If You Recognize These Struggles, You've Got A Strong Personality

Is A Strong Personality A Good Thing?

A woman with curly red hair styled in a ponytail is looking to her side thoughtfully. She is wearing a colorful sweater with a high orange turtleneck and bright red lipstick, standing against a light teal background.

While there are plenty of upsides to being ‘a character’, there are also some potential hazards to consider.

People are no doubt drawn to your zesty personality, but it can cause friction too.

Perhaps you’ve experienced difficulties with others throughout your life and can’t work out why.

If you recognize these 12 struggles, chances are it’s because you’ve got a strong personality.

1. Lacking Tact In Conversation

Two women are seated and engaged in conversation at an outdoor café. The woman on the left is speaking, while the woman on the right listens attentively with a thoughtful expression. Both have long hair and are casually dressed, with sunglasses resting on their heads.

You have strong opinions and you are not afraid to express them to others.

While this can be seen as confidence, it can also come across as rude or inconsiderate.

You should try to understand that, in some circumstances, your outspokenness might not be the best approach to take.

It might benefit you to pick and choose when to speak up, while adopting a more amenable manner when the situation calls for it.

Perhaps the wisest advice would be to take a moment to consider the context of a conversation before deciding what to say.

2. Not Listening

An office scene with three people socializing. A woman in a white blouse and black pants holds a coffee cup, smiling as she sits on a desk. Two men, also in business attire, stand nearby chatting. One holds a coffee cup, and the other holds a donut. A plant is on the desk.

Conversations do not only require you to speak. There is a need for you to listen to what others are saying.

It is important, however, that you don’t listen merely to respond.

When the other person is speaking, if all you are doing is preparing your next sentence, you are likely to miss the full, nuanced meaning of what is being said.

Furthermore, it can be quite obvious when you are not paying attention and this can be read as uncaring or uninterested.

You may be used to doing most of the talking, but you can easily take it too far if you are not careful.

Be conscious of the balance between the participants and try not to take over the conversation.

3. Seeking Dominance

A woman with braid-style hair in a bun is holding her head in distress while another woman in the background is pointing towards her in an office setting. The atmosphere appears tense, suggesting a disagreement or confrontation.

Because of your strength of character, it can feel natural to control a situation.

You may be the type of person who takes charge in order to get things done, but you must try to do so without dominating those involved.

Leading is one thing, but dictating is a whole different ball game.

If you try to pursue your own agenda without consulting those around you, the likely result will be one of resentment and bitterness.

If you’ve been called bossy before, this may be a sign that you haven’t quite achieved the balance between assertiveness and diplomacy.

4. Manipulating Others

A young woman with blonde hair is sitting next to an older woman with curly gray hair. The older woman appears distressed, resting her head in her hand. The young woman is gesturing and seems to be speaking, showing concern. They are indoors, seated on a couch.

When not kept in check, a strong personality may sometimes come across as manipulative because of the ‘can do’ attitude alluded to above.

To see that things are done your way, it can be quite easy to let a little bit of bribery, deceit, and trickery creep into your conduct.

You may not see the harm in pulling out the charm to get what you want, but by bending them to your will, you might leave some with a bad taste in their mouth.

There is a fine line to walk between persuading someone to follow your advice and manipulating them into doing so.

Be very wary of slipping into the latter.

5. Being Overly Competitive

Two men are facing each other with their foreheads touching and angry expressions on their faces. The man on the left has blonde hair and fair skin, while the man on the right has dark skin and a shaved head. They appear to be in a heated confrontation outdoors.

Competition is something that can be both beneficial and detrimental to those who participate.

When the competition is healthy, it can drive you forward and help you to accomplish great things, but take it too far and you relinquish control to your dark side.

It is quite common for a strong personality to go hand-in-hand with a competitive nature.

You may be an achiever in various aspects of your life, but this can rub people up the wrong way if you are not careful.

Being successful can be both exhilarating and isolating.

If you let your desire to win control you at times where a friendly and relaxed approach is more appropriate, it can build barriers between you and others.

Remember, collaboration and teamwork is often required to reach the pinnacle in many walks of life.

If you set out to win in everything you do, it might prevent you from doing just that.

6. Arrogance

A woman with curly hair, wearing a red beret and olive green jacket, playfully extends her hand towards the camera. She is smiling and holding paper shopping bags. The background shows a city street with buildings and a sidewalk.

You might hold yourself in quite high regard and feel confident in any situation, but as with competitiveness, this can also be taken too far.

If you become boastful about your achievements or ostentatious in your use of the rewards, people will find it difficult to relate to you.

It is generally a good idea to remain humble despite any success so that those around you don’t feel intimidated or alienated.

It is worth remembering that you can’t take anything with you beyond the grave, and that the best friends you’ll ever have will be the ones who love you regardless of your physical abilities, mental aptitude, or material wealth.

7. Aggression

A woman and a man sit facing each other on a gray couch in a bright room. The woman, wearing a brown sweater, looks upset and gestures with her hand. The man, in a beige sweater, responds with his hands raised. They appear to be having an intense conversation.

Sometimes you may slip from assertiveness into downright aggression as you try to get your point across, and this is not a behavior that anyone likes to see.

The chances of this happening increase significantly when you encounter another strong personality.

It can be nigh-on impossible to reconcile differences of opinion when you both have such self-assurance and determination.

When a debate turns into an argument, it doesn’t matter who comes out on top – the damage will already have been done.

Feeling attacked and needing to go on a counteroffensive only serves to destroy inner peace.

It causes stress, anger, and hurt than can last long after the confrontation has ended.

8. Impatience

A woman with shoulder-length brown hair, wearing a blue shirt and black cardigan, is sitting at a table. She rests her head on her hand, cheeks puffed out, and gazes upward with a thoughtful or bored expression. The background is slightly blurred, indicating an outdoor setting.

There’s a good chance that you are a doer more than you are a thinker and this can lead you to make somewhat rash decisions from time to time.

This impatient part of you enjoys the buzz of getting things done, trying new things, and seeing dreams become reality.

Unfortunately, this impulse can get you into some sticky situations that could have been avoided with a bit more due care and attention.

What’s more, slowing down just a little bit can often lead to great results at the end.

If you act on every whim, maybe it’s time to take a deep breath before diving in head first.

9. Taking Risks

A group of four people in formal attire are gathered around a poker table with poker chips and cards. They are holding champagne glasses, some sipping, amidst a smoky atmosphere. The mood appears celebratory and relaxed.

One of the most obvious outcomes of any impatience you may have is the risks this often leads you to take.

When you neglect to think things through, you may put your body, mind, health, wealth, and wellbeing in jeopardy.

This is a trap than many strong characters end up in when they fail to fully consider the consequences of their actions.

If you have ever been guilty of charging ahead with something before making the necessary preparations, then you’ll know what this means.

10. A Reluctance To Seek Help

A woman with long hair and a white shirt stands in the foreground, looking contemplative, while a man in a white shirt stands in the blurred background. They are inside a room with shelves filled with various items.

This type of personality typically requires an abundance of self-belief. You think that you are capable of anything you put your mind to.

Unfortunately, one possible result of this is an unwillingness to ask for help when it is needed. Being so sure of your own abilities, you prefer to just keep trying at something rather than seek the assistance or guidance of another individual.

You may fear looking weak or you may consider it a failure, but if you are unable to ask others for help, it may not prove your resilience, it may simply demonstrate your pigheadedness.

11. Stubbornness

A young woman and an older woman sit back-to-back on a couch, both looking away from each other with serious expressions. The younger woman has dark hair and is crossing her arms, while the older woman, with light hair, rests her hand on the back of the couch.

On a similar note, strength of character is often associated with an element of stubbornness.

You may hold certain views or do things in a particular way and these may not be up for discussion.

This can, of course, be a good thing. It can also be damaging to all kinds of relationship where an element of flexibility often comes in handy.

It can be a source of conflict, driving a wedge between you and others while also being fairly unwise if you aren’t willing to adapt to new circumstances or evidence.

12. Suffering Burnout

A person with curly hair is sleeping on a desk in front of an open laptop. Papers and documents are scattered across the desk. There is a white coffee cup in the foreground. Sunlight is streaming in through window blinds in the background.

People with strong personalities are more inclined to be busy, active individuals whose diaries are packed with events and responsibilities.

While you may well enjoy this frenetic pace, seeing it as living life to the full, you run a greater risk of burnout if you don’t occasionally take time to relax.

The idea of slowing down and chilling out may not sound that appealing to you, but it will prevent a far less desirable result.