“The good life is a process, not a state of being. It is a direction, not a destination.”
— Carl Rogers
In what direction is your life headed?
Are you on the right road to fulfilling your life’s purpose?
Where are you in your personal development journey?
Personal growth is a plan to be all we can be; we need to know if where we are and what we’re doing today are keeping us on schedule to be where we need to be tomorrow. A Growth Positioning System keeps us on the right track and on schedule.
A Helpful Analogy for Personal Development
The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a space-based radio-navigation system consisting of a constellation of satellites broadcasting navigation signals and a network of ground stations and satellite control stations used for monitoring and control.
GPS satellites orbit the earth providing users with accurate information on position, velocity, and time anywhere in the world and in all weather conditions.
Let’s Locate ourselves
Using a GPS begins with knowing our current location. Just as the Global Positioning System shows us where we are at any point in time, it also maps a route in the direction we want to go. GPS keeps us aware of our position and progress with periodic position adjustments.
Our values function as our own personal Growth Positioning System (GPS).
Values keep us oriented for better decision-making. Values are an essential part of our personal development journey, identifying what is most important to us locating us internally, thus helping us to update where we stand.
Our Values
Establishes our priorities
Guide our decisions
Inspires and motivates our vision
Acts as a rubric to evaluate our progress
Will recalculate and redirect our movements when necessary
The foundation of all personal development is the habit of lifelong learning. The better we understand ourselves, the better we know people. In leadership, as in life, experience is the best teacher. We cannot lead people down roads we have never traveled. A Growth Positioning System assures we’re on the right road of our career path.
You have to know yourself to grow yourself
Have you identified the habits and systems that work for you?
Are your systems and schedules keeping you on the right road and on time?
Are you relying on being intentional or being motivated to reach objectives?
How do you decide what’s on your to-do list?
Any good leader knows that what we do today determines where we’ll be tomorrow. I’m not against to-do lists, I use them every day, but mine are aligned with my purpose and are a daily snapshot of my weekly, monthly, and yearly development program.
Locating Yourself
“You have to know yourself before you can be yourself.”
— JSP
What are your areas of giftedness, how are you developing them?
What are your goals for the next three, six, twelve months?
Who are you helping, how are you adding value to them?
Who are you influencing intentionally? Why?
Being intentional with a personal Growth Positioning System is an excellent development tool. Purposefully scheduling regular times to study, practice, and receive input from a mentor or coach brings steady growth. Regular assessments and recalculations will keep us on course and on time to reach our goals. (1)
End Notes
(1) For information on taking our PRO-D personal development assessment https://bit.ly/3trFFrf
*** This article was authored by John Picarello, Chief Leadership Officer at Lions Pride Leadership Co. ***