Connect with Yourself: Personal Growth

Recognizing the difference between self-improvement and personal development can be tricky. While they are similar in that they are instrumental in achieving your goals and improving yourself, there are key differences between personal development and self-improvement.

Personal Development +

Personal development is the work you are putting in to transform yourself on a daily basis by changing your behavior. It’s the energy you have to make positive changes in your life, health, and groups.

Self Improvement =

Self-improvement is an inner transformation.

Personal Growth

The efforts you put into personal development will lead to self-improvement if you are able and willing to do your inner work which will result in personal growth.

Setting personal development goals and creating a plan will help you focus and make changes in your desired timeframe.

Setting personal development goals and creating a plan will help you focus and make changes in your desired timeframe.

You can’t teach clients qualities you don’t possess. Clients will learn about how to be or not be more from your behavior than they will from your information.

How to Build Good Character

If you believe developing these positive characteristics, here are some action steps to show you how.

Step 1: Define your core values.

Know what is most important to you by determining your values for your professional and personal life.

These are the principles that are the foundation for your priorities, choices, actions, and behaviors.

You can start by looking at this list of values.

Step 2: Practice the habits.

Pick one or two from this list of positive character traits above to practice for several weeks.

Write down the actions you want to take or the behaviors you define that reflect this trait, and implement them in your daily life and interactions.

Wear a rubber band on your wrist or create other reminders to help you practice these good qualities.

Step 3: Find people with good character.

Surround yourself with people who reflect the character traits you want to embrace.

They will inspire and motivate you to build these traits in yourself.

Try to avoid people who have a weak character and make bad decisions.

Step 5: Take some risks.

Start taking small actions toward a goal or value that involves some level of risk.

When you face the possibility of failure and challenge yourself toward success, you become mentally and emotionally stronger and more committed to your principles.

Step 6: Stretch yourself.

Create high standards and big goals for yourself.

Expect the best of yourself and constantly work toward that, even though you will have setbacks and occasional failures.

Every stretch builds your confidence and knowledge that your positive character traits are getting stronger.

Step 7: Commit to self-improvement.

Realize that building your character is a life-long endeavor.

It is something that is practiced both in the minutiae and the defining moments of your life.

There will be times you step up to the character traits you embrace and other times you falter.

By remaining committed to personal growth and learning about yourself, your character will naturally improve, even through the failures.