Personal development work is how we improve and recover health

Personal development can be defined as any activity we engage in purposefully that helps

• improve awareness,
• pinpoints our talents and potential and helps us live it,
• aids us with developing a more coherent sense of our identity,
• supports us in discovering internal resources,
• aids us in strengthening our relationships with others,
• facilitates greater employability and career prospects,
• enhance the quality of our current and future life,
• contribute to greater well-being,
• deepens our sense of purpose,
• supports us in finding our true place in the world,
• helps us realize our dreams and aspirations
• leaves us become more accepting and compassionate human beings,
• provides us with greater levels of appreciation for the preciousness of each moment and the opportunity within it.

We improve faster together.

If you want to improve at anything, it helps to be in the presence of other people. – Dr. Magdalena Bak-Maier, Neuroscientist, Grid Inventor and Retreat Facilitator.

This is the philosophy behind the Make Time Count day retreats whether online or in-person.

The idea behind our retreats was to develop methodologies that are time effective, powerful awakenings for small groups. There is a magic to groups of like-minded people united around similar goals, values, and challenges.

Groups of up to 12 people allow sufficient diversity and richness of perspectives while maintaining the intimacy and safety in which powerful personal development work can take place.

There is nothing more precious than being:

• given space and structure to make meaning of things,
• have at least one or more people deeply listen,
• hear our words and feelings reflected back to us,
• be assisted with building a path to our longings, greater health, professional aspirations and career aspirations,
• be enriched by the experiences of others and the fellowship of a common human journey.

Personal development work done online and over some time can be incredibly powerful

While it is great to leave our lives behind for a few days, this is not always possible, especially if one is a parent and carer. Even before the pandemic the prohibitive cost of travel and time lost to it was often a critical factor that made me pass a number of worthwhile experiences.

At times it was hard to justify leaving my family and engaging in personal development felt incredibly self-indulgent however crucial. That said taking time out to reflect, make sense of things and find our next steps is a must in an ever faster world. Personal development work done over a period of time also helps us see the distance we have travelled and register the change and growth.

At Make Time Count, we have been offering a deeply rewarding year-long online personal development programme since 2018 to ensure that more people from anywhere in the world can discover our work. Using small size groups, we create spaces that give delegates an opportunity to meet and explore their inner workings alone and together if they wish. We mix guided reflection with workshop-style practical self-work and a relaxing and indulgent experience of making time for oneself as a personal development practice. We also ground the experience in well accepted theories of learning, motivation and the science of neurological safety and humanistic and transpersonal psychology.

Our Grid-based 30-day goal-setting course in collaborations with Psychologies Magazine has been a bestselling practical course designed to make fast improvement across life, work, career and personal well-being since 2017. Here is an excerpt from a letter I recently received that speaks to the power of online learning.

“I’m not sure if you’ll remember me: I took part in your life changing 30 day experience in Psychologies Magazine several years ago now, where you [Magdalena] introduced me to your incredible Grid method. I went on to win ‘Star Letter’ in the magazine after sharing my experience with the readers.

I have never stopped using your method. I use it for ‘big gridding’ when I’m going through big life changes and to map out my tasks, as you taught me, over 2 weeks. I am so grateful to you for this.” – Helen

There is no doubt in my mind that just like a book we will read over a series of evenings, few weeks or even years, personal development we can tap into from the comfort of our own home becomes very meaningful and can deliver powerful results. We show up to it when we need it. And as we find new pizzle pieces that make life fit better together, we’re motivated to keep going.

One-day retreats help kick start important personal development work.

For us, small group retreats were initially designed as in-person personal development experiences. This is the most potent way to do powerful energy work which is a key component of our unique approach. However, pandemic and wonderful colleagues made me reconsider this strategy. Without it, we would probably take longer to consider offering this work online. When at the end of 2019 I was asked by a senior executive at the New York Times if I would offer the Grid retreat virtually, I bulked at the idea. But, if there is one piece of good news in the chaos of the COVID virus it is our collective discovery that virtual retreats are effective and useful vehicles for personal development work.

Below I’d like to share some of the feedback we got from our first virtual retreat event in order to

• illustrate that brief virtual group work can be incredibly powerful for personal development and rich in all the senses if carefully designed,
• show that much richness can be achieved if the right conditions are created by the facilitator and her team,
• suggest that working from our living or working spaces helps us more readily bridge the discoveries we make about ourselves with how we implement them in our daily life,
• help change existing routines, assumptions and habits that may no longer work for us,
• inspire our readers to give virtual retreats a try.

What our delegates told us…

I was very sceptical at first and wondered how Magdalena would find a way to create that connected energy. BUT I must say that the work is so powerful that you tend to forget that virtual space at some point….Sharing your true self and thoughts to kind human beings who are willing to share their honest experience and view of the world surely helps you be even more honest with yourself.”

Rebecca Obadia, Film Maker and Storyteller

“I enjoyed working with my group (break outs). We felt safe to share and we enjoyed the exercises and listened deeply. The repetiton of the questions was valuable, taking away the layers of the surface and going deep into our actual feelings. Powerful.”

Karin Niko, UN Human Resources

First time Make Time Count has done a virtual retreat and it was amazing. The day flew and everyone could feel the warmth, connection and kindness from all the participants. The day was planned out carefully to allow everyone to be comfortable, open and share their feelings and promote self growth. Thank you to Magda for an exceptional virtual day and all the time that went into ensuring that participants were ready even before the day began.

Chris Andrews, CEO Personal Touch Fitness

Join us next time…

The current times are demanding more from us.

Stress, anxiety, the pressure to stay employed or be more employable are mounting. It is key that we learn to keep well and be well for those we love and for ourselves.

Personal work is a crucial component of self-care and on-going well-being. And, it’s where we can expertly help you!

The next Grid retreat is taking place on Friday, July 31st. In just two-thirds of a day, you too could be making an incredible forward-moving steps by:

• Clarifying your key and most personally meaningful goals for your life, personal well-being, work/business and career.
• Illuminating areas where you may be sabotaging forward movement so you can get additional help if needed.
• Locating practical help and inner resources you may be overlooking because they are your natural talents.
• Developing a robust action plan to help ensure that even in the face of the pandemic.

For those living and working in EU friendly time zones save your seat today!