Creating a personal development plan involves more than simply contemplating what you want from your life and how to go about achieving it. If you want to create a personal development plan that helps you to achieve your goals, preparation is the key. To prepare, one must have a great deal of self-awareness. This includes clear understanding of personal values and ethics, analyzing personality characteristics, evaluation of learning styles and identifying strengths, weaknesses, motivators, opportunities and threats.
Preparing for this personal development plan has been a thought-provoking study encouraging self-evaluation, reflection and realization within the context of self-improvement in career education and relationships. I have analyzed my personality traits to understand how each correlates with my strengths, weaknesses and tendencies. I have learned that my own perceptions and actions may be motivated by feelings that influence me instinctively. Although many traits stem from my personality, that doesn’t mean I can’t develop and improve. I can learn how to use my strengths in better ways and turn weaknesses into strong suits. I have learned through the Jungian Typology that my personality tendencies are moderately introverted, sensing and feeling, and distinctive judging (ISFJ). I have studied the key traits of this personality type and contemplated how it defines me in relationships, parenthood, career and the workplace. I am highly altruistic, supportive and traditional. I am motivated intrinsically and have excellent people-sensing skills. Consequently, my personality type is moderately introverted lending me to repress feelings and create more stress for myself. I am moderately bashful; networking is not a natural for the purpose of advancing my career. Finally, I often overload myself with other people’s work or problems.
Another key point of self awareness is the
References: Smith, M. M. A., Segal, R. M. A. & Segal, J. P. H. D. (December 2013). Stress Symptoms, Signs, and Causes: The Effects of Stress Overload and What You Can Do About it. Retrieved January 17, 2014, from http://www.helpguide.org/mental/stress_signs.htm