you reach for the moon you have a greater chance to fall somewhere amongst the stars. Get in the NO EXCUSE ZONE for this year. This is your year, you can do it. See you at the finish line!

I would love to hear your goals. Please feel free to comment.

Till the next time….

Tags: goals, no excuses, personal development plan

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 4th, 2011 at 7:30 am and is filed under Personal Development. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.