Different Types Of Personality Characteristics

• Our actions are influenced by a desire to change certain feelings/emotions.
• Nobody knows everything, there is always more that you can learn.
• Don’t let people destroy your ego, you need it!

Personality Characteristic 1 – We Are All Selfish

We all act primarily from our own point of view. So the things we do are done for the benefit of ourselves and not necessarily other people. Even the act of charity is a selfish act.

If you decide to help someone it is usually because you feel some kind of emotion for them. Once you have given them help, you now feel better about yourself.

Therefore almost all the actions you carry out, are influenced by the feelings or emotions you experience and a desire to change them.

Let me give you another example.

Have you ever seen an advert on the TV or in the paper that said something like “Are you worried about your weight?” or “Do you have financial problems?” if so, then try/buy this product and all your worries will disappear!?

Advertisers know that by provoking a certain emotion or feeling in the audience (by using a trigger device, i.e. the product) they automatically stimulate the selfish desire.

By influencing how we feel they can then influence how we act. Which in this case, occurs as a purchase of the product. The key is to stimulate the right thoughts, in the right type of people.

This is why you see TV ads targeting certain types of people at different times of the day, such as advertising male products around sporting events.

Without this knowledge of you personality characteristics, many of the things you do will be done automatically with little or no conscious thought, just like a reflex.

This is commonly seen with ‘impulse purchases’ where someone suddenly sees something, buys it, but later regrets it.

By understanding the ‘triggers’ in your life, you gain a greater control of not only your thoughts, but also your actions.

Personality Characteristic 2 – We Are All Ignorant

Not even Einstein knew everything about the subjects he studied, so why do we often assume that we are experts on something?

No matter how much you learn, there is always more you can learn. In this sense, we are all ignorant and carry out our actions based on incomplete information. Recognising this personality characteristic encourages you to become a life long learner.

This not only stimulates and enriches the brain, but also allows you to carry out your actions with a greater degree of certainty as to how the results will unfold.

I am currently reading a book about the brain and it talks about this very subject.

The more you use your brain, the stronger it becomes. By constantly learning new information and skills, you can keep your mind healthy and agile throughout your whole life.

One of the best ways to do this is through reading, which you are doing right now. Reading not only fills your mind with new ideas, but is also excellent exercise for the brain and helps to improve concentration.

While I’m on the subject, have you ever heard the saying ‘TV rots the brain’? Well it’s true! Watching excessive amounts of TV has been shown to physically damage the brain and give the viewer a short term attention span.

Did you know your brain is more active during sleep than when watching TV!?

Personality Characteristic 3 – We All Have An Ego

Freud described the Ego as the part of you that experiences and reacts to the outside world. Some people have big ego’s, whilst others a small ego. Ego’s have a lot to do with our self image and self esteem.

As I discussed In a previous article “The Principles Of Success” having a strong ego (or high self esteem) allows you to react positively to problems and criticisms you may face, thereby giving you the strength to keep trying rather than give up and quit.

Most people actually criticise you because they are jealous of something you have or are doing. So see it as a compliment and let it empower you! 

If you have low self esteem, recognising this fact and then working to improve your self esteem, could perhaps be the biggest and most important change you make in your life.

What Have You Learnt About Your Personality Characteristics?

It should be remembered that these personality characteristics themselves are neither good nor bad, it is how you use and balance them in your life what matters.

Take some time to reflect upon what you have learnt in this article and actively use it to improve your life. It is only through small, but constant daily improvement will one succeed.

If you can do this, you will be one step closer to achieving whatever it is you want to achieve. You will then look behind you and be amazed at how far you have come!

“The Journey Of A Thousand Miles, Begins With A Single Step”