People who stand out from the crowd for all the right reasons have these 13 traits

Do You Stand Out?

A person with shoulder-length blonde hair smiles brightly at the camera. They are wearing a white shirt and have a light complexion, blue eyes, and slightly tousled hair. The background is softly blurred, likely an indoor setting with white walls.

Have you been told that you have a strong personality?

While some people may assume that such a label is just a polite way of saying you’re loud, obnoxious, and domineering, there is actually a big difference between these and a more general strength of character.

These people have some traits that others find completely foreign – even scary, but it’s these traits that make them shine and stand out among the crowd – for all the right reasons.

If you recognize these 13 traits in yourself, you could be one of those people.

1. You’re Opinionated And Convincing, But Not Arrogant

A smiling older man with white hair and a beard wears black-framed glasses and a bright yellow sweater. He stands in a warmly lit room with wooden accents and modern lighting in the background, creating a cozy atmosphere.

You know your own mind and you aren’t easily swayed by others. You enjoy discussing matters of significance with people and are competent in debating your case. Despite this, you are also very happy to listen to the points of view made by others and you don’t disparage them or come across as arrogant in any way.

While you often sway people to your way of thinking through your coherent and well thought through arguments, you aren’t, in any way, disappointed if you can’t convince an individual. You are respectful of those who think and feel differently to you.

2. You Are Decisive

A woman in a striped shirt and green pants stands indoors, smiling and holding a tablet. She is leaning against a concrete pillar in a modern office space with glass walls and colorful furniture in the background.

Yes, you weigh up the options carefully, but you don’t get bogged down so much that you suffer from paralysis by analysis. You trust your mind and you trust your instinct to make the correct decisions and find it frustrating when others waste time deliberating.

To you, the wisdom is in being bold and taking action rather than waiting for life or someone else to make the choice for you.

3. You Are Led By Reason More Than Emotion

A person with dark hair pulled back into a bun, wearing glasses, a dark blazer, and a white blouse with a statement necklace, smiles confidently at the camera. The background is softly blurred, suggesting an office or professional setting.

You may use your instinct to guide you, but you do so thanks to a very rational approach to solving problems. You do let your emotions have a say in how things get done, but most of the power is in the hands of the logical, information-based part of your brain.

You’re the type of person who would study the manifesto pledges of all the candidates during an election and select the one who you believed offered the best outcome for you and the rest of the society. You wouldn’t be swayed by gimmicks, hot air and promises that can’t be kept.

4. You Stick To Your Morals

Two women are seated at a desk in an office, engaged in conversation. One, wearing a light blue shirt, is gesturing with her hand. The other, in an orange blouse and glasses, listens attentively. A laptop and two striped mugs are on the desk in front of them. Blinds cover the windows behind them.

You know what you stand for and you are passionately resolute in the way you act on your beliefs. Nobody can convince you to do something that doesn’t feel right.

Your morals dictate what actions you do and do not find acceptable from others and you are not afraid to tell someone when they step out of line.

5. You’re Not Overly Concerned With Pleasing Others

Two men are engaged in a conversation outdoors under a tree with green leaves. One man, facing the camera, gestures with his hands while speaking. Both are wearing sleeveless tops and appear to be in a lively discussion. The background is blurred with greenery.

Rather than try to keep everybody else on side, you aren’t afraid to ruffle a few feathers if it means being your real self. You have the ultimate belief in yourself and you don’t ever feel the need to go out of your way to please or impress others.

You treat those around you with respect, but at no point would you pander to their ego in order to get ahead. You want to achieve by showing your true colors, and if other people find that scary, that’s their problem, not yours.

Because of this, you are quite choosy about who you let into your inner circle. You haven’t got the time or energy to waste on people who just want you to agree with them all the time.

6. You Know What You Want In Life

A mature person with long grey hair and glasses looks confidently at the camera. They are leaning forward with their arms resting on a surface and wearing a brown blazer and a watch. The background is outdoors with blurred greenery.

From a fairly young age, you’ve had a strong sense of knowing which direction you’re headed in. As you grow older, you maintain a clear vision of what you want to achieve in life and you don’t waver or believe it unrealistic no matter what obstacles cross your path.

7. You Are Very Goal Oriented

A woman with long brown hair and glasses is leaning over a desk, writing in a notebook with a pen while looking at an open laptop. She is dressed in a light pink shirt and jeans. The desk has a white coffee mug and a smartphone. Shelves with books and office items are in the background.

Since you have your sights set firmly on particular successes in life, you like to set interim goals to propel you along your path at a rapid pace.

You don’t amble along and hope that one day your dreams will become a reality, you know which steps you need to take and you focus on achieving these smaller, smarter goals in order to reach your desired destination.

8. You Don’t Dwell On The Past

A young woman with long dark hair wearing a bright red hoodie and headphones smiles softly at the camera. She is standing in front of a brick wall background.

To you, what’s gone is gone and it doesn’t make sense to spend too much time thinking about it. You are much more interested in what’s happening right now and how it is going to impact your future.

Those future goals we just mentioned are what spur you on in the present and you prefer directing your energy into the now rather than onto the past.

9. You Actually Learn From Your Mistakes

A smiling person with short curly gray hair is wearing a light-colored scarf and jacket. The background features colorful autumn trees with red, orange, and yellow leaves, creating a warm and vibrant setting.

Even though you don’t like to look back on what’s already happened, that’s not to say that you don’t learn lessons from it. You are very capable of identifying where things went awry and adapting your actions to prevent it from happening again.

You find it difficult to understand people who go around in circles, repeating the same unwanted behaviors over and over again, even though they swear each time will be the last.

10. You Can Admit When You’re Wrong

A man with glasses, a beard, and tattoos on his arm, wearing a red shirt, is smiling while sitting in a modern office. He is facing a woman with curly hair in a gray suit, who is turned away from the camera. They are seated at a wooden desk.

You are not pig-headed enough to believe you are always right – indeed you could hardly learn from your mistakes if you weren’t capable of admitting when you were wrong in the first place.

And when you do wrong to other people, you are quick to recognize this and try to make amends.

11. You Are Not Big On Self Pity

A woman with curly hair and a nose ring stands against a red background. She is wearing a red sweater and has a playful, slightly skeptical expression on her face. Both hands are raised with palms outward in a "stop" or "wait" gesture.

Things don’t always go how you want them to go in life; you know this to be true. You don’t, however, linger on such things and pity yourself because of them. Instead, you use these situations as opportunities to grow and learn so that you can move forwards instead of getting bogged down in negativity.

The words “why me?” or “I’m so unlucky” are unlikely to pass your lips and you squirm a little bit when you hear others bemoaning the state of affairs in their lives.

12. You Seek To Understand Issues And Abhor Ignorance

A woman with long blonde hair and glasses is sitting on a couch in a living room, looking at the camera with a questioning expression. She is wearing a dark long-sleeved shirt, and books and a lamp can be seen in the background.

You freely admit that you can’t know it all, but you always like to understand an issue in all the multi-faceted ways possible. You don’t go around spouting opinions that are based on little more than propaganda and factless rhetoric, you build your views on a sound comprehension of the arguments on both sides.

What’s more, you can’t abide people who pass judgements without ever stopping to learn, research, and think about the things they are saying with an air of objectivity.

13. You’re Fearless

A person stands confidently with arms crossed, wearing an orange hooded jacket over a white mesh shirt against a plain white background. The hood is pulled up, partially obscuring their head.

Actually, this heading is a little incorrect – what it should really say is that while you do have fears, you do not let them stand in your way or dictate your life.

You are willing to face your fears in order to overcome them and you understand that to do otherwise is to put limits on your life and on the chances you have to experience new things.