Personality Development Tips: Develop the Best Traits and Attributes for You!

We all have one; yet, we cannot touch it, feel it, or always see it.  We spend a lot of time trying to develop and nurture it to be the best it can possibly be.  What are we talking about?  If you guessed personality, you are correct.  An individual’s personality defines their character and helps to determine their traits that others look towards.  Think about someone that you admire.  What type of personality do they have?  Usually, they will possess certain personality traits that are respectable and admirable to follow.  The thing about personality is that it is also always changing.  People are never exactly who they were, say, three or five years ago. Likes, dislikes, and interests tend to change.  If you are feeling stuck in your own personality or are looking to develop yourself, we have some very helpful tips and tricks on how you can easily develop and improve your personality.  Get you attributes lined up, and let’s get started!

Game Plan Exercise to Start!

When you set out to develop your personality, it is important to know yourself first.  As such, it can be helpful to make a list of some of the qualities you believe your personality encompasses.  Let’s do this exercise first:

1. Get out a piece of paper and draw a line down the middle.
2. Write “Keep” on one side, and “Change” on the other.
3. Now, write down the personality traits that you like about yourself under “keep” and the ones that you dislike under “change”.  For instance, you might want to keep the fact that you go to the gym three times a week.  And, you may want to change your habit of going to bed after midnight.

Remember to keep it simple at first.

10 Important Personality Traits to Develop

From your list above, you will notice that there are a lot of characteristics that a person can work on when developing and changing up their personality traits.  Let’s take a look at 10 of the ones we feel are most important:

1. Confidence:  How confident a person is about themselves can tell a lot about their personality.  If a person is seen as confident, it is likely that they possess traits that make them feel good about themselves.  On the other hand, if they appear to lack confidence, certain areas of their life could need some attention.  To make your personality strong, carry yourself in a confident way, groom yourself nicely, and always stand tall.
2. Communication:  A great personality trait to have for any situation is good communication.   How can others get to know the real you without effectively communicating and interacting with them?  You can attempt to improve and define your communication skills by remembering to think before you speak.  Also, be sure to be just as good a listener as you are a speaker.  No one likes someone who talks only about themselves.  If English happens to be your second language, work on perfecting your English, or whichever language you are immersing yourself in at the moment.
3. Dress:  Younger people seem to have more fun learning how to develop their personality through their clothing or the way they dress.  As far as letting your dress dictate aspects of your personality, make sure that you always look appropriate for the occasion.  Know what types of colors and styles suit your body type, and if you feel comfortable in your clothes, you will present a strong and confident personality.
4. Following your Passion:  A lot of people define themselves by what they do.  Therefore, it is important to do what you love and what interests you.  If you end up in a job or a career that you are unhappy with, chances are it is going to put a damper on your personality.  By committing yourself to your passions, you will help develop your confidence as well.  Above all, whatever you choose to do – remember to do your best.
5. Body Language:  An individual’s body language can tell a lot about a person’s confidence and personality.  If you are always slouching or walking with your arms across your chest, your personality will appear to be standoffish or reclusive.  Your personality should always be open and inviting to other people to create a positive atmosphere.  Use positive and relaxed gestures so that others will be at ease around you.  Good body language will encourage people to gravitate towards you.
6. Social Skills:  To develop your personality, you will want to have good social skills.  A lot of your personality depends on the people you surround yourself with – so you are going to want to choose a good bunch!  In a group, usually the person with a strong personality will be opinionated, be open to discussions, and be inviting to others.  Even if you are on the shyer or reserved type, spend time trying to put yourself in more social situations.  Overtime, you will feel more and more at ease.
7. Leadership Skills:  People love leaders, and leaders tend to have good and strong personality traits and characteristics.  As such, it can be helpful to develop qualities that you find in those who are leaders.  Especially in work situations, being able to work hard, advise others, and see projects through to competition will demonstrate a strong leadership personality.
8. Optimism:  An attractive personality is definitely not one that is always negative.  When working on your personality, remember to develop a positive outlook on things.  People gravitate towards individuals who can put a positive spin on stressful situations or potential failures.  Being able to “look on the bright side” is a definite personality plus!
9. Patience:  Even though everything is lighting speed fast on the Internet these days, we still have to remember to practice patience.  More specifically, being a patient listener.  Not a lot of people take the time to sit down, listen, and ask questions.
10. Learning:  Even if you are already done with school, it is important to always have the thirst for learning.  The desire to learn can be seen as a personality trait that embodies enthusiasm and thirst for life and living in general.  Everyone likes to be around someone who wants to learn.  Also, remember that it is important to learn from your mistakes.  Everyone makes them, so do not feel bad about picking things up and making a few changes here and there.

A Few Tips for the Road

Here are a few more small things that will help you with personality development:

• Always show respect to others.
• Plan for your future.
• Concentrate and focus on whatever you are doing, no matter how big or small.
• Get enough sun so that you can shine bright and happy!
• Smile as much as you can, even when you are working hard.
• Stay organized

Let Your Best Personality Shine!

As you can see, personality development is an all-around and all-encompassing thing to work on.  Your personality touches all aspects of your life: from your social life, to personal, and work life and habits.  Keep in mind that you will not be able to develop certain traits overnight, and that the development of anything requires persistence, hard work, and commitment.  For any further assistance from life-enhancing professionals, check out Udemy.com for some helpful courses on personality development for a purposeful and healthy life!  Always be confident that you can be the best you, because we know you have it in you!