The character and mannerism of the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) is the ultimate and this is what we should strive towards.
Observe how he interacted with the Sahabah, the rich and poor, the occasions on which he was soft, the occasions on which he stringent, his bravery, his preparation and readiness for combat whenever the need arose, his generosity, his treatment of his family and subordinates, his respect for his seniors etc.
Read about these aspects in the life of Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) and this will motivate you and assist you in developing these qualities Insha Allah. A good and authentic book and to read is Seeratul Mustafa by Moulana Idrees Kandhelwi (Rahimahullah). An excellent and very accurate translation of this book has been rendered in the English. It is something to read over and over again.
Please share if you know books on the life of the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) that are available in your place, written by authentic Ulama.
Re: Developing one’s character according to the Sunnah
The best book will be the one full of Prophet (SAW)'s sayings regarding bettering one's character.
Just today I received a book I ordered for my 8 year old. It's called "The Contents of Character" translated by Hamza Yusuf. It has small ahadith both in Arabic and English to memorize and to improve penmanship. I think it's a great book for adults too.
We often get to hear or read what others have written or said about the Prophet (SAW) but this book gives us the great opportunity to read and understand what the Prophet (SAW) himself has told us. It's full of beautiful sayings/ahadith.
The first hadith is:
"Islam is clean, so cleanse yourselves, for only the cleansed shall enter paradise."
Re: Developing one’s character according to the Sunnah
One very well known and easily available book that i've read is "Ar-Raheeq-ul-Makhtum" its available in urdu and english both.
its just an effort to summarise the life nabi salallaho alayehe wassalm, which is not realy possible in this short book, but its a very good effort, after reading this you feel like reading more in much greater detail.
for that i will INSHA ALLAH read "Seerat-e-Nabawi Salallaho alayehe wassalm, by Allama Shibli Nomani and Sayed Suleman Nadvi"
Re: Developing one’s character according to the Sunnah
Peace R.A.W.,
I read any book which I found whether its have authentic references or not. I read, try to understand, do some research (by reading Qur'an and hadith) if references are authentic or not.
I think it is our duty to spread truth in this way to too.