Episode 38: Pack Your Bags, Your Personal Growth Journey Starts Now!
If you are ready to start your personal growth journey but are feeling overwhelmed by all of the information out there, you are in the right place. Today’s episode is going to be the perfect place for you to start. If you haven’t already, you may want to take the free personal growth triangle assessment to see exactly where you are on your personal growth journey. Once you have done that, you’ll be ready to learn how to prepare for your personal growth journey.
And as always, be sure to take notes in your MAP Book notebook system to refer back to later. You will be so glad that you have these to look back on!
What is a personal growth journey?
Before you can know how to prepare for your personal growth journey it is important to define what a personal growth journey is. A personal growth journey is unique and looks different for everyone. In a word, it’s personal. Everyone’s road map is going to look different because they are all starting in unique places and trying to get to unique places.
I like to think of a personal growth journey as the trip from where you currently are to where you want to be in life. The destination you want to get to is often referred to as your dream life vision. The things that happen in between where you are today and where you want to be are the steps of your journey.
So, for example, when I first got started on my personal growth journey, I was struggling. I was a new mom and I had fallen out of love with teaching. My time was not my own, my body was not my own and I was miserable. So I created a personal growth plan. The destination was time freedom. Let me tell you, that felt really far from where I was starting. But I created a plan to get me slowly from point A (my current position) to point B (time freedom). And now, as I record this episode on a Tuesday afternoon in January in my yoga pants in my living room, I can assure you that the journey works. You don’t need to know the exact steps from A to B, but trust that the right focused actions will get you to where you want to ultimately be.
How To Prepare For Your Personal Growth Journey: Step 1
Now that we have a shared definition of what a personal growth journey is, it is time to prepare for your own journey. I think of preparing for your personal growth journey like preparing to go on a trip or a vacation. A lot of the steps that you need to follow are the same. Additionally, this process should be somewhat familiar for you. I will use this metaphor as we begin to get you ready to start your personal growth.
Your first step when preparing for your personal growth journey is deciding on your destination. Now, as I mentioned previously, you do not need to know how to get to the destination or exactly what it will look like when you get there. You just need to know generally where you want to go. For me, that was time freedom. For you, it may look like a strong body or an educated mind or a more present parent.
Just like your first step is to decide if you want to go to Australia or France on your family vacation, you need to decide your destination. Don’t be afraid to reach for the stars with this. What would be your ultimate (personal growth) destination? Right now, my personal growth destination is redesigning my business so that I can spend entire summers present with my family. Do I know how I am going to get there right now? Nope, no clue. But that is my destination.
Step 2
The second step when you are considering how to prepare for your personal growth journey is to research your destination. Now that you know where you want to go on your trip, what do you need to know about that place? What are the different ways to get there? What kinds of activities are there? What might you need to pack or think about ahead of time to be successful?
Preparing for your personal growth journey can definitely involve some research. Warning: do not get lost in the weeds here. When I research my personal growth destination, I like to find other people that have achieved flexible schedules with summers off. What did they do? How long did it take them? Do not, I repeat, do not allow yourself to get discouraged here. You are just gathering information so that you are ready for step 3.
How To Prepare For Your Personal Growth Journey: Step 3
Now that you have done some preliminary research for your trip, it is time to decide what goes on your packing list. If you are going to Australia, you may need to pack swimming gear and scuba equipment. If you are going to Alaska, snow pants and boots may be on your list.
When creating a packing list for your personal growth journey, you are going to think along the same lines. Your “packing list” is really your plan for personal growth. What is going to help you get where you want to go? Is it courses, education or books? Could it be a mentor or an experience or a conversation? Take time to brainstorm anything you can think of that can help you get to your destination. What habits do you need? Are there any systems that will help get you there faster? What skills do you need to learn?
Step 4
Now that you have chosen a destination, done your research and created a packing list, it is time to use that list to help you pack! Remember, you wrote a list for a reason. What sense would it make to create a list and then not use it when you go to fill your suitcase? None at all!
Your personal growth journey is the same way. You were able to determine what activities, systems and supports will help you get from where you are to where you want to go. Now use that “packing list” as a plan for your personal growth. Decide what activities will move you the furthest, the fastest. Identify the activities that you need versus the activities that may just distract you or look pretty from the outside.
How To Prepare For Your Personal Growth Journey: Step 5
The time has come: it is time to go on your trip! Your destination has been researched, your bags are packed, it is time to go.
On your personal growth journey, this is where you do the work. This is where you take consistent action towards your destination, by following your plan. While this part can be really fun, it can also be work. Just like there are parts of a vacation that aren’t fun, parts of your personal growth journey will be a struggle too. That is why it is important to be surrounded by people who love you and to keep your destination in sight to motivate you to keep going when things are hard.
How To Prepare For Your Personal Growth Journey: Conclusion
A personal growth journey is similar in many ways to taking a vacation. You need to decide where you want to go, find out what you need to know about getting to that destination, create a packing list and enjoy the ride.
If you are preparing for your own personal growth journey, I highly recommend that you invest most of your time and energy into creating a plan. Because of that, I created a 60-minute workshop, Creating a Personal Growth Plan That Will Change Your Life. It is the workshop that I wish I had when I was starting off on my very first personal growth journey. This workshop will walk you through creating a personal growth plan from start to finish, on your own time. It is complete with a workbook and examples to help make 2023 the year everything changes for you and your family.
Let’s Make a Plan!
I am so excited for you as you begin to prepare for your personal growth journey! Your first step is to take time to think about where you want your ultimate destination to be. In your MAP Book, spend some time writing about what your dream life would look like in 5 years. Then, step away from this for a day or two. When you return to it, re-read what you wrote. Look for patterns that emerge or feelings that still resonate with you. If you aren’t 100% confident in where you want to go, the other activities will not be helpful. Really take the time to focus on your destination!
If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe on Spotify so you don’t miss next week’s episode. We have been chatting so much lately about personal growth plans that I thought it would be fun to share my plan for 2023 with you. Be sure to tune in to episode 39 to see the BTS of my plan for my personal growth this year.
Finally, if you want to connect between episodes, be sure to give me a follow over on Instagram – @sharonlegercoaching. I would love to support you on your personal growth journey!
Did You Love This Episode?
If so, be sure to share it with a friend – this helps busy moms like you to find me!
And finally, you can also check out these related episodes that I think you’ll be obsessed with:
3 Hacks for Jumpstarting Your Personal Growth Journey
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