#1. Being messy.
It turns out that messy people aren’t lazy — they’re actually creative folk who don’t follow conventions. Kathleen Vohs from the University of Minnesota thinks that messy people actually have one of the most highly desirable traits around — creativity. “Disorderly environments seem to inspire breaking free of tradition, which can produce insights. Orderly environments, in contrast, encourage convention and playing it safe,” she says. If you’re messy, you’re in good company: famous mess-makers include Roald Dahl, Albert Einstein, J. K. Rowling, and Alan Turing.
#2. Acting selfish.
You can only give so much of yourself to people so being a little selfish actually benefits your closest family and friends. When you’re selfish about where and to whom your time and energy goes, those important people in your life get the best of you. If you try to help everyone who asks, you stretch yourself thin, which is exhausting and counterproductive. Here are a few more reasons.
#3. Crying a lot.
Crying is often thought of as a weakness. As a culture obsessed with strength and achievement, we don’t want to show that we’re vulnerable. But people who cry a lot are putting themselves out there, and that takes strength. Only the mentally tough show the world what they care about and what they’re upset over. In fact, ‘cry babies’ have got a lot of things right.
#4. Getting distracted easily.
Are you easily distracted at work? Studies suggests that workers who have trouble concentrating on a daily basis may be intellectually superior to their colleagues. Intelligent people may find it difficult to focus because of all the amazing ideas constantly running through their brains. Apparently, clever people find it difficult to prioritise which idea to focus on first, which leads to “a feeling of inadequacy and inability to deal with the workload as a whole”, according to psychiatrist Dr Ned Hallowell.
#5. Being cynical.
Cynical people are smart, period. Taking a cynical view of others means you’re less likely to be deceived and manipulated. You’re pleasantly surprised when things go well because you had low expectations to begin with. Being cynical also means you’re not overly optimistic about how things will pan out — and you actually get up and do something about it (because you’re not expecting that things will just work out). And let’s not forget that some of the greatest satire has sprung from cynicism.
#6. Being pessimistic.
Pessimists expect that what can go wrong most certainly will go wrong and are therefore prepared for everything. They don’t get blindsided by loss because they’re aware that negative things can and will happen in life.
#7. Being too sensitive.
Sensitive people are more likely to learn from their mistakes and more likely to take on constructive feedback, meaning that they’re constantly self-improving. Sensitive people are emotionally attuned and have a high emotional intelligence, making them great people to be friends with, too.
#8. Being lazy.
Lazy people are smart people. They’re constantly coming up with ways to do things quicker and easier so they don’t have to work so hard. Even billionaire Bill Gates recognized this and said: “I choose a lazy person to do a hard job. Because a lazy person will find an easy way to do it.”
#9. Getting angry.
While no one is suggesting that anger is a positive behavior, allowing yourself to get angry once in a while is absolutely vital for dealing with life’s more frustrating incidents. After all, keeping thoughts and feelings bottled up inside you is just a ticking time-bomb. Better to blow off a little steam now and again than wait for an eruption.