Your Seven Step Plan For Personal, Professional Growth, Development
The following article has been written with tips from US businessman Rob Moore. He is host of two podcasts, one of which is known as The Disruptive Entrepreneur. This article appeared on Forbes Women, another publishing arm of Forbes Magazine. Forbes was founded by the prominent American news media leader, the late Malcolm Forbes, who once owned Laucala Island.
Personal and professional development go hand in hand. Working to improve yourself in both ways leads to quicker and more robust growth, as well as helping you become a more well-rounded person overall.
I spoke with Rob Moore, the Disruptive Entrepreneur, to learn about how he approaches both personal and professional development. He shared his seven step selfgrowth and development plan that anyone can easily implement.
Step one: Stop comparing yourself to others, and instead compare yourself to your lowest point in life.
No two people are on the same path in life or in business, so comparing yourself to someone else is really just an exercise in futility.
Plus, you only know what you see on the surface, and you know nothing of the struggles or challenges they might be experiencing behind the scenes.
Instead of comparing yourself to others, compare your present self to your past self, and see just how far it is that you’ve come.
Chances are, you’re at least one step ahead of where you were at your lowest, and if not, you’ve just given yourself something to work towards.
Step two: Be grateful for and see the benefits of any challenges you’re experiencing right now.
A challenge is simply an opportunity for growth if you approach it with the right mindset. While it might be hard to see the reason for the challenge while you’re in the thick of it, trust that it’s something that will provide you with value.
Be grateful that you’re in a position to be facing such a challenge and try your hardest to find any upsides, no matter how small they may be.
Most challenges are beneficial because they teach us the hard lessons that, while uncomfortable, are often instrumental to growth and development.
Step three: Be grateful for where you’re at now.
Gratitude is an incredibly powerful tool and is something that should be practiced daily.
Look back at your journey to see just how far you’ve come, and reflect on your gratitude for both where you are now as well as how far you’ve come.
You’ll also start to notice that the more you actively practice being grateful, the more positivity you’ll see around you, which can lead to breakthroughs and developments both on a personal and professional level. As Moore says “what you appreciate, appreciates.”
Step four: Make a plan.
Now that you know where you are, it’s time to look forward to the future. Write down exactly where you are now and exactly where you want to be.
Then, make a plan to figure out how you’re going to get yourself there.
Be as detailed as possible with your plan and include the things you’ll need to learn, how you’ll overcome obstacles and roadblocks, as well as a timeframe for taking action.
Step five: Take actions in the pursuit of the life you want to live.
Whether your goal is to improve your health, wealth, or happiness, dedicate time to actively pursuing the things that will help you achieve this goal.
That could be carving out an hour per day to dedicate to exercising or committing to getting in 20 minutes of mindfulness, or it could be hiring a financial advisor to help you manage your money.
There’s no wrong way to pursue the life you want to live, other than not taking action.
Step six: Continually adapt and evolve your plan.
Periodically check in with yourself to ensure that you’re evolving and growing, and that your action plan is still meeting your needs in the present moment.
Sometimes things will have to be pushed back to another time, other times you’ll realize that certain things are no longer serving you. Be willing to make changes to your plan as you go along to ensure that it’s always helping you grow and develop.
Step seven: Celebrate along the way – both small wins and big wins.
You should always celebrate your wins, no matter their size.
Your small wins are just as valuable and important as the big wins, as they showcase your growth and accomplishments.
Celebrating the wins along the way will help keep you motivated and remind you that even if it doesn’t feel like it, you’re making progress and moving forward.
Bonus step: Remember starts out as a beginner.
that everyone
The most successful people in the world started out as beginners not knowing what to do or how to do it.
Anyone who is a millionaire or billionaire today was once exactly wherever you are right now in your business journey.
They too had to come up with an idea and hustle to make their first sale, then learn how to scale and grow.
As Moore explains, “every winner was once a beginner, and every master was once a disaster.” You have to start at the bottom before you can grow.