Personal Growth Part 1

Jim Rohn said, "The greatest gift you can give to somebody is your own personal development."

As we creep ever so slowly to the dropping of the ball signaling the end of 2007 and on into 2008 I thought it would be pertinent to talk about personal growth. If there is one thing that I could tell you that should be on the top of your goals/new year resolutions for this coming year it would be to Grow Yourself.

As you set out to lead your church, business, department, or even family it is vital that you develop a plan that will help you grow. Personal growth is a journey because it doesn't happen overnight. It is a journey because it is an adventure taking you to places within yourself that you have never been. As you get closer and closer to your destination and you feel the growth taking place you will have a sense of excitement.

Truth is personal growth is a process and a destination. It is a process filled with steps that lead you to being and becoming a better person. It is a destination that truly never ends as you find out when you reach it, there is one more that is farther down the road.

As we step out on this road to personal growth let me give you a few things that it is going to take:

1. Change - Most people think where they are is just fine. Truth is if you aren't going forward you are going backward. I say backward with intention there as there is no such thing as staying still. If you don't use it you lose it. Change is a decision that must be made and accepted if you are to grow.
2. Perseverance - Many people start, successful people finish. Truth is growing is not an easy task. And a plan of growth is going to take time. You don't grow overnight, you grow as you develop and stay consistent in your plan.
3. Work - It is hard work. It is setting aside time everyday to work on yourself. It is easy to sit and do nothing. It is easy to stay right where you are. It takes work to become the person you are destined to be.
4. Action - It take starting. You must start. Don't hesitate. Don't shrink back. Go forward one step at a time. Burn the bridges of nonresistance behind you. Spring forth into a life of purpose.

What are you waiting for?

Know Where You Are Going

Many years ago I was taking our basketball team to the state tournament in Galveston. Since I had been there two years in a row I was pretty confident that I knew how to get there. Only problem was this time I was going at night and I didn't double check my directions. Needless to say I missed my turn and about 10 miles out of the way I knew I was lost.

As a leader of a church, business, family head or even as an individual I believe that it is important to KNOW WHERE YOU ARE GOING.

One of the things I've been guilty of is allowing life to take me where it wants me to go. I've allowed others to put me in that proverbial box. They have made the choices for me based on their needs and desires. This is all great and fine until you realize you have gone down a path that didn't take you to your ultimate destination.

I want to challenge you early on that you need to begin to start shaping the journey to your destination. I believe this is possible even if you work for someone else. When you you begin shaping your destination it is easier to motivate yourself, your team and even your organization to move toward where it needs to go.

You can know where you are going by:

1. Create a Map - One thing you can do is design a road trip map to your future. Just today I read the vision for CityLife Church in Australia. It was a great example of an organization that has mapped out specifically the direction they are going. Know your life purpose and chart your course.
   
2. Set Up Mini-Stops - These would be quantified goals that strategically let you know you are on track to your future.
3. Refuel Along The Way - Sometimes trips can be taxing. It is important to remember that part of the fun of reaching a destination is the journey along the way. Make sure you and your organization recharge and have fun.

Where are you on a journey to?

Destiny

You are designed and destined to fullfil your destiny.

Neither persons nor circumstances have the right to stop you from reaching your destiny.

Life Plan Recap

At the beginning of the year we began a series of posts on "Developing A Life Plan". Developing a life plan is necessary to focus your energies towards the path you are taking. As you focus what you are doing it will ensure that you will achieve the highest level possible toward the purpose, vision and goals of your life.

As we have already laid out in the previous posts in this series, knowing your purpose and breaking your life down into the seven areas listed is going to help us bring proper focus and balance we will need.

In our next post on this series we will talk about setting values and the reason having values in these areas is going to help us in our development of our plan.

You can get caught up by reading the first four posts of the "Developing A Life Plan" series listed below. Just click on any of them to read.

1. Possess Your Land
2. Your Life Purpose
3. Personal Life Planning
4. Components of a Life Plan

Components of a Life Plan

As we continue building our life plan let me list the key areas of our life. These seven areas will help us clarify what we want and what we have to do to get there. This is a list of areas I have taken from Brian Tracy's book Focal Point.

The areas are:

1. Spiritual Development
2. Family and Personal Life
3. Business and Career
4. Personal Development
5. Financial
6. Health and Fitness
7. Social Activities

Utilizing this list will allow us to bring a focus and balance as each area is important. Having a balance in every area is key to having a balanced life.

Personal Life Planning

This post is continuing our "Life Plan" series.

Insanity has been defined as doing the same thing over and over expecting different results. And this holds true for most people's lives. Most people set out with dreams and ideas of what they want out of life and yet they never seem to get there.

Some even expect God to just drop it out of heaven for them. I don't think that is going to happen either. God always seems to partner with us as we put into "action" what we are saying in "faith".

Faith is an action word. It requires us acting in an area we are believing in. So to properly put faith in action in our lives I propose a life plan. This plan will do two things: 1) focus our energy and 2) focus our faith.

A personal life plan is a tool to take you from where you are to where you want to go. We start that plan with a purpose. You can read about that in my post "Your Life Purpose". We will then focus our life through that purpose creating a synergy that will propel us to the heights that God has for us.

Read all posts from this series at -->>Life Plan.

Your Life Purpose

I like how Agent Smith described purpose to Neo in Matrix Revolutions.

Agent Smith: But, as you well know, appearances can be deceiving, which brings me back to the reason why we're here. We're not here because we're free. We're here because we're not free. There is no escaping reason; no denying purpose. Because as we both know, without purpose, we would not exist.

[Several Agent Smith Clones walk in]

Agent Smith Clone 1: It is purpose that created us.

Agent Smith Clone 2: Purpose that connects us.

Agent Smith Clone 3: Purpose that pulls us.

Agent Smith Clone 4: That guides us.

Agent Smith Clone 5: That drives us.

Agent Smith Clone 6: It is purpose that defines us.

Agent Smith Clone 7: Purpose that binds us.

A couple of days ago I wrote a post called Possess Your Land. In that post I talked about creating a life plan. This plan includes several things the first of course being your life purpose.

Just as Agent Smith described it in the movie, purpose does do a lot of things. Many times it is the rudder that guides us as we journey through life. It defines much of what we do.

Many people go through life from thing to thing because the don't have a purpose that keeps them on track. A purpose that keeps them going in the right direction.

Part of planning says that, "if you fail to plan, you plan to fail." By not starting with your purpose in life you are not going to set up your plan to go in a direction that will bring fulfillment to your life.

A great example of someone having a purpose was Jesus. You see he had a purpose in His life. He said it Himself in Luke 19:10 For the Son of Man came to find and restore the lost. (The Message)

Here are is a practical guide to helping you discover your purpose:

1. Take out a sheet of blank paper or open up a new word processor file where you can type.
2. At the top write the following, “What is my life purpose?”
3. In the next five minutes write an answer (that's right I said five minutes) that comes into your head. It should be a short phrase consisting of no more than eleven words.
4. Begin praying over this purpose asking God to show you direction and to confirm His purpose for your life.

I believe that most people deep down know what their purpose is. Part of your plan is getting it out of you. Believe me this five minutes will spark your creativity and mind to action.

It is possible. The first time I did this exercise I nailed it on the first try in ten words. "To influence others to make a difference in their world." I was then able to edit it down to seven. I have since taken it back up to 11

Another way to help you discover your purpose is to fill in the blanks to the following state.

God made me to _____________ and when I _________________ I feel His pleasure.

This line came from the movie Chariots of Fire where Eric Liddell said "God made me fast and when I run I feel His pleasure."

Once you find your own unique answer to the question of why you’re here, you will feel it resonate within you. Sometimes it is hard to describe but it is like you know that you know.

Possess Your Land

A future you is in your hands. Why do I say that? Because it is true.

The life you want and live really is in your hands. You see I believe this one thing about all of us: God has blessed us beyond all our comprehensions.

All Gods promises are ours but why are we not walking in them.

Is it for lack of faith? Maybe.

Is it for lack of want? Sometimes.

Is it for a lack of God? Never...not even.

God's promises are yes and amen. A life greater than we could ever dream or ask of is there for the taking. And that is my point. God has given us our promise land but just like the Israelites we need to go in and possess it.

It is there for our taking and that takes some action on our part. That is why in 2007 I want to help you develop a life plan that will get you on track to the life you want and dream for. This life plan will breakdown several areas of our lives and help us develop a strategic plan for us to go and possess the land God has given us.

In order to start it will take some action on your part and I hope that you are willing and able and up to the game. Most of us develop resolutions every year but this year I want you to develop a strategic action plan that will help you acheive the life destined for you.

Over the next few weeks I will help you develop a life plan that will first consist of developing your life purpose statement. We will then develop values, mission statements and goals for every area of our life. Finally we will write a five year vision statement of our lives.

Begin with me in 2007 as we all go and possess our land.