Personal Development Activities: 9 Practices to Live By To Improve Your Daily Life

Looking to become a better you? 96% of people fail in their efforts to better themselves. While we all may seek personal fulfillment, it involves much more than setting goals. 

To be successful, you’ll need to boost self-awareness, expand your knowledge, and improve your lifestyle. So how does one embark on the road to successful personal discovery?  

Here are 9 personal development activities to ensure you meet your goals. 

1. Find a Role Model 

A role model or mentor is an important tool in bettering yourself. They offer knowledge, encouragement, and entrepreneurial insights. They can teach you how to improve personal development and open up new opportunities.  

Your mentor should be someone who inspires you. They should have previous experiences which are relevant to your own personal goals. 

The best mentors work to stimulate growth while teaching you something new. This can be a professor, work colleague, or family friend.  

Create a long-lasting relationship with them. So they may guide you through your personal endeavors. Stay open to always being the student and learning through them. 

2. Seek Mental Clarity 

A more open and aware state of mind will make it easier to tap into your true thoughts and emotions. From here you can set intentions and determine new opportunities. 

Become more mindful through daily activities like meditation or yoga. Practice breathing exercises to relax the mind and body. This increases self-awareness and helps you reach enlightenment.  

Yoga and meditation exercises also help those who suffer from anxiety or depression. It allows you to react better in stressful situations and when faced with triggers. It also reduces blood pressure and heart rate. 

Another way to reach a more mindful state is to keep a journal. Here you can log daily reflections. Use it to help you answer the question of what is personal development?  

Make this part of your daily routine. Wake up 15 minutes earlier each day to write in your journal. This is when dreams and thoughts are still fresh in the mind. 

3. Say No to Bad Habits

Personal development often gets hindered by bad habits. These can be physical or psychological, including the following:

• Smoking
• Drinking or drugs
• Gambling
• Negative thinking
• Putting one’s self down
• Repeating a cycle of bad relationships 
• Risky behavior 
• Following a poor or malnourished diet 

Bad habits stand in the way of our best self. They promote poor lifestyle choices and can lead to anxiety, depression, and disease. 

When seeking personal growth, it’s important to first focus on health and wellbeing. Be sure you’re getting enough sleep. Eat a balanced diet full of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. 

Adopt healthier habits, like exercising and eating well. Spend time outdoors in nature. Go hiking, kayaking, or start gardening. 

Good habits help you set goals and become more aware of yourself. You’ll experience fewer mood swings. You’ll also get better at recognizing triggers that cause anxiety and negative thinking.  

4. Be Honest with Yourself and Others

Self-development takes a great deal of honest communication. Both through self-talk as well as the people you create relationships with. 

You’ll want to establish trust with friends, family, and coworkers. Keep verbal and physical communication open and flowing. Use body language to further convey meaning. 

Stay open to feedback and constructive criticism. Understand that honesty works as encouragement to help you grow and better yourself. 

It’s also important to be honest with yourself. If something is making you unhappy, you have the power to fix it.  Don’t hide from the truth or try to remain in denial when something unpleasant happens. 

5. Befriend Positive People

During your path to personal development, it matters who you befriend. It’s best to choose people who support you and your goals. As well as those who are following a like-minded approach to better self-awareness. 

You’ll want to surround yourself with a crowd of positive people. Then work on strengthening your relationships with each of these people. 

Negative thinkers tend to drag others down. So, dont be afraid to cut ties with those who can’t be happy for others. Or those who don’t coincide with your own goals. 

6. Develop a Personal Care Routine

It’s always important to take time to unplug and unwind at the end of each day. Packed work schedules and everyday demands can leave you feeling overwhelmed. 

A personal care routine will help keep you from burning out. Choose calming activities that work to relax and recharge your mind and body.

Reading, cooking, or painting all help during stressful times. Or pamper yourself with a massage, pedicure, or bubble bath. 

Your environment also plays a big part in positive thinking. Become more aware of your surroundings and be sure to set the right atmosphere. This includes your work office setting as well as your home environment. 

Consider things like plants, candles, and artwork to calm the mind and improve focus. Placing plants around the home will boost your mood and improve the quality of air.   

7. Be Selfless

Thinking of others can increase self-worth and happiness. Do this by volunteering your time to a charity or local community project. Here are a few ideas for helping others:

• Set up a food drive
• Volunteer at a local pet or homeless shelter
• Donate books to a library 
• Sing carols at a nursing home 

When you invest time in others your mood shifts. Studies show those who volunteer experience fewer symptoms of depression. It’s also important to show appreciation and gratitude for others.    

8. Become a Better Organizer

Proper organization is the key to daily personal development. It helps set priorities so you can stay on track of daily activities and monthly goals.

Well-organized people are able to see the big picture. They have clear intentions for life goals and daily triumphs. 

Clutter can cause chaos in the mind. Use calendar apps to keep track of meetings, appointments, and family functions.

Create an in-home command center to organize important paperwork. You can also make a large calendar using a chalkboard wall. Organize it with categories for work, family, and personal reminders.  

9. Never Stop Learning

Your education is one of the most important tools for personal growth. A sharp mind can even protect you against memory loss, and diseases like dementia.  

Continue to look for innovative ways to expand upon your knowledge. Try new things and seek learning opportunities. 

Learn a new language to boost your professional resume. Get creative by taking a class in one of the arts. Read books and research topics that are unknown to you.  

Seminars are another of the personal development activities providing a learning experience. Learn more about how these networking opportunities can increase focus on reaching goals. 

Using Personal Development Activities to Reach Your Goals 

These personal development activities and practices can help you become your best self. They provide a clear path to personal growth and contentment.

Ready to become an expert at setting and reaching your personal goals? Here are more tips on fulfilling all your life dreams.