Personal development training — Your Circle of Life

If you’re looking for personal development training, a good place to start is in your own mind. Personal effectiveness often begins with a good look at yourself.

Here’s a great way to start an assessment of where you are in your life and where you’d like to go. This exercise is an important first step in determining your action plan.

The knowledge you gain will help with goal-setting, motivation, organization and performance. Reflecting on the results will relieve stress and help with your interpersonal skills. It is an important training tool on the road to success and wellness.

First, take a piece of paper and draw a circle that takes up a good part of the space. Now draw a line from the top of the circle to the bottom and from one side to the other. Then draw two more lines exactly between those two.

When you finish, the circle should be divided into eight similar sections.

Now on the outside of the circle label each section with one of these words:

— Career
— Family and friends
— Significant other/ romance
— Fun and recreation
— Health
— Money
— Personal growth
— Physical environment

Now, take some time to think about how your life is going in each area. When you’ve given it some thought, rate each area on a scale of 1-10.

Then using the center of the circle as zero and the outside of the circle as 10, draw a line in each area at the place you rated it.

Now look at the finished product. It’s your circle of life.

Is it uneven or is it pretty round?

Some areas probably make you feel good. Others need some work.

Now think about the areas you’d like to improve. Ask yourself questions, such as:

• What made me give it this rank?
• What would make me rank it higher?
• How can I make those things happen?

Now, develop an action plan to improve your life in that area. Then move on to the next area on which you’d like to focus.

But don’t just think about those areas that you ranked low. Take some time to celebrate those that you ranked high. Consider what you do in those areas that you could transfer to the lower ranked sections.

This exercise can be part of a strategy toward transformation. Using this technique often will keep you centered and focused. Mastering the skills used in this type of personal reflection also has the potential to help lessen tension in relationships with friends and family members.

In the future, your personal development training will likely involve other strategies that will help increase your personal effectiveness. The circle of life, however, can always serve as a learning method to move your forward.