If you’re not continuously working on yourself in a bid to grow and develop as a person, you’re not doing life right. There’s always something about yourself that can be improved. This doesn’t mean you need to change yourself; changing yourself and improving yourself are two different things. Who you are as a person needn’t change, but there are a number of good traits that you should try to expand upon in order to become a better person, and here are seven of them.
#1 Loyalty
The feeling of having no one in your corner is not a nice one, and that’s why as humans, we look to forge allegiances. We all need someone to be there for us – even when no one else is – which means we all need a loyal person, but before anyone can expect to have someone there for them, they need to make sure they’re there for other people. If you think you might be a slightly flippant person who perhaps one day might be there for your friend and the next day not, it’s worth working on that.
It’s okay to have a disagreement with someone close to you and if they’re wrong then you absolutely should tell them so they can work on it, but ultimately, they need to know that you’re a reliable, dependable person who’s loyalty doesn’t need to be questioned.
#2 Generosity
Generosity is a fine line to walk because, as unpleasant and pessimistic as it seems, there are some people out there who will take advantage of a person’s kindness. That being said, most people won’t. Generosity doesn’t mean throwing your doors open and emptying your bank account to charity; it can be something as small as paying it forwards at the coffee shop, or cooking extra food one day and sharing it with your co-workers. Being generous is important because things can change in an instant, and you never know when you might find yourself relying on the generosity of other people.
#3 Patience
If there’s one thing we could all work on, it’s patience. It’s easy to act impulsively or instinctively, or to expect things to be done immediately, but being patient is incredibly important. Being decisive is equally as important, but there’s a difference between being decisive and rushing. You want to make sure you give people ample time to do a task or make a decision. It might seem like an easy choice to you, but there will be times when you struggle to decide on the right course of action and you need people to be patient and understanding, in which case you’ll understand how vital being patient is.
Give people time and realise some things might take someone a bit longer that it would take you, and being mindful of this; they’ll appreciate it.
#4 Listening
Being able to listen is one of the best skills a person can have. It’s one thing to offer advice and voice your opinion, but being able to remain silent and just hear someone out is one of the best traits you can have. If you really want to be a better person, practice remaining silent until someone is finished speaking and really take in what they’re saying. This will make them feel more secure and like you genuinely care. Affording people the comfort to speak freely around you will not only make you a better friend and a better person, but it will have a profound effect on the people you’re around, too.
#5 Empathy
A lot of people get empathy and sympathy mixed up, but they’re not the same thing. Empathy is having the ability to put yourself in someone else’s shoes and being able to understand their emotional state as if you’re going through the same thing they are. It stems back to the age old saying of ‘treat others as you’d like to be treated’. Even if what someone is going through doesn’t seem like a big deal to you, try and understand why, for them, it is. This will allow you to strengthen bonds with the people you care about and make you a better person overall.
#6 Accountability
Holding yourself to account is hard. No one likes to admit they’re wrong or acted in a wrongful way, but the truth is, no one is perfect and everyone does something wrong at one point or another. Being able to step back and say to yourself ‘actually, that wasn’t right of me’ is definitely something that takes a lot of working towards, but when you’re able to do it, your life will improve. You’ll become more aware of your flaws and recognize what you could’ve done better, and this influence how you act in the future.
Remember, criticizing others is easy, but holding yourself to the same standard is much harder.
#7 Restraint
In a similar fashion to being patient, showing restraint is not always easy, but it bodes well for being a better person overall. Whether it’s having the ability to not eat all your chocolate at once, or being able to hold your tongue despite your deepest urges, showing restraint and self-control demonstrates composure and being able to act in an orderly fashion. Often times, people do things because they want a reaction, so not giving in is the best thing you can do. It will certainly keep you out of confrontational situations, as well as give you a clearer perspective on things and allow you to pride yourself on your actions.