Admit it. You have parts to your personality and character that society, says are "bad." You've grown up being criticized because your room was always a mess, because you spent too much time daydreaming or procrastinating. You have this huge lump of guilt now, because you haven't changed, even as an adult with "big kid" responsibilities, and your mom's words still march through your head. Maybe this is just wishful thinking, but there are 11 "bad" personality traits that might actually be good for us to have, at least some of the time.
Procrastination
Putting things off, and off, an off. And then, at the last minute, comes all of the stress of meeting that deadline. You berate yourself "“ next time, you'll start earlier "“ but you won't. It's just part of your make up. But, here's the good thing about procrastinators. They have learned to work this way and do it very well. Yes, there are people who simply do a better job under stress, and you may be one of them. While others plod along and overthink everything, you don't have the time. So you sit down, focus, and after a night of no sleep, it's finished and every bit as good. Embrace your procrastination "“ it serves you well.
Selfishness
Much of the time, being selfish is a good thing. Think about the friends and colleagues you know who are "people pleasers" "“ you know, those who cannot say "no" to anyone. They spend their lives often being resentful and martyr-like, or they continually seek high praise for all they do. They are not developing themselves. Begin selfish eliminates stress, often means you take better care of yourself, mentally and physically, and that you know who you are and what you want. Of course, it's not good in extremes, but those individuals are a minority. So, the next time you cancel an engagement because you just want to do something else, dump the guilt.
Sensitivity
Being overly-sensitive means you have a difficult time with criticism, taking it very personally, even when the criticism involves something related to work product. On the other hand, it makes you sensitive to the feelings of others too, and that is certainly a good thing in many instances. Being mindful of the sensitivities of others makes you the "diplomat in the room." This trait also mean that you are more empathetic than others, and being able to put yourself into someone else's shoes is a valuable skill.
Messiness
Clutter "“ some people cannot tolerate it; others embrace it. Traditionally, messiness has been connected with laziness and lack of productivity. The facts say otherwise, when you consider that Einstein, Steve Jobs, Mark Twain and Mark Zuckerberg had and have extremely cluttered work spaces. 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. The left brained people are the linear organized individuals who can be neat-freaks. So, embrace your clutter and just tell everyone that is how your brain is wired!
Egotistical
We all know people who have this trait to an extreme. They dominate conversations and it's all about them. They are not fund to be around. But, again, these are a minority. A healthy ego, even a very strong ego is often a good thing. It means that you have solid confidence in yourself and that you have sense of self-satisfaction, being comfortable in your own skin and feeling quite capable. So let that ego shine a bit.
Shyness
Shy people are introverted individuals who prefer have difficulty engaging with strangers and with large groups of people. While others may see this as a flaw, shy people are often incredibly reflective and are the ones who come up with the great solutions. They like to work alone, accomplish a great deal and don't need approval and praise from others. Introverts are in high demand in today's work place because they are productive, thoughtful, and often quite creative.
Neuroticism
Are you a person who cannot seem to let things go? Do you ruminate about things that went wrong yesterday and what crises might come up tomorrow? Then you are a bit neurotic, yes. On the other hand, neurotic people often turn that "flaw" into a true positive in the workplace. They tend to stick with something and to persevere until every last detail is hammered out. These are the conscientious, detail-oriented people that are so necessary in certain career positions today.
Distractibility
People with ADD are distractible "“ they jump from one subject to the next; they cannot seem to stick with one thing until it is finished, but seem to prefer several things going on at once. And, oh look "“ there's a gorgeous bird! Take heart if this is you. The research says you are of above-average intelligence. And you welcome so much into your brain at a time, you may be the one with the unique solution to that problem. Life is never dull for you.
Pessimism
"Negative Nellies" "“ that's what these people are usually called. They always see the negative side to every situation, and how can they possibly ever be happy? There is always a "yes, but"¦" to every positive thing that occurs in their lives or the lives of those around them. Others tend to avoid them, and they often only have friends with the same trait as their own. Think about this another way, however, and you will find an upside to pessimism. When tough decision have to be made, or problem-solving has to be accomplished, the value of the pessimist shines through. This is the individual who can come up with all of the "cons," when everyone else is only thinking of the "pros." It is good to have this balance in the workplace.
Laziness
Lazy people are unproductive people "“ that's common knowledge. They tend to get by with the least work possible and are often the daydreamers, always finding an excuse for their behavior. The other side of this coin, however, is that lazy people are often the inventors and innovators. They spend time trying to discover easier ways to get things done. They also are quite good at finding ways to get paid for the things they love to do.
Impulsivity
We all know people who act without thinking. The trait leads to risk-taking, to blurting out whatever comes to mind, and to making decisions quite quickly with never a backward glance. This is the individual who wakes up one day, sells everything, buys a camper and goes off to discover the "world." He embraces new experiences and craves activity. This is the individual who suddenly quits a job because he just can't tolerate it anymore. This behavior, however, then forces him to take action in a new direction which may be exactly what he has wanted to do. Impulsive people may make bad decisions, of course, but when they make good ones, the rewards are marvelous. Life will never be dull.
Cynicism
Cynics see conspiracies and the "evil" that lurks within everyone. Others always have ulterior motives; government officials are all a bunch of crooks. A healthy amount of cynicism is quite a good thing, however, because it keeps one from being the victim of scams and frauds which are so prevalent. Cynics tend to proceed with caution "“ a valuable quality today.Now, don't you feel better? You probably have one or more of these traits, and now you know how you can justify them and turn them around into pluses in your life.
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