MJWARD UK LTD

Possibly the most important questions you will get asked today! So why not start by listing everything you would like out of life… What are you working towards?

Before you think about starting these new business ventures, targets, changing your job, joining a gym etc you should identify to yourself the reason behind your actions. Every action has a reaction so what caused you to react? Holding onto this thought is very important, what drives one person is likely to be very different from the next; however this drive (or spark) is what causes us to react.

Before starting any personal development plan you should always identify why you are doing it? Listing this information is important because it can help re-create that spark I spoke about above when times get tough! Once you know why you are doing it, ask yourself when? Like being at school and studying for an exam, you need time for preparation and for some practice before you sharpen that pencil and take the test! The same can be said about personal development plans; it is all about training your body / mind to take action when you tell it to.

The definition for this I found online, it said “the sense of wonder, delight, and pleased approval inspired by anything fine, skilful, beautiful, etc”

Admiration for other people can be inspiring, and being inspired by those making a difference and trying new things is very important for any personal development plan. Studying, reading and listening to those who are older and wiser is such a great source of inspiration and knowledge.

It is also very important that you set out to inspire others through your actions and achievements in life. If your actions can help inspire others to do better, make a change, or result in others speaking highly about you (your company) then it will give you a great sense of achievement, one you should be very proud of!

Admiration can also be created from building trust and long lasting relationships with your clients and staff. Although accomplishments can take some time to be recognised, lets not forget the many hours of hard work you will have to put in for love not money when starting up a new business… This to me is real admiration! Although you shouldn’t do things in life simply for the approval of others, and a personal development plan is after all about you; in business it is important to build some level of trust, respect and admiration with customers and staff.

Acceptance of reality can determine success! If you are thinking about a business or new personal targets, knowing your own limits / expectations is vital! Just because you are Mr Super Fit does not mean you can setup and run a successful gym overnight!

Reality can sometimes be distorted when you are in the zone, pencilling down new business ideas late at night, financial forecast, new years resolutions influenced by champagne etc! My first year in business started with a “this time next year we will be millionaires!” attitude. You could say I was dreaming or an optimistic thinker… The truth is I was not being realistic! Ok, the goal is reachable if you allow enough time / planning, however I never had much money to invest or a business loan etc. These kind of financial targets (in the millions) often (but not always) require some kind of healthy bank balance, money sadly makes more money in today’s world! However I did meet a lot (if not all other) of my business / personal goals! And not becoming a millionaire in 12 months was just one of many lessons I will learn being in business! Goals don’t need to be massive, and over the years smaller bite size goals will start to add up! I believe as long as you are travelling in the right direction you don’t have to worry.

Getting your head around personal (or business) targets is the backbone of any personal development plan. Understand your limits by setting more difficult goals once existing goals have been reached… Keep pushing yourself to do (and be) better, this will inspire belief in you and your product. Keep positive, work harder than your competitors and keep believing in yourself! Think five years down the line and ask where will you be if you act? Then ask where will you be if you stand still?

Ok this was a difficult one as I didn’t want to sound all religious and preachy! The reason I say ‘deliverance’ is because it means an act of delivering or the condition of being delivered!

This sums up to me the purpose of any personal development plan! The goal is to deliver a state of mind (or existence) that you currently don’t have. Knowing when you have reached certain targets and rewarding yourself for the hard work and determination you put in is also important. Think about your end, what is your finish line and how will you know once it has been reached? I mean what will symbolise to you the success of your personal development plan?