Admit it: You have parts of your personality that society says are “bad.” People criticized you because your room was always a mess or because you spent too much time procrastinating or daydreaming.
But it turns out that your bad personality traits aren’t, well, that bad.
Here are 12 “bad” personality traits that might actually be good for us to have – at least some of the time. So if you see any of these traits in yourself, flaunt them with confidence!
1. Procrastination: You work well under pressure.
You keep putting tasks off, and at the last minute, you stress about meeting the deadline. You berate yourself, claiming that next time, you’ll start earlier… but you won’t. Procrastination is just part of your makeup.
But here’s the good thing about procrastinators: They’ve learned to work well under pressure. While others plod along and over-think everything, you don’t have the time, so you focus, and after a sleepless night, your project is finished and is every bit as good as everyone else’s.
2. Selfishness: You’re great at taking care of yourself.
Most of the time, being selfish is a good thing. Think about the friends and colleagues you know who can’t say “no” to anyone. They often spend their feeling resentful or continually seek high praise for all they do.
On the contrary, being selfish eliminates stress, and means you take good care of yourself. You know who you are and what you want. Of course, extreme selfishness isn’t good, but being a little selfish is always OK.
3. Sensitivity: You have more empathy toward others.
Being overly-sensitive means that you have a difficult time accepting criticism. On the other hand, it makes you sensitive to others’ feelings too, and in many cases, that’s a good thing.
Being sensitive towards others of others makes you the “diplomat” in the room. If you’re highly sensitive, you also may be more empathetic than others, and putting yourself into someone else’s shoes is a valuable skill.
4. Messiness: You’re highly creative.
Traditionally, messiness has been connected with laziness and lack of productivity. However, the facts say otherwise – Einstein, Steve Jobs, Mark Twain, and Mark Zuckerberg have been known to have extremely cluttered workspaces.
A study from the University of Minnesota, in fact, determined that people who live in clutter are often highly creative. This makes sense because creativity is a right-brained activity. In contrast, left-brained people are typically organized individuals.
5. Egotism: You’re extremely confident.
We all know people who are extremely egocentric. They dominate conversations, and they aren’t always fun to be around.
However, a healthy ego is a good thing. If you have an ego, you likely have confidence in yourself and are comfortable in your own skin.
6. Shyness: You can accomplish a great deal alone.
Shy people may have difficulty engaging with strangers or large groups of people. While others may see this as a flaw, shy people are incredibly reflective and often come up with great solutions.
They accomplish a great deal when they work independently, and they don’t need others’ approval. In today’s world, introverts are in high demand because they’re productive, thoughtful, and creative.
7. Neuroticism: You’re super attentive to detail.
Do you ruminate about what wrong yesterday and which crises might come up tomorrow? If so, you’re a bit neurotic.
But neurotic people often turn their “flaw” into a true positive in the workplace. They persevere until every last detail is hammered out. These are the conscientious, detail-oriented people that are so necessary in many careers today.
8. Distractibility: You have unique problem-solving skills.
If you’re distractible, you may prefer several projects going on at once. But research says that if you have a distractible personality, you’re of above-average intelligence. Therefore, you may be the one who comes up with unique solutions to problems.
9. Pessimism: You stay realistic.
Pessimists often see the negative side of every situation. Others tend to avoid them, and they attract other pessimists.
But there’s an upside to pessimism: When you have to make tough decisions, you can come up with all of the “cons,” which are just as important as the “pros.”
10. Laziness: You’re an innovator.
Lazy people are unproductive. They tend to do the least amount of work possible and may make excuses for their behavior.
But lazy people are often innovators. They spend time trying to figure out shortcuts. They’re also quite good at finding ways to get paid for the things that they love to do.
11. Impulsivity: Your split-second decision-making pays off big-time.
When you’re impulsive, you make decisions quickly and never look back. But impulsive people are great at making split-second decisions under pressure, and when they do, their quick thinking pays off.
12. Cynicism: You never fall for scams.
Cynics see the “evil” that lurks within everyone. But a healthy amount of cynicism is beneficial because it keeps you safe from scams and frauds. Cynics tend to proceed with caution — a valuable quality to have.
Now don’t you feel better? You probably have one or more of these personality traits, and now you know how to make them positives in your life.
Alice Calch is blogger and writer, currently working at GhostProfessors. She writes primarily about health, self-improvement, motivation and success. Follow her on Twitter and Facebook.
Previously published on YourTango.
This article was originally published at Steven Aitchison. Reprinted with permission from the author.
Photo by Joshua Rawson-Harris on Unsplash
