How to be a better person

10 Ways to Be a Better Person And Be Happy

Serial Entrepreneur, TEDx Speaker, Self Made, Striving For Greatness. Read full profile

Everyone wants to learn how to be a better person, but some people don’t know where to start.

At the end of each day, I like to reflect and see what I can do to become a better person. Not only that, but I have a goal of leaving an imprint on the world by doing great things. By setting aside some time each day to reflect on what behaviors were good and bad, I have the opportunity to grow.

Growing up, I wasn’t the nicest kid. I would make fun of others, I was selfish, and I thought the world revolved around me. Fast-forward a few years, and I’ve grown tremendously. I’m no longer the annoying child I was because I have grown and learned what becoming a better person means.

After learning what it means to be a better person, I’ve been able to develop my persona into someone I don’t mind being. I am a lot happier with who I am, and I would have no problem telling my future kids the type of person I am.

How to Be a Better Person?

Here are 10 ways how to become a better person through self-development:

1. Be Willing to Change

In order to become a better person, you have to be willing to change.

Change is the only way to grow and progress into the person you want to become. Many people are against change, which can make it very hard to grow.

When you keep an open mind and are willing to change, you’ll learn how to be better and grow into the person you want to become.

2. Stop Making Excuses

When I first started my company in high school, I made excuses every time something went wrong. I would blame others, blame the customer, or anyone else involved. However, I would never blame myself for things that went wrong.

Instead, I learned that taking accountability for your own mistakes is extremely important. I stopped making excuses, took the blame when it was truly my fault, and was able to achieve so much more. By understanding that I made a mistake, I was able to use my mistakes to learn, which in turn helped me become a better person.

If you find it difficult to stop making excuses for yourself, take a look at this article: 7 Ways to Eliminate Your Excuses.

3. Stop Being Angry

Many people let anger and rage alter their decision-making skills. I used to be an angry person growing up, but I only saw it damage relationships with people and increase my blood pressure.

Controlling anger is an extremely difficult skill to master, but it is very beneficial. Instead of getting angry, I decided to find a way to change my negative emotion. Staying angry doesn’t help me or solve any problems. It only creates more of them.

Find some way of relaxing your nerves when you’re angry, and a stress ball was very helpful for me. Maybe one of these would work for you, too: 40 Simple And Brilliant Ways To Relax and De-stress.

4. Be a Role Model

Sometimes, you need to be a role model to someone to become a better you. Once I became an entrepreneur and people started to look up to me, I became a lot more cautious about the way I behaved. I didn’t want to disappoint people by showing them I was immature or a bad role model.

You can start small and be a “big brother” to someone, coach a kids’ team, or be a role model to your children. No matter what you choose to do, always make decisions that the person looking up to you will respect.

5. Forgive Someone

Forgiving someone who hurt you is very difficult to do. When I got upset at someone for doing something, I could never forgive them. Even if it was a petty thing, I would hold it against them for the rest of their lives which was not healthy.

I quickly learned that humans are prone to making mistakes. Instead of holding mistakes against them for life, try to forgive someone. To learn how to be a better person and be happy, go through your past, and forgive someone that did something to hurt you.

If you’re struggling to forgive someone, take a look at this guide: How to Forgive and Live a Happy Life Again (A Step-By-Step Guide).

6. Listen to People

People are extremely busy with their careers, families, and lives. Everyone is in a rush, but people rarely ever have time to listen to what others have to say. I learned that listening to people and giving everyone a voice is one of the greatest things you can do.

I got to meet some of the most amazing people, close some of the biggest deals, and develop connections that will last me a lifetime, all because I took the time to listen to people.

Being a good listener can change your life in a positive manner. Try these tips: How to Practice Active Listening (A Step-By-Step Guide).

7. Be Honest

Honest people are hard to come by nowadays. However, honesty is the best remedy for any situation. Promise yourself that you won’t tell any lies for a month straight.

Challenge yourself to be honest by developing good habits. If you’re a compulsive liar, start small by trying to be honest for 1 day. After you accomplish a smaller goal, increase the goal by 2 or 3. This is one of the best tips on how to become the person you want to be.

8. Do Something You Don’t Want To

Keeping an open mind and trying things that you wouldn’t normally do is a very easy way to become a better person. Take a risk and challenge yourself to try something you’ve always been scared to do. You’ll only live your best life once you step out — here’s why.

Growing up, I was terrified of roller coasters. However, I eventually gave in as a teenager and had the time of my life. I would have never experienced roller coasters unless I had been willing to get over my fear and give it a shot. That one experience has led me to try numerous other new things.

9. Surprise Someone Special

Do you have a loved one in your life? Whether it’s your spouse/romantic partner, your children, or a family member, plan a special surprise for them. If you know someone who deserves a nice vacation or a new gift, buy it for them.

One of the most rewarding feelings in the world is knowing that you made someone smile. Surprise the special someone in your life by doing something out of the ordinary for them!

10. Take Good Care of Yourself

While you cannot control every circumstance you face, you can control how you respond. And how you respond is determined by how well you look after yourself. When you take care of yourself, you’ll grow as a human being and face every challenge in your environment.

Self-care is essential in building resilience when facing challenges. When you are tired and consume junk food all day, you are likely to react to the challenges you face in life. Reacting can create more problems for you and other people in your environment. You need to take good care of your body, mind, and soul to solve problems effectively.

Conclusion

We all want to be the best versions of ourselves. And there are a lot of ways to improve ourselves. Improving yourself can help you achieve your goals and feel happy about yourself. When things get difficult, you don’t have to be too hard on yourself. By using the tips that we’ve shared here, you’ll not only solve your problems but also become a better human being.

15 Ways to Become a Better Person

Life is a journey and becoming better every day is the goal.

We’ve all made mistakes throughout our lives that haven’t exactly put us in the best light—like bullying someone in school or telling what seemed like a little white lie. Chances are, however, you probably felt a little guilt and grew because of the situation.

I’m an average guy trying to become better in both my work and home life. I’ll never be perfect, but it doesn’t mean I won’t try.

If you want to continue to grow as a person, here are 15 ways to make the most of yourself.

1. Compliment Yourself
Every morning before you go on with your daily routine, take a couple of minutes to give yourself a compliment. Whether you compliment your outfit, haircut, or how you recently completed a task using your unique skill sets, giving yourself a little emotional boost will make you happy. And, when you’re happy with yourself, that emotion can be contagious to those around you. Inspirational speaker Tony Robbins has a mantra he says aloud to himself most days to put him in a peak performance state.

2. Don’t Make Excuses
Blaming your spouse, boss, or clients is fruitless and won’t get you very far. Instead of pointing fingers and making excuses about why you aren’t happy or successful in your personal or professional life, own your mistakes and learn from them. When you do this, you will become a better person. When I personally started living up to my mistakes and downfalls, my life turned itself around. I became happier and healthier, and my relationship with my wife improved. We are happier than ever.

3. Let Go of Anger
Letting go of anger is easier said than done. While anger is a perfectly normal emotion, you can’t let it fester. When this happens, you may make unwise decisions, and more important, it may affect your health. Research suggests pent up anger can cause digestive problems, difficulty sleeping, and even heart disease.

To help you let go of anger, Roya R. Rad, MA, PsyD, suggests you write your feelings down, pray or meditate, or begin to manage your thoughts.

4. Practice Forgiveness
Joyce Marter, LCPC, suggests you forgive and let go of resentment. She notes, «If for no other reason than for yourself, forgive to untether yourself from the negative experiences of the past. Take time to meditate, and give thanks for the wisdom and knowledge gained from your suffering. Practice the mantra, ‘I forgive you and I release you.'»

5. Be Honest and Direct
How would you feel if a loved one or business partner lied to you? Chances are you would see that as a violation of your trust. If you want to be a better person in either your personal or professional life, you should always tell the truth and state as clearly as possible what you are trying to convey. Learn to articulate your thoughts, feelings, and ideas in an open and honest manner.

6. Be Helpful
Whether giving up your seat to an elderly person on the subway, assisting a co-worker on a project, or carrying in the groceries when your spouse comes back from the store, being helpful is one of the easiest and most effective ways to practice becoming a better person. I find that the more I help others, the better I feel about myself and everyone around me.

7. Listen to Others
As Jeet Banerjee notes on Lifehack, «listening to people and giving everyone a voice is one of the greatest things you can do.» He adds that he «got to meet some of the most amazing people, close some of the biggest deals, and develop connections that will last me a lifetime all because I took time to listen to people. Being a good listener can change your life in a positive manner.»

8. Act Locally
It may not seem like a big deal, but supporting a local cause, donating clothes, or buying from local farmers’ markets or businesses are simple ways you can help your specific region. You may not be able to save the world, but you very well could make a difference in your neck of the woods. Get to know and care about your community.

9. Always Be Polite
How much effort does it take to say, «Thank you,» or to hold the elevator door open for someone? Not much at all. However, these acts of kindness can make someone’s day. I decided a few years ago that it doesn’t matter if someone is ultra rude, condescending, or worse. The way someone else behaves is not going to determine my behavior.

10. Be Yourself
Tiffany Mason has five excellent reasons on Lifehack why you should be yourself. These include being able to align yourself with your values and beliefs, establish your identity, build courage, create boundaries, and find focus and direction.

11. Be Open to Change
Whether trying a new restaurant, traveling to an unknown part of the world, or doing something that has always scared you, you should always be open to change. This allows you to grow because you experience something new. It helps you be high functioning and self-confident if you are not wary of change.

12. Be Respectful
How would you feel if you had just cleaned your home and someone came in and tracked mud everywhere? You’d probably be a little ticked that they hadn’t taken off their shoes. Take this mentality and apply it to everyday life. For example, don’t toss your trash or cigarette butts on the floor of public restrooms or sidewalks just because someone else will clean it up. Be respectful of others’ time, thoughts, ideas, lifestyles, feelings, work, and everything else. You don’t have to agree with any of it, but people have a right to their opinions and yours is not necessarily correct.

13. Don’t Show Up Empty-handed
Going to a party this weekend at your friend’s apartment? Make sure you don’t arrive empty-handed. Even if you’ve been assured that there will be plenty of food and drink, bring along a little something to show you appreciate being invited.

14. Educate Yourself
If you don’t understand why one country is invading another, take the time to educate yourself on the current event. Ask a person intimately connected with the event for his or her thoughts. Remember, we’re all interconnected, and being aware of different cultures, different people, and what their lives are like can make you a more well-rounded individual. This will also help you understand points of view different from your own.

15. Surprise People
How good does it feel to make someone smile? It feels pretty good, right? Surprise your loved ones or co-workers now and then, with a gift, a night out on the town, or by offering help when you know they could use it.

Becoming a better person doesn’t happen overnight, but it is possible. Believe in yourself and know that it is possible!

What other tips have you found useful for becoming a better person?

How to Become a Better Person

Elizabeth Scott, PhD is an author, workshop leader, educator, and award-winning blogger on stress management, positive psychology, relationships, and emotional wellbeing.

Amy Morin, LCSW, is the Editor-in-Chief of Verywell Mind. She’s also a psychotherapist, the author of the bestselling book «13 Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Do,» and the host of The Verywell Mind Podcast.

We all want to be our best, but many people wonder if it’s actually possible to become a better person once you’re an adult. The answer is a resounding yes. There are always ways to improve yourself. This answer leads to more questions, however.

What is the best way to become a better person? What is the easiest approach? And what are the most important aspects of self to work on? Taking into account your own wellbeing as well as the best interests of others, here are some of the most important ways to become a better person.

Let Go of Anger

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KOLOstock / Getty Images

We all experience anger in our lives. Uncontrolled anger, however, can create problems in our relationships and even with our health. All of this can lead to more stress and additional problems, complicating life and keeping us from being our best selves. That’s why learning to manage and eventually let go of anger is so important to becoming a better person.

Letting go of anger isn’t always easy. But the first step is learning more about recognizing anger and knowing what to do when you feel angry in your life.

Recognizing anger is often simple if you make an effort to notice when you feel upset and decide to manage this feeling rather than denying it or lashing out at others as a way of coping. Focus on noticing when you feel angry and why, and know that there is a difference between feeling angry and acting on that anger. Then, know your options.

You can change your beliefs about what is making you angry. This can work by learning more about the situation, or even reminding yourself there may be things you don’t know yet.

Remind yourself that maybe that person who cut you off in traffic was distracted by something challenging in their own life. If a friend seems to be rude to you, inquire about how their day is going and find out if there’s more that you don’t know.

You can also focus on what your «anger triggers» are, and eliminate them as possible. For example, if you find yourself becoming frustrated and angry when you have to rush, work on making more space in your schedule (even if it means saying «no» a little more), and try to eliminate that trigger. If a certain person makes you angry, try to limit their role in your life, if it doesn’t work to talk things out with them first.

It’s also important to learn to let go of grudges and residual anger from each day. Don’t wake up holding a grudge from the night before if you can help it. Focus on forgiveness, even if it means you don’t let someone who wronged you continue to have an important role in your life. When you stay in the present moment as much as possible, this becomes easier.

Practicing stress relievers like meditation can also help you to let go of anger.   Focus on releasing the hold that the past may have on you. Put your attention to the current moment and it becomes easier to avoid rumination and stay in a good place.

Support Others

Helping others may seem like an obvious route to becoming a better person. We often think of «good people» as those who are willing to sacrifice for others. This, in the minds of many, is what makes a person «good.» However, good deeds can also make us better people because of the connection between altruism and emotional well-being.

According to research, it just may be true that it’s better to give than to receive. So while you may feel too stressed and busy to extend help to others when it’s not absolutely necessary, expanding your ability to focus on the needs of others can really help you as well. It’s true: Altruism is its own reward and can actually help you relieve stress.

Studies show that altruism is good for your emotional well-being and can measurably enhance your peace of mind. 

For example, one study found that dialysis patients, transplant patients, and family members who became support volunteers for other patients experienced increased personal growth and emotional well-being.

Another study on patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) showed that those who offered other MS patients peer support actually experienced greater benefits than their supported peers, including more pronounced improvement of confidence, self-awareness, self-esteem, depression, and daily functioning. Those who offered support generally found that their lives were dramatically changed for the better.

In addition to making the world a better place, exercising your altruism can make you a happier, more compassionate person. Because there are so many ways to express altruism, this is a simple route to being a better person, one that is available to all of us every day. This is good news indeed.

Leverage Your Strengths

Losing track of time when you’re absorbed in fulfilling work or another engaging activity, or what psychologists refer to as «flow,» is a familiar state for most of us. Flow is what happens when you get deeply involved in a hobby, in learning a new skill or subject, or in engaging in activities that supply just the right mix of challenge and ease.  

When we feel too challenged, we feel stressed. When things are too easy, we may become bored—either way, finding the sweet spot between these two extremes keeps us engaged in a very good way.

You can experience flow by writing, dancing, creating, or by absorbing new material that you can teach others.  

What may bring you to that state of being may be challenging for others, and vice versa. Think about when you find yourself in this state most often, and try doing more of that.

The state of flow is a good indicator of whether an activity is right for you. When you’re in a state of flow, you’re leveraging your strengths, and this turns out to be great for your emotional health and happiness. It’s also a very positive thing for the rest of the world because your strengths can usually be used to help others in some way.

When you learn enough about yourself to know what your best strengths are and find out how to use them for the benefit of others, you’re on your way to being a better person, and a happier one as well.

Use the «Stages of Change» Model

Ask yourself: If you had a magic wand, what would you like to see in your future? Ignoring the ideas of how you’ll get there, vividly imagine your ideal life, and what would be included in it.

Take a few minutes to list, on paper or on your computer, the changes and goals that would be included in this picture. Be specific about what you want. It’s okay if you want something that you seemingly have no control over, such as a mate who is perfect for you. Just write it down.

You may follow the lead of many businesses and have a one-year, five-year, and 10-year plan for your life. (It doesn’t have to be a set-in-stone plan, but a list of wishes and goals.) Keeping in mind what you hope for in your future can help you feel less stuck in the stressful parts of your present life, and help you see more options for change as they present themselves.

There are several ways to focus on change, but the stages of change model can lead you to your best self perhaps more easily than many other paths. This model of change can be adapted to whatever mindset you have right now and can work for most people.

The Stages of Change Model

One of the most important parts of this route to change is that you don’t push yourself to make changes before you’re ready, and you don’t give up if you find yourself backsliding—it’s a forgivable and even expected part of the process of change. Understanding this plan for making changes can help you to be a better person in whatever ways you choose.

Press Play for Advice on Creating Change

Hosted by Editor-in-Chief and therapist Amy Morin, LCSW, this episode of The Verywell Mind Podcast shares how to use the six stages of change to apply them to your own process of change. Click below to listen now.

How to Become a Better Person in a Relationship

This article was co-authored by Tracey Rogers, MA. Tracey L. Rogers is a Certified Life Coach and Professional Astrologer based in Philadelphia. Tracey has over 10 years of life coaching and astrology experience. Her work has been featured on nationally syndicated radio, as well as online platforms such as Oprah.com. She is certified as a Coach by the Life Purpose Institute, and she has an MA in International Education from George Washington University.

There are 12 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page.

This article has been viewed 77,217 times.

Do you feel like you could be a better partner? If so, you’re already on the right path. The fact that you want to improve is a great sign, and there are tons of different steps you can take to improve the way you communicate, express yourself, and demonstrate respect with your partner. In this article, we’ll walk you through the various steps you can take to improve your relationship and be the best partner you can be.

101 Ways To Be a Better Person

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“We cannot become what we need to be, remaining what we are.” – Max Depree

How does one become a better person?

Back when I was studying in university, I didn’t like myself very much. I was rude, selfish, emotionally stingy, self-centered, judgmental, highly critical, very obnoxious, and arrogant.

When I think back about it, a lot of that came from insecurity. I didn’t like myself, and this projected outwards in my behavior towards others. I was dissatisfied with myself, and hence I was dissatisfied with things about other people.

Subsequently, I decided to work on becoming a better person. I started off by listing the traits I didn’t like about myself, and then tackling them one at a time.

It took a lot of inner work, but today, I’m a lot happier with who I am. I can’t say that I’m perfect or that I’ve achieved my ideal self, because there’s still so much I’ve to work on. I also think that becoming a better person is an ongoing goal, and there’s never a real end point to reach.

In this massive post, I share 101 ways to be a better person. If you just follow a tip a day, you’ll go a long way towards becoming a better, more likable, person. Remember this isn’t about making yourself liked by others — it’s about becoming someone you truly love and adore, which will in turn attract the right people and opportunities into your life.

Use this as your foundational guide for self-improvement. Here goes:

The vision board of one of our past 30DLBL participants, Theresa

Be a Better Me in 30 Days Program

If you are into character development, then you can’t miss the Be a Better Me in 30 Days Program.

Be a Better Me in 30 Days Program (30BBM) is an intensive, action-driven character transformation program to help you be a better you in just 30 days.

30BBM is packed with 30 high impact tasks to be done one per day, from unrooting your undesired traits, embodying your ideal traits, upholding virtues, switching limiting thoughts, exploring your annoyances, working on forgiveness, and many more. You will be doing some really deep, serious, inner work in the 30 days ahead – which will undoubtedly transform you into a better, more conscious, more aligned person – both to yourself and to others around you.