Being self-assured is a good thing, but there’s a fine line between confidence and arrogance.
It’s important to back yourself and feel good in your own skin, but humility is just as vital if you want to be likeable, not to mention if you want to continue to grow as a person. If you relate to any of the following behaviours, you might need to tone down the confidence just slightly and start realising that you’re not perfect.
1. You rarely ask for help or advice.
You reckon you’ve got everything sorted on your own. Asking for help? That’s for other people. You’re convinced you can handle any situation that comes your way, even if you’re completely out of your depth. Having a go-it-alone attitude might be holding you back from learning new things and improving.
2. You dismiss feedback as irrelevant.
When someone offers you constructive criticism, you brush it off. You think they just don’t get how awesome you are. Being closed-off to feedback can stop you from growing and improving. Remember, even experts can learn something new.
3. You’re always the loudest voice in the room.
In meetings or social gatherings, you dominate the conversation. You love the sound of your own voice and reckon everyone else does too. But being loud doesn’t mean you’re always right, and you might be missing out on valuable input from other people.
4. You never double-check your work.
You’re so sure of your abilities that you don’t bother to review what you’ve done. Proofreading? Nah, you don’t need that. Your overconfidence can lead to silly mistakes that could have been easily avoided with a quick once-over.
5. You make promises you can’t keep.
You’re so sure of your abilities that you often bite off more than you can chew. You promise to deliver the impossible, thinking you’ll figure it out somehow. This can lead to disappointed people and damaged relationships when you inevitably fall short.
6. You don’t prepare for important events.
Whether it’s a job interview or a big presentation, you wing it. You think you’re charming enough to get by without putting in the work. But lack of preparation can lead to missed opportunities and embarrassing moments.
7. You interrupt people all the time.
You’re so eager to share your thoughts that you can’t wait for people to finish talking. You jump in mid-sentence, thinking your point is more important. Inevitably, this just makes you look rude and self-centred. Nothing you have to say is so important that you can’t wait another couple of minutes.
8. You never apologise.
When things go wrong, you’re quick to blame other people or circumstances. Saying sorry? That’s not in your vocabulary. You struggle to admit when you’ve messed up, which can strain your relationships and prevent personal growth.
9. You take on tasks you’re not qualified for.
You’re convinced you can do anything, even if you’ve never done it before. While confidence is good, taking on tasks way beyond your skill level can lead to poor results and potentially dangerous situations.
10. You dismiss other people’s achievements.
When someone else succeeds, you’re quick to downplay it. You might think, “If they can do it, it must be easy.” Your bad attitude makes you look bad and stops you from learning from other people’s successes.
11. You’re always right, even when you’re wrong.
Facts don’t matter much to you if they don’t align with your views. You’ll argue your point to the death, even in the face of clear evidence to the contrary. Your stubbornness can make you hard to work with and resistant to learning.
12. You don’t bother with backup plans.
Plan B? You don’t need one. You’re so sure your first idea will work that you don’t consider alternatives. This can leave you in a sticky situation when things don’t go as planned.
13. You underestimate the time and effort tasks require.
You consistently think you can do things quicker and easier than is realistic, which inevitably leads to missed deadlines and half-baked results. A bit more humility could help you plan more accurately.
14. You believe your success is all down to you.
You don’t acknowledge the role of luck, timing, or other people in your achievements. You think it’s all about your skills and nothing else. Unfortunately, this attitude can make you seem ungrateful and disconnected from reality.
15. You don’t listen to experts in fields you’re unfamiliar with.
Even when talking to someone with years of experience in a subject, you think you know better after a quick internet search. The fact that you often disregard people’s expertise can cause you to make poor decisions based on incomplete information.
16. You don’t learn from your mistakes.
When things go wrong, you don’t take time to reflect on what happened. You’re quick to move on, convinced it won’t happen again. But without learning from your errors, you’re likely to repeat them, missing out on valuable growth opportunities.
