Life Development Planning Resources

🌿 The Method of Alignment

The Method of Alignment is The Village with an Open Heart’s signature framework for holistic growth, leadership, and community development.
It’s built on the simple but powerful truth that lasting transformation begins within — when our values, intentions, and actions move in harmony.

This method guides individuals, organizations, and communities through five interconnected stages:

1. Stillness – creating space for reflection, grounding, and awareness.

2. Awareness – identifying strengths, needs, and opportunities for growth.

3. Alignment – connecting purpose with practice through intentional planning.

4. Action – implementing meaningful, sustainable change in collaboration with others.

5. Renewal – reflecting on progress, celebrating growth, and preparing for what’s next.

The Method of Alignment blends personal development with organizational strategy, helping leaders and teams grow from the inside out. It provides a flexible, heart-centered path to building stronger programs, healthier work cultures, and thriving communities.

This approach serves as the foundation for our Life Development Planning (LDP) and Community Partnership & Program Development models, ensuring that every project begins with purpose and ends with impact.

In The Village, alignment is the bridge between healing and building — where open hearts become whole communities.

The Method of Alignment is informed by respected, research-based practices widely used in education, leadership, and community development. These include:

Logotherapy (Meaning-Centered Growth)
Frankl, V. E. (n.d.). What is Logotherapy? Viktor Frankl America.
Retrieved from https://viktorfranklamerica.com/what-is-logotherapy/

Ackerman, C. E. (2021, April 12). Logotherapy: Viktor Frankl’s Theory of Meaning. PositivePsychology.com.
Retrieved from https://positivepsychology.com/viktor-frankl-logotherapy/

Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD)
Kretzmann, J. P., & McKnight, J. L. (1993). Building Communities from the Inside Out: A Path Toward Finding and Mobilizing a Community’s Assets. Evanston, IL: Center for Urban Affairs and Policy Research, Northwestern University.

Transformational Leadership Theory
Bass, B. M., & Riggio, R. E. (2006). Transformational Leadership (2nd ed.). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Reflective Practice
Schön, D. A. (1983). The Reflective Practitioner: How Professionals Think in Action. New York: Basic Books.

Participatory Action Research (PAR)
Reason, P., & Bradbury, H. (Eds.). (2008). The SAGE Handbook of Action Research: Participative Inquiry and Practice (2nd ed.). London: SAGE Publications.

Together, these frameworks affirm the belief that sustainable change happens when awareness leads to alignment — and alignment leads to action rooted in shared purpose and community connection.