Personality Development

If you're thinking about personality development, then chances are that you're thinking of making some type of change in your life.

And of course it's healthy to be wanting to learn, grow and improve As long as you haven't become too self-critical and overly harsh in your self judgement

So what exactly are you looking to change? For some people, when they think about personality development they are wanting ideas to help build self-confidence and be a bit more outgoing. This can be as simple as wanting to learn how to engage others in conversations.

Other people are wanting to learn to stand up for themselves and start setting some boundaries, and are seeking assertiveness tips.

Whatever you may be seeking, there is a wealth of information and self-improvement resources available here on all aspects of personality development, including positive thinking and personal change

• Can you really change your personality?

This is a question that has indeed provoked much debate for many years. On balance, the research suggests that your personality is as much a product of your experience and environment, as it is what you might have inherited. Nature and nurture both have some influence on the shape of your personality.

In other words, there are some traits and characteristics that you have been born with and are a given. For example, your height and the colour of your eyes, the quickness of your reflexes - there are some things about ourselves that we must simply learn to accept.

However there are qualities, traits and behaviour patterns that you have acquired and learned through your upbringing, environment and life experience. And what has been learned can be unlearned! You can start making decisions about who you want to be and the type of person you want to become. There are many aspects of your character in which you can exercise free-will and choice.

There are many success stories of people who have embarked on the journey of personality development and self-improvement. They have been able to change themselves - for example, some learning to become more patient with their family, others have become more open to change at work, whilst still others have learned to speak up more confidently in meetings. .

Whatever personality development journey you may have embarked upon, the important thing is to never lose sight of where you are headed and why you want to go there. Because for every person who has succeeded in achieving their personality development goals, there are two others who didn't succeed, got discouraged and gave up!

• Persistence is needed

Don't kid yourself, personal change is not easy. There will be times you stumble and fall, and you will be tempted to say it's all too hard.

But the truth is that you have within you the power to transform your life into one which will give you the happiness and satisfaction that you seek. But you will need some direction, and you will need focus. And perhaps at times when you feel your shoulders sag and your spirits drop, some inspiration might help

• Change for the right reasons

As you contemplate the aspects of your personality you want to change, make sure you are doing it for the right reasons. Be careful that it's not just about trying to please someone else. If you make all your decisions based upon hoping to make someone else happy, then you risk losing your own sense of identity.

That's not to say that feedback from others shouldn't be considered. Of course feedback can help us to expand our self-awareness. But ultimately, any decision you make about what to try and change in your personality needs to be based upon what you want for your life. After all, you deserve to be happy.

So welcome, I'm glad that you found us ....... Have a good look around at all our different pages on personal development, leadership qualities, career planning, boosting self-esteem, stress management and even tips on how to achieve success in small business.

• Changing personality traits is possible, but difficult

In the following short video clip, author Dr Helen Fisher discusses the question of personality change and offers some ideas that can help in changing selected behavioural traits ...

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