In my latest blog, I discussed the what growth is and why it is so important. If you are coming into this blog with no knowledge of what the heck personal growth is, I would encourage you to go back and check that one out! If you have already made the decision to begin your own growth journey, then you are in the right place, Rockstar.
In order to reach your level 10 life (whatever that means to you), you must understand one super important principle... results come from action, not from a desire within to grow or from a burst of motivation, or an inspiring communicator, or through talking about it. Results come from action. Period.
In order to get growing, we need to establish a plan- a growth plan. A growth plan is an annual customized blueprint of your life. It is a map that will take you from point A (where you are now, to point B (where you want to go.) A Growth Plan has 3 main parts:
1. The What - What does a level 10 life look like to me?
2. The Why - Why is this important to me? What would having a level 10 life or being a level 10 in this area do for me?
3. The How - How will I get to level 10? What needs to happen in order for me to reach a level 10? Who do I need to become? What do I need to do, know, and have?
1. WHA WHA WHAAAATTTT?
The first Step is "The What". In order to identify the areas of growth that matter most to you and that you want to focus on, begin with the wheel below. This wheel is a super helpful tool for providing clarity on what a level 10 life looks like to you. It covers the most important areas of life. Every person will desire growth in different areas, during different seasons of life. I personally come back and evaluate my progress using this wheel every 90 days. I have found that my growth needs sometimes change, based on what season of life I'm in. I allow the wheel to give me clarity on what matters most to me in that particular season. it oointa the way North! If my growth plan needs a minor adjustment, I do it intentionally.
One truth bomb I have learned is that powerful questions lead to powerful answers. Before I go into deep thinking (which by the way this exercise requires), I usually take anywhere from 10-30 minutes in silence. I breathe deeply and quiet my thoughts through meditation, so that I become completely present and can think, uninhibited from the yuck of the day which is usually hanging around in my mind.
Practice: Pull out a journal and rate, envision, and prioritize. Ask yourself powerful questions about each area of your life:
Rate: What is my level of satisfaction with this area of my life? (1= totally unsatisfied/ 10= totally satisfied) Give each area rating.
Envision: What would a level 10 in this area look like? Write it all down. The more uninhibited you are when thinking on this, the more impact it will have on your life. What do you envision?
Prioritize: Which areas do I want to make progress in this year? A little progress in each area? Massive progress in 1-2 areas? It doesn't matter! The plan is customizable to your own desire for your life. Remember, where focus goes, energy flows. I generally only choose 1-3 areas to focus on each season, but that is just how I choose to do it. I don't think there is a right or wrong way, but the more scattered your focus, the less progress you'll be able to make in each area.
Click below to download a printable template (pictured) to unpack your "What".
2. WHY THO?
Step 2 is "The Why". Your why becomes your purpose. Your why is the core of your motivation- what drives you to get out of bed in the morning. Instead of pushing you to your goals, your "why" helps to connect you to them at a much deeper level, and thus pulls you toward your goals. There is a major difference between push & pull, and the why is what makes the difference.
The final step to creating your growth plan is The How, but I am about to drop a massive piece of wisdom on you before we get there: You must earn the right to focus on The How (the action you take) by discovering and connecting to the what, and the why first. Otherwise, you will get totally into the weeds and you will lose your way every time.
Click below to download a printable template (pictured) to unpack your "Why".
The challenge is that our brain habitually wants to seek solutions to challenges, so it auto-focuses on The How. We must be intentional about digging deeper to find what drives us, if we want to live a Level 10 life. Discovering and coming back to your why is a practice. Where you aim, is where you'll fire, so make sure you're aiming in the right direction of what you want by doing the work on why you want it. The truth is, you don't know what you truly want until you peel back the layers, and get clarity on the why.
Practice: Journal your answers to the following questions: Why is growth in this area(s) so important to me? What difference will it make in my life if I were to achieve a level 10? Who else would it affect? How would it affect them? What is possible if I were to become a level in that/those area(s)? I would encourage you to continue to peel back the layers, by asking the question "And what's important about that to me?" Keep asking it until you get to what feels like the core,...and then ask it again. THATTTTT is where self discovery happens.
3. HOW TO:
Now that we know what area(s) we want to focus on and why we want to focus there, we need to determine what needs to happen in order for us to achieve Level 10 in that area. I believe in the principle of BE DO HAVE. It's the idea that you can have anything you want, if you do the things you must do to get there. But in order to do the things, you must first become the type of person who is capable of doing what needs to be done. (Warning: you may need to read that back and twist it around in your brain for a moment.)
The Becoming is what the growth plan is all about. It's about shaping you into the leveled up version of you, so that you can do what you need to do, and have the level 10 life you want to have.
Practice: Brain dump everything you can think of that would need to happen to achieve a level 10. When you're finished, reflect back at your answers. Ask yourself, "who must I become in order to be capable of doing that?"
Assembling The Legos
Let's say I want to lose 50 lbs. If I auto-jump to the solution or action to take, perhaps I might come up with things like "go to gym and eat healthy" Now suppose I were to unpack this more by asking why is this important to me and "who must I become in order to be capable of going to the gym and eating healthy. I might come up with more powerful answers, such as "a person who is disciplined, who wakes up early, who has healthy habits, who is accountable, who takes control/ responsibility of his/her own life, who understands his/her body and nutrition, who can make healthy food taste delicious, who cooks more nights than he/she orders out, etc"
Do you see how unpacking the question by asking "who must I become" changes the game? If I stopped at "go to gym, eat healthy”, my plan of action might look like... go to gym, eat healthy.
If I dig deeper, I may discover that I need to study and learn practices, habits, behaviors, mindsets, etc. Maybe I discover that I need to sit at the feet of masters who have gone before me, who have had success longterm, and see what they watch, listen to, talk about, and read, and how they behave, think, and take action, I might discover that I need to fill my mind with books, podcasts, therapy, yoga, meditation meditation, courses, coaching, or accountability groups that teach me nutrition, how the body works, healthy recipes and cooking tips, habits, mindset, morning routines, etc.
Game changer. If my plan of action for the year is "go to gym & eat healthy", you can mark my word: I will fizzle out in 2 weeks when homeostasis sets in and I discover that I actually gained 2 lbs, instead of losing anything. WTH! (Homeostasis is the desire to revert back to comfort when the motivation wanes and routine sets in.)
On the other hand, if my plan of action is to become and I uncover all that I can do to grow into the kind of person who goes to the gym and eats well, I now focus my plan of action on studying from masters and practicing their teachings. As a result, in that powerful process, on the journey to attaining what I want, I change. I evolve. I transform. I become.
Click below to download a printable template (pictured) to unpack your "How".
I've designed the template above for you to print and use to form your own growth plan. I will make suggestions, but ultimately if you do the work and peel back the layers, you will have a more clear idea on what it takes to become who you want to become. You might add things like: books, podcasts, courses, coaching, seminars, events, social groups, masterminds, therapy, book studies, focus groups, yoga, a mentor, a class, etc. Everything you want begins with vision, mindset, behavior, attitude, action, beliefs, perspectives, and values. Let your soul lead you to form your growth plan, just so long as you answer the question:
Who do I need to become this year to make significant progress in this area? What do I need to do, know, and have to support my goals?
Next time, I will finish the Beginner Growth Journey Series with the final piece of the puzzle to get you moving in the right direction... action! If you haven't checked out the other blogs in the Beginner Growth Journey Series, you can dive right in below! This series is meant to be read in succession, obviously, so I recommend that you begin at Chapter 1, and make your way through! Happy growing!
1. EXPLORE: 12 Transformations I Experienced In My Growth Journey.
2. DISCOVER: What A Personal Growth Is & Why You Need It Now
3. REFLECT: 8 Growth Gaps That Keep Us From Growing
4. PLAN: How to Create a Growth Plan (this)
5. TAKE ACTION: (coming soon!)
Have a "how" question about your growth plan? Email me! Christina@RockstarJerseyShore.Com. Be sure to subscribe to our email list below, and connect with us on Instagram!
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