Your Life Plan and Your Personal Growth Plan

Have you ever felt like your life was out of control? Having a Life Plan and Personal Growth Plan helps put you back in control of your life. This could be the difference between you staying free or not.

It definitely can be the difference between whether you maximize your life.

I believe a lack of a plan is why so many people come back to jail or prison.

Self-help, goal setting, and planning are all things that successful people do. They are not things that the typical incarcerated person does, but I want to change that. 

There are people who don’t think that we should even try to teach incarcerated people these skills. Some think that we can’t learn them. I am not one of them. I believe in you and your potential. You need to learn and master these tools so you can have a successful future, whatever that means to you. 

To have a balanced, maximized life, you need growth in each of these areas, not just your strengths. 

Two tools to help you manage and multiply growth in all areas of your life: your Personal Growth Plan and Your Life Plan.

Your Personal Growth Plan and Life Plan are simple, direct, and powerful. They work together, and support each other. 

I make a new Personal Growth Plan and Life Plan every year, usually around the holidays. I read and update my Personal Growth Plan weekly, and read and update my Life Plan monthly.

The Life Plan lists the major goals I want to accomplish for the year in each of the Six Areas of Life; spiritual or mental, relationally, physical, personal, professional, financial. Sometimes 

I list things I need to fix or improve, other times I write down my goals and dreams. Do what works for you.  It’s important to break down the major goals into all the steps you need to take to accomplish them. 

Here’s the Life Plan I used for the year I was released from Leavenworth FPC

Spiritual/Mental: Read 2 books per month until I am released; one book per month after release. Be involved in religious services and/or support groups at least twice per week.

Relationally: Stay in touch with friends and family: at least one email per week or letter/month. Propose to my girlfriend after I’m released. 

Physical: Get to 235# by May 1, maintain that weight.

Personal: Finish writing Illegal to Legal before I am released. Once released, get it published and promoted.

Professional: Contact each of my old clients before I’m released, try to line up projects.

Financial: Save at least $1000 for reentry. Make a budget to live on after release. Continue to save 10% of income when I am on the outside. 

Your Personal Growth Plan is there to pick up some of the actions that support the goals on your Life Plan, AND to help you maintain control and reach a balance in each of the Six Aspects of Life. 

I want you to think about each of the Six Areas of Life, and list 3 – 5 goals +/-  you have in each area. There may be some things that are repeated or overlap with your Life Plan. 

Don’t try to put down EVERYTHING you want in life, that will overwhelm you. List the most important things, along with some of the easiest things. You can put things you want to improve, fix, or want. 

The first time you do this the list may be pretty long. That’s OK! You never did the Personal Growth Plan before so there may be a lot of things that need done. 

If your list is too long, review it and remove the things that aren’t a priority. You can always add them later as you finish other things moving forward. 

Here’s the Growth Plan I used while I was in Leavenworth FPC:

Spiritual or Mental: Pray/meditate 30 minutes/day. Be involved in religious services and/or support groups at least 2 times per week. Finish the Non Residential Drug Awareness Program I enrolled in. Take whatever other programming I can. At least 2 per month if available. 

Relationally: Stay in touch with friends and family: at least one email per week or letter/month.

Call immediate family members weekly. Be nice on the call – give them a reason to want to talk to me. Be a better friend to people; add more value to all I have relationships with. Stay away from people that pull me into my past, and from negative people.

Physical:  Work out 60 minutes per day 5 days a week with 20 mins. cardio 3x/week +. Healthy eating habits; especially portion control. Stay limited to one dessert per week; 1 soft drink only 1x/week.

Personal: Be intentional about relaxing every day, even if I have to schedule time for it. Focus on being who I am, not selling myself short, & happy in my own skin. Get ready to be released. Contact agencies to aid in reentry for where I am going. Don’t live life “conditionally.” Do whatever I can, whenever I can. Read two books per month. 

(Here is a sample for your use, not my actual PGP in this category, but this is more useful for you.)

Work: Complete educational goals. Take a typing class. Learn about current technology. Make a new resume and practice interviewing skills. Try to find someone to mentor me in my field, or connect with a job.

Financial: Save at least $1000 for reentry. Make a budget to live on after release. Continue to save 10% of income when I am on the outside. 

Creating your plan for success is not as hard as you think, once you start it and stick with it. Mapping out your plans will help you maximize your life after re-entry.