It trains your mind to focus first and foremost. If you can control which thoughts you give attention to and which you don't, in a sense, you become the master of your universe. After all, “The mind is everything. What you think you become,” -- Buddha.
Once seemingly immutable thoughts, feelings, likes, dislikes, ways of thinking, they all of the sudden become much more malleable. They are all just thoughts and can be dropped if you so choose. You start to realize these things that you thought were concrete aspects of yourself may not be so concrete after all.
I wouldn't say you should expect personality changes or anything big after a few months or even ever, although it is hard to believe that it wouldn't change the way you see the world and live your life given enough practice.
If not just for the myriad health benefits shown in study after study, you should meditate because being able to cultivate a place of deep inner peace and stillness is invaluable. A place where you can go to escape the utterly trivial bullshit of the world. A place where the constant worry and chatter of my mind all but disappears.
For me, the effects have been subtle but valuable. I am without a doubt much more able to focus. I certainly do better at work. I worry less. Most strikingly, I'm a much more voluble speaker. It just feels like there are less thoughts competing for attention in my mind. Not to mention the fact that there are times when it just feels really, really good. My body starts buzzing, my hearing gets a little distorted and I can just feel my body relaxing into this stillness. And lately, on occasion, I'll just be sitting there (not meditating) and all of the sudden I recognize this inherent stillness, or peacefulness is maybe a better word, in myself that I experienced the night before when I was meditating and I just start to feel real good about everything.
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