I get asked this question frequently as my Ward’s Personal Progress Leader.

The short answer is that it can take as little or as long as you need. There are stories of young women who have set their goal to complete the entire program as a Beehive (and accomplished it) as well as others who have set a steady pace earning 1-2 Value Ribbons each year.

Since the program was revised 2 years ago, there have also been some incredibly uplifting stories about Mothers of YW completing the program alongside their daughters.

The purpose of Personal Progress is to teach the importance of goal setting and achievement through a pattern of small, righteous actions done consistently over time. Doing Personal Progress builds your spiritual armor and prepares you for your future roles as well as entering the Temple.

Young women are encouraged to work at their own pace through the Personal Progress journey. The values can be done in any order; however, it is recommended that you complete the experiences for the value prior to starting the 10-hour project.

If you choose to spread out the experiences/projects starting as a new Beehive and finishing as you transition from Laurel to Relief Society at 18, you’ll need to work on approximately 8 Value Experiences and 1 Service Project (10-hour minimum) each year for the first four years and then as a Laurel shift your time in favor of the service projects. Over time, your successful accomplishments will exponentially increase:

Beehive Aged 12:     8 Experiences | 1 Project

Beehive Aged 13:    16 Experiences | 2 Projects

Mia Maid Aged 14:  24 Experiences | 3 Projects

Mia Maid Aged 15:  32 Experiences | 4 Projects

Laurel Aged 16:       40 Experiences | 6 Projects*

Laurel Aged 17:       44 Experiences | 8 Projects*

So you could do one (1) value experience each month from January to August and then work on your 10-hour project from September to December, earning your value ribbon each year during Young Women in Excellence. Or you could accelerate the pace a bit and complete at least one (1) value experience each month and one (1) value project every six (6) months (completing approximately 2 projects each year) in order to finish the program as an incoming Laurel at age 16, with 2 years to earn an Honor Bee.

And remember…