15 strong personality traits and signs that you have one
People's personalities vary greatly and often play significant roles in their behaviour, choices, social interactions, and ambitions. Among all the different personality types, the strong personality is perhaps among the most notable. A person with a strong personality is defined by numerous traits, key among them unwavering self-belief and confidence.
Often, people with strong personalities are thoughtful and have a well-developed sense of what is fair, equitable, and just, and should not be confused with domineering people.
What does it mean to have a strong personality?
What is a strong personality? Generally, a person with a strong personality is confident, determined, and not easily influenced or worried by other people. This is a generalized view, though; wide-ranging traits can define individuals in this category.
What are the traits of strong character?
Here are some of the strong personality traits synonymous with people in this category.
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1. An ability to say no
These individuals never look for validation. They are confident and sure of themselves to the extent that they will not cower or accept something they do not truly believe in.
Such individuals will say no and mean it. No amount of convincing or intimidation will force them to change their mind if they believe in something.
In the same way that they easily say no when a situation calls for it, they are not intimidated when someone says it to them. They understand that it may not always be possible to help them at all times, and that does not lower their self-esteem.
2. A sense of humour
Individuals with tenacious personalities are also the most relaxed and fun to be with. But unfortunately, many people confuse their ability to stand for themselves and fight for their rights as an intimidating aspect when, in the real sense, it is not.
Such individuals have a unique way of ensuring they balance their serious and humorous nature. Usually, they tend to be playful and will easily open up to individuals who are close to them.
However, it would help if you were witty to get their jokes since they sometimes play around, even with the most serious of situations.
3. An ability to easily read people
Individuals with strong personalities have extremely good listening skills, making it easy to understand those they are dealing with. All you have to do is look for signs that could communicate certain messages and react based on your findings.
You can know when someone is messing around with you and when they are genuine by simply paying attention to their body language. Combine this with what they are saying, and you can come up with a conclusion that makes sense.
4. Ability to captivate and attract others
Sometimes making new friends can be an uphill task. However, this is not the case for individuals with strong personalities since they seem to know what to say and when to say it.
For instance, they could complement your singing skills and suggest that you hang out together and probably go for karaoke. Realizing that people need to feel good is a secret that such individuals use to get their way without imposing it on anyone. Strong individuals always seem to be charming and charismatic.
5. Excellent self-control skills
One of the best traits that such a person exhibits almost every time is self-control. Usually, regardless of how embarrassing or frustrating a situation is, they know how to compose themselves and carry the day.
This explains how such individuals can save a situation that would have otherwise gone out of control. Due to their ability to compose themselves, they also tend to know how to calm an agitated crowd down.
This does not mean that they never suffer from panic attacks and stage fright. The only difference is that they have a unique and quick way of getting things under control whenever their nerves seem to get the better of them.
6. Hard work and unwavering focus
If you look deep into the strong personality meaning, you will realize that people with such personalities are hard workers and great achievers. Normally, they may spend a little less time getting things done because they can focus on results, but they work hard nonetheless.
They immerse themselves in the tasks at hand and do their best at the time. They also tend to focus on a task at a time and hardly allow distractions to get in the way.
7. Often seeming unapproachable
This is one of the unpleasant traits of such people. Due to their nature of being serious-faced, a lot of individuals confuse this with being harsh and snobbish.
However, the truth is that such individuals would enjoy good company, but they will not go out of their way to seek it. Most would bury their heads in work rather than seek unnecessary attention.
8. Calling people out on their ignorance
Strong people never let ignorant remarks get to them. In case people are acting ignorantly around them, they are likely to interrupt and stop it as they never tolerate ignorance no matter where it is coming from. People with strong personalities have a lot of ideas and never want to waste time talking about people when they could be changing the world.
9. Easily admitting to being wrong
Strong people are not so full of themselves that the idea of apologizing repulses them. They humbly accept when they are wrong and try to fix their mistakes before moving on.
10. Quick decision-making
Since dominant people know what they want and have confidence in their choices, they often exhibit quick decision-making skills. Instead of taking the time to review every possibility thoroughly, they move forward with their choices at full speed.
Quick decision-making sometimes comes with a cost, though. They are more likely to gloss over fine details, which may often result in more errors compared to their more cautious counterparts.
11. Learning from mistakes
A person with a strong personality will learn from their mistakes instead of lamenting about them. Typically, one experiences failure and successes in their life, making it essential to learn from every experience.
12. Setting boundaries for focus, time, and energy
These people know the essence of time and energy. They often tend to focus their time and energy on whatever it is they intend to achieve. They usually set clear boundaries for different aspects of their life and can change the said aspect if it goes out of alignment with their goals.
13. Not needing attention and validation
A person with a strong personality can easily live without the attention and validation of others. One of the biggest telltale signs of a weak personality is the constant pursuit of validation and attention from one's colleagues, friends, or family.
14. Having a constructive view of confrontations
Typically, most people will try to avoid conflict at all costs. This comes from a genuine concern that confrontation can poison their relationships. On the other hand, people with strong personalities have a constructive view about confrontation and believe that it helps to lay one's cards on the table regardless of the situation.
15. Confidence
Confidence is one of the most common personality traits of a person with a strong personality. It takes confidence to lead others and enforce your agenda. You probably have a strong personality if you have no difficulty speaking in front of a crowd or a group of strangers.
How to have a strong personality
Once you understand the merits and demerits of a strong personality, you can decide if this is something you want to nurture. The fact that personality traits can be learned makes it easy for anyone to become whoever they want.
What makes a strong personality? Here are a few suggestions to follow if you want to develop a strong personality.
- Listen more and interrupt less, but remember to speak up too
- Focus on being action-oriented more than talkative
- Appreciate and give credit as much as you accept praise
- Avoid seeking approval from other individuals
- Do not be wrapped in your head; let others in too
- Inspire and build others around you
What do you call a person with a strong personality?
Here are some of the words often used to describe a person with a strong personality.
- Unyielding
- Tenacious
- Steadfast
- Self-assertive
- Resolute
- Resilient
- Plucky
- Hard as nails
- Forceful
- Firm in spirit
Is a strong personality attractive?
Yes and no. There are upsides and downsides to having a strong personality. Here is a quick look.
Advantages of a strong personality
Here are some of the upsides of having a strong personality.
- You can easily become a leader
- People can trust you since you communicate openly
- You have an excellent sense of humour
- You get things done since you are focused
- You are not easily intimidated by anything
Disadvantages of a strong personality
Here are some of the downsides of having a strong personality.
- Other people might be intimidated by you
- You may be afraid to show weakness
- Having to be strong all the time can be emotionally exhausting
- You can easily become a control freak
- You may clash with other strong characters
Strong personality examples
Here is a look at three world-renowned people with strong personalities.
Oprah Winfrey
The renowned television show host has dealt with quite a lot throughout her public life, from criticism about her weight to everything about her race and sexuality. Still, she has never let anything get in the way of her ambition and drive.
Shania Twain
Shania's career began more out of necessity than sheer ambition. The singer's parents divorced when she was two. Her mom and stepfather could not make enough to sustain the family, so Shania started singing in bars to make extra money when she was barely 8.
Sarah Jessica Parker
Parker was born in an extremely poor mining town in rural Ohio. She was the youngest of four children and struggled to survive after her parents divorced. She then took up singing and dancing at a very young age to help supplement her mom's teaching income.
Strong personality test
There are numerous online personality tests out there today. These tests vary in design, operation, and results. With this test, you will discover five main traits of your personality. These include openness, extraversion, conscientiousness, agreeableness, and neuroticism.
The test goes even further to break down 30 traits, including kindness, anger, imagination, and intellect.
Strong personality quotes
Here are some quotes that touch on the beliefs, behaviour, and character of people with strong personalities.
- All our experiences fuse into our personalities. Everything that ever happened to us is an ingredient. Malcolm X
- Anybody can quit. Only a real champion and a person of character and strength can keep going and refuse to give up. Sadie Robertson
- Good looks and beauty are things worth less care. Personality is something that must be there with beauty.
- I have no attitude. I just have that kind of personality that everyone can't handle.
- If God gave you a strong personality, it's for serving others, not controlling them. Jimmy Evans
- Let others lead small lives, but not you. Let others argue over small things, but not you. Let others cry over small hurts, but not you. Let others leave their future in someone else's hands, but not you. Jim Rohn
- The note of the perfect personality is not rebellion but peace. Oscar Wilde.
- Weakness of attitude becomes weakness of character. Albert Einstein
- When I see a strong person's personality come out, I like it because this is what they were originally meant to be.
- You can meet a young person who goes to school and is enthusiastic, but if a sufficiently strong personality convinces them that this is a waste of time, that person might flunk out. Stanley Crouch
A strong personality is undoubtedly one of the most easily noticeable. Individuals with this personality often appear ambitious, confident, and in charge. They can also be mistakenly viewed as arrogant and domineering.
READ ALSO: Most hated zodiac sign: top 5 least liked astrological signs ranked
Legit.ng recently published an article about the most hated zodiac signs. Almost everyone has weird tiny quirks that drive other people crazy. It is just part of being human, as everyone has their preferences. However, a few unfortunate personality traits are often displayed by a group of people related to a particular astrological sign. As a result, the astrological group ends up being the most hated zodiac sign.
Zodiac signs are derived from the twelve thirty-degree sectors that make up earth's 360-degree orbit around the sun. It is believed that these signs influence one's behaviour and characteristics.
Source: Legit.ng
Jackline Wangare (Lifestyle writer) Jackline Simwa is a content writer at Legit.ng, where she has worked since mid-2021. She tackles diverse topics, including finance, entertainment, sports, and lifestyle. Previously, she worked at The Campanile by Kenyatta University. She has more than five years in writing. Jackline graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Economics (2019) and a Diploma in Marketing (2015) from Kenyatta University. In 2023, Jackline finished the AFP course on Digital Investigation Techniques and Google News Initiative course in 2024. Email: simwajackie2022@gmail.com.
Adrianna Simwa (Lifestyle writer) Adrianna Simwa is a content writer at Legit.ng where she has worked since mid-2022. She has written for many periodicals on a variety of subjects, including news, celebrities, and lifestyle, for more than three years. She has worked for The Hoth, The Standard Group and Triple P Media. Adrianna graduated from Nairobi University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in 2020. In 2023, Simwa finished the AFP course on Digital Investigation Techniques. You can reach her through her email: adriannasimwa@gmail.com