7 Signs You Have a Strong Personality
Some people adapt better to difficulties and can overcome them. Are you one of these people? In this article, we will explain the behavioral patterns that define people who can overcome difficulties or have a strong personality.
Personality, character and temperament are confusing topics. The reason for this is that these concepts are very close to each other in terms of meaning, but they do not mean the same. That’s why it’s important to explain what we mean by a strong personality.
According to Hall & Lindzey’s book Theories of Personality, personality is “the dynamic organization within the individual of the psychophysical systems that determine characteristic behavior and thinking.” In other words, it is the way of setting up the systems responsible for the behaviors that a person develops as a result of his past experiences.
What does it mean to have a strong personality?
Some people outside of psychology theory say it means having character.
The definition of the word “character” is a topic that has generated heated debate among theorists. However, when we look at it in the context of personality, we can say that a strong personality is one that can overcome difficulties.
Overcoming difficulties is one’s ability to positively adapt to difficult situations and overcome difficulties. This is quite similar to Kintsugi.
In Japanese culture, Kintsugi is a traditional art in which broken ceramics are repaired and reassembled with strong adhesives and gold dust. At the end of this process, the repaired pottery becomes stronger and more valuable than it was originally.
Don’t you think Kintsugi is a great example of the beauty of overcoming difficulties?
Indicators of strong personality
How do you know if a person has overcome difficulties? Here are some of its key characteristics.
1) Optimism
Being optimistic is the tendency to approach challenges with a positive attitude, patience, and hope. It is an approach that allows us to find solutions, advantages or possibilities when we experience difficulties in general.
If we are positive and optimistic, it will be easier to take responsibility for our actions. It is also easier to use the time well in order to improve ourselves.
2. To tolerate disappointment
Now we’re going to talk about how tolerating disappointment can lead to better emotional balance.
However, there are also intervention programs that draw attention to the importance of developing alternative behavioral strategies to show a different behavior instead of repeating our mistakes.
3. Emotional intelligence
Emotional intelligence is a sign of maturity and intelligence. Thanks to emotional intelligence, we learn to control our emotional reactions. In general terms, it means improving our social behavior through the ability to recognize and manage our own emotions as well as those of others.
A lot of research on this subject says that emotional intelligence is closely related to success. In fact, this skill underpins the social and emotional skills that are important in almost any work setting.
That’s why you can use emotional intelligence to help you be more productive and improve your psychological health.
4. Passion
Alfredo Culebro, an entrepreneur and businessman who specializes in empowering people and businesses to succeed, said: This has to change! In her book, she defines passion as an inexhaustible energy that pushes people to keep going, regardless of limits or difficulties.
Passion is useful because it makes us feel satisfied and successful in our work, even if we don’t have a reputation.
On the other hand, research has discovered that positive (harmonious) passion has a positive effect. After all, passion enables us to experience positive emotions, concentration, and the desire to fulfill our duties at a higher level.
This, in turn, helps a person become stronger and increase their ability to face challenges unaided. Although this is not an inherent ability of humans, it is possible to develop it.
5. Determination and motivation
Determination is a responsibility that requires full awareness. He shows determination if the person believes in what he is doing and it is very important to him. Thus, the person is motivated and exhibits a solid stance. As a result, he will not be able to be stopped until he reaches all the goals he has set his mind to.
Motivation is felt when we have a high interest in achieving a goal. This is not just about meeting our basic needs, but also self-actualization (such as achieving success in different areas of life). This includes the desire to achieve a certain quality of life with efficiency.
As Isaac Garrido Gutiérrez says, “it has been established in psychological research that one acts by listening to one’s free will, thereby creating a strong sense of personal responsibility.” In other words, motivation is an emotion created and managed by one’s own decision. This makes it easier for us to reach the goals we set for ourselves.
Thus, motivation acts as an internal engine that combines mind, will and interest to achieve our goals in a positive, happy and hopeful way.
6. Flexibility
Even if we are well aware of ourselves in times of difficulties, it is not easy to take a firm stance.
However, being flexible and accepting our circumstances allows us to focus. It helps us work on what we can change, accept what we cannot change, and see these changes as opportunities to improve ourselves.
According to Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (CBT), psychological acceptance and resilience enable people not to let negative experiences in the past prevent them from living their lives to the fullest. So we can focus on what really matters.
7. Learning
Overcoming difficulties is not a skill, but rather a learning process. People usually learn by trial and error. Therefore, we cannot successfully do something that we have not learned.
However, experiences are a great source of personal knowledge. These come in handy when we encounter situations in life where we have to face challenges, and come up with strategies to gladly overcome them.
