Everything that makes you you — likes, dislikes, temperament — is something to celebrate. Your unique personality shows the world your value and is what makes you worth knowing.
But there may be times when you’re not satisfied with certain facets of your character. Maybe your laid-back nature means you scramble to meet deadlines at work. Maybe you’re not as outgoing as you’d like to be, which keeps you from networking professionally.
Wanting to change a character trait doesn’t mean you don’t love or accept yourself. It actually means the opposite: you recognize that becoming the best version of yourself takes work. Putting in that effort is a form of self-love.
That’s where activities for personality development come in. Incorporating one or more of these character-building pursuits can help you grow and adjust aspects of yourself that you feel hold you back.
All about personality
When you make a new friend or meet someone new, their appearance might be the first thing you notice. But once you start a conversation, their personality is what stands out and sparks a lasting first impression.
Your personality is the unique combination of traits and behavior that form in response to various influences. These influences include nature, your genetic predisposition, and nurture, your experiences and environment. The debate continues as to how influential these factors are, but generally, they combine to shape your:
You’ve probably heard a friend or colleague refer to their personality type, which is a systemic approach to classifying your personality. One of the most common forms is Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, which categorizes your traits into four dimensions.
While there’s some argument about effectiveness, Myers-Briggs and other personality tests can provide insights into your strengths and weaknesses at a high level.
Can you change your personality?
Psychologists once believed that your temperament and character developed during childhood and didn’t change much over time. Sigmund Freud postulated that, by the age of five, you developed your “superego” (your moral standards) and therefore your personality.
But more modern studies have found that your personality remains flexible throughout your life. It evolves as you age, whether that’s in response to a significant life event or through consistent effort and discipline. These changes are less about your personality and whole self and more about your individual skills, traits, and characteristics.
This is good news if there’s an aspect of your personality you’d like to resolve or develop. It is possible to make a change if you’re willing to commit to a personality training and development process, whether that’s meeting with a coach or reading books for growth.
Personal versus professional versus personality development
When embarking on self-improvement, you might focus on one of two areas: personal or professional development. Personality development can fall under either category, but knowing the distinction can help you better sharpen your efforts.
Personal development
Personal development is any activity meant to improve or transform yourself. Working to change your habits, develop discipline, or start a new hobby all fall under the personal development umbrella. The ultimate goal of these activities is to aid your physical, emotional, or spiritual growth on a personal level.
Professional development
Professional development is similar to personal, but instead of growing as an individual, you’re narrowing your scope to evolve as an employee. Employee training methods vary, but any time you gain knowledge, improve or learn career-related skills, or receive an industry certification, you participate in a professional development activity.
Personality development
Personality development is a more holistic process that looks for insight into everything you do — both personal and professional. Once you understand your whole self better, you can enhance and improve your unique ways of thinking, feeling, and behaving.
Personality development impacts both professional and personal growth. If you struggle to meet new people or make conversation, working on your interpersonal skills can help you better connect with others (personal) and improve your ability to work on a team (professional). When you’re trying to set goals for personal or professional growth, or both, think about the work you need to do at the personality level.
15 personality development activities for personal growth
When you’re making an effort to change yourself, skill development takes many forms. You might focus on a particular character trait, develop a specific skill, or reinforce new habits that contribute to your personality.
Either way, when choosing self-development activities, consider lifestyle fit and whether you’ll stick with those practices. Signing up to make a speech when you’re terrified of speaking in front of crowds might be too much to handle at once. Instead, start slowly by working to develop your self-confidence while taking a beginner’s public speaking course.
Here are some personal progress activity ideas you can do independently and at your own pace:
1. Work on your communication skills
If you want to enhance your personal and professional relationships, spend some time polishing your communication skills. Soft skills like active listening, cueing into body language and gestures, and clearly expressing yourself all fall into this category.
Poor communication can lead to increased stress, project delays or failures, and decreased employee morale at work. And in personal relationships, improvements in communication style resulted in increased satisfaction. Becoming a more communicative person aids both aspects of your life.
2. Commit to a 30-day challenge
It’s normal to struggle to meet certain goals. Work on self-accountability by taking on a 30-day challenge. It can be something small to begin with, but try to make a commitment and stick to it every day for a month. If nothing else, this practice will teach you discipline and how dedicated you can be to new habits.
Examples of 30-day challenges include:
Be sure to track your progress to keep motivated. As your success continues, you’ll feel confident tackling more ambitious goals and making bigger changes.
3. Step out of your comfort zone
Some people are comfortable in their routine, and there’s nothing wrong with that. But trying new things has many benefits, including increased focus, improved memory, and greater creativity, which can all contribute to your overall personality.
If you want to become a little more adventurous, shake things up by:
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Giving an interactive presentation
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Volunteering for a difficult project at work
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Writing an article for the office newsletter
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Talking to someone new
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Taking a class in something outside of your skill set
4. Learn how to say no
Generosity is a wonderful personality trait when you give to the people around you. But you could burn yourself out when you spend too much time on others rather than self-care. Saying no and developing healthy boundaries help you be more assertive and protect your energy. The benefits of curbing your people-pleasing tendencies include:
5. Tap into your creativity
If you don’t have an artistic inclination, there’s nothing wrong with that. But if you want to spark creativity, you can actually work to develop it as a skill. Creativity is linked to improved problem-solving, helping you innovate and think outside the box both in your professional and personal life.
6. Get curious
If there’s something you want to know, commit to learning more about it. Daily learning and intellectual curiosity have many benefits, including greater professional success and an increased sense of personal fulfillment. Start researching a new language, reading a self-help book, or listening to a podcast — whatever fits your lifestyle. You can even look at personal growth examples to inspire your next steps.
7. Give yourself a daily affirmation
Positive affirmations give you a confidence boost when you need it, which can motivate you to continue your personal development journey. Daily affirmations trigger your brain’s reward center to increase feelings of competence and self-worth. Stand in front of your mirror every day and tell yourself:
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I deserve to have good things happen to me
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I can find solutions to my problems
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I’m able to reach my goals
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I will face the day with courage and grace
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I trust my decision-making skills
8. Practice some self-care
Developing your personality is a fantastic practice. But if you’re balancing that work with caring for others, developing your career, and going through the motions of daily life, it can wear you out. As part of your personal growth, prioritize your well-being so you have the inner resources you need to be there for both others and yourself.
9. Meditate
Taking time out of the day to calm your mind and focus on your thoughts can help develop mindfulness and make better choices towards development. Even mindful breathing during the day regulates your emotions and decreases stress. If you’re not sure how to start your meditation practice, you can find guided exercises in apps or YouTube videos.
10. Start journaling
When making a change in your life, persistence can be a key factor in achieving your personal goals. Studies show that regular journaling enhances the self-regulation you need to achieve long-term goals like personality development. Starting a journaling practice helps you:
Writing in a journal doesn’t have to be time-consuming. Putting in a few minutes is enough to enjoy its benefits.
11. Play a team sport
Being independent is a beneficial trait, especially if you spend lots of time alone at work or at home. But if you tend to rely on yourself too much, playing on a team can help you understand the importance of interdependence. Not only will you learn teamwork, but you’ll also develop communication, risk-taking, and strategic planning skills, all of which can serve you well in any aspect of your life.
12. Volunteering
Reinforce the personality development skills you’ve been working on by volunteering for a cause you’re passionate about. You’ll help others while helping yourself, and you might have the chance to gain experience, network, and meet people like you in the process.
13. Networking
Challenging yourself is part of growth, and if becoming more outgoing and social is on your list, there are lots of productive ways to do so. Put your new social skills to good use by creating a networking plan to expand your circle of professional connections. Your network can also help you:
14. Get feedback
When you’re making a personal change, it helps to get an objective view of how far you’ve come — whether that’s positive or negative. If you’re working on a specific aspect of your personality, like if you want to stop micromanaging, let the people around you know. Check in and ask for feedback on whether they’ve noticed a change in you. Their input:
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Lets you take ownership of the changes you want to make
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Increases your confidence
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Creates a healthy dialogue
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Offers support and opportunities for creative problem-solving
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Motivates you to reach your goals faster
15. Find a mentor/coach
The irony of self-improvement is it’s difficult to accomplish on your own. Finding a life coach or trusted mentor can speed up the process. Mentorship can be extremely useful on your journey, with 97% of mentees saying it was a valuable experience and 55% believing it contributed to their success. And the benefits of coaching are also extensive, including increased mental health and empowerment.
One step at a time
Deciding to confront your flaws and make a change is a courageous choice. But it can’t happen all at once. Change takes time. It’s important that you accept and be patient with yourself while you undergo this process.
Consistently participating in activities for personality development will help drive your progress and become the best version of yourself. With patience and determination, you’ll get there.
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