A personal growth plan can accelerate individual personal development. With a myriad of self help and personal improvement books, workshops, and classes available, an individual growth plan will help to narrow the choices and keep one focused and on track.

A Seven-stage Plan for Personal Growth
Visions and dreams are important for inspiring movement toward the person one wishes to become. In many cases, a vision suffices to carry one forward to the end goal , but in many situations, a detailed plan or roadmap is best. This personal development plan is a general guide for growth, providing structure while still allowing for flexibility and personalization.

Personal Growth Stage One - Healing

Personal growth is forward looking. Traumas, recurring psychological wounds, and incompletions of the past must normally be dealt with to enable one to face forward and make progress in personal development. Just as garden soil must be cured of deficiencies before plants will flourish, so must one heal burdens of the past which might impede personal growth.

Depending on the situation, healing may involve nothing more than self reflection and the generous ear of a close friend. In some cases a trained mental health professional is appropriate.

Personal Growth Stage Two - Foundation

When guilt, regret, and inner pain are reduced or eliminated, one can focus forward on growth. To achieve a solid base for growth, one must build strong boundaries, clarify personal standards, and have a support system that satisfies personal needs. These form a strong foundation upon which personal growth can flourish.

Stage Three of the Self Help Plan - Maturity

Regardless of age, this stage of personal growth involves becoming emotionally and mentally mature. The mature adult is internally motivated, responsible, and generally self sufficient. This stage is critical in establishing a platform for taking full responsibility for self, minimizing the tendency to blame others for one’s situation. With personal maturity in place, one is positioned to reach out to others from a position of strength and giving, rather than from needs.

Stage Four - Expansion

In the expansion stage a person reaches out to build and strengthen relationships with others. Though many relationships are formed in earlier stages of personal development, during this stage one consciously strengthens family and friendship networks, while cultivating new relationships.

Stage Five - Values and Strengths

During this stage one clarifies their understanding and appreciation of core values and strengths. A person’s core values and unique strengths identify who they are to both themselves and the outside world. People are at their best and happiest when honoring their values and utilizing their strengths in both their personal and professional lives.

Personal Growth Stage Six - Fulfillment

This is a stage of enjoyment where one is able to reap the rewards of previous growth. In this stage, a person no longer need consciously cultivate personal traits, strengths, boundaries, standards, and relationships. Cultivation and enhancement continues, but at a subconscious level, allowing one to appreciate the joy and fulfillment of daily life. Growth continues, but is natural, subconscious, and automatic.

Stage Seven - Legacy
During this stage a person builds a legacy to be left behind at death. Vision and purpose are clear and are reflected in daily life. Conscious effort is devoted to legacy development and clarification. During this stage one often prepares a material legacy to be left to family and friends. This is also a time to solidify the non-material legacy, perhaps with memoirs, private letters to loved ones, or published books and articles.

Customizing a Personal Development Plan
One can determine their current stage of personal growth through reflection and discussion with friends and family. The options available and supporting growth to the next stage then become clearer, allowing one to make a detailed personal growth plan. Though this model is presented as a linear progression from stage to stage, recognize that human development is non-linear, and the actual pattern of personal growth will move back and forth between and among the seven stages.

The multi-stage personal growth plan presented here was inspired by the work of Thomas Leonard, founder of Coach University, in his 1994 chart of Seven Levels of Personal Development.