What if you viewed your personality – or aspects of it – as skill rather than something that you were born with?
What if you saw the parts that you feel are ‘just who I am’ but that you’re not pleased with as skills or bad habits you’ve developed over time?
What if you saw personality traits that you wish you had but that seem so contrary to ‘who you are’ more as skills that you could develop?
I’m not a psychologist and I’ve not dug into the research, but what if we just looked at personality as a skill?
What if we could choose personality traits that might serve us better in our families, careers, and friendships?
What if didn’t just assume that we are stuck in bad behavior – whether it’s being easily angered, overcome with fear, or tendency toward frustration – but that we can actually grow and develop in courage, patience, and optimism?
Even if I’m wrong, isn’t it a lot more freeing to assume and believe and practice the possibility of treating your personality as a skill? To know that you’re not stuck and you’re not born as you are and have no hope to improve upon the raw material that is your heart, soul, and mind?
I believe it’s a worthy pursuit.
Take the parts about yourself that you like and make them better.
As for personality traits you’d like to develop, don’t assume you can’t. Assume you just have to do a little research, practice, and grow in a new skill – like you’re learning golf or tennis or gardening.
It can’t hurt, right?
