Stubbornness is one of those weaknesses everybody says they have because it actually sounds good, in a way. When people are asked what their weaknesses are, stubbornness is the first one that comes to mind for many people but is being stubborn actually good or bad?
In this article, I want to list all the pros and cons of being stubborn since many people use this”weakness” too easily, even if they are not actually stubborn. For many people, it is a thing that sounds cool, like saying in an interview, “I work too hard, and I care too much” you can imagine that it is a silly thing to say, but it is a way not actually to talk about your real weaknesses.
So next time when you talk with someone about weaknesses and they say that stubbornness is their biggest weakness, at least you will know that they are not 100% honest even if they somehow condition themselves to believe that. You can ask for one more to really put them to think about their weaknesses.
Is being stubborn good or bad?
Stubbornness is one of those weird traits we have that, in some circumstances, is a good thing while in others is a bad thing.
The funny part is that this implies that you have to be adaptable to know when to be stubborn and when not to be to get the most out of every circumstance, but that is the problem since actually stubborn people are not as adaptable as others.
So the key is the balance between being stubborn and adaptable/open-minded to new things or ways of doing things. However, as I said, we all know that stubborn people are not as open-minded, so it’s tricky to think that being stubborn is a good thing overall.
I would say that being open-minded and adaptable is better than being stubborn, but then you have to understand that there is such a thing as being too open-minded, which will come with a few disadvantages.
Be adaptable and open-minded, but simultaneously, you must understand that persevering is important in many situations, and persevering is not the same as being stubborn.
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Pros and cons of being stubborn
Here are a few pros and cons of being stubborn that will help you understand how to use this trait much better so you can get the best out of it without overdoing it.
Pros
-Focus
This one is a pro and a con at the same time, but I would say that in those modern times when we have a lot of distractions close to us, being focused is actually an advantage.
Being stubborn makes you don’t want to learn new things or new ways of doing what you are doing, making you focus on just doing that without being distracted. The bad part is that you might not be open to finding new ways of doing that thing that might be more efficient and will save you time in the long run.
However, I said this is more of a pro than a con because I know many people who get distracted by researching more or finding new and better ways of doing what they are supposed to do but never do that consistently, there is actually a term for that”shiny object syndrome.”
There is an argument for finding a better way of doing that thing and being more efficient, but then you have to stop finding another way and do that, so you have to come back to being stubborn. As I said, being adaptable is the key, but that will make you not be stubborn anymore, and we talk about stubbornness here.
An important thing to know is that efficiency will improve over time even if you don’t change the way of doing things since you will get better at what you are doing.
-You finish what you started
This one is related to the first one, if you are stubborn and focused on what you are doing, you have a higher chance of actually finishing what you are working on.
-You might avoid scams
Being stubborn makes you less open to new opportunities, including new scams and ways of being fooled. This is also a disadvantage since you miss the opportunities, but we will also discuss that.
Stubborn people are harder to convince that something new is good and most of the scams are complicated, new, innovative, and hard to understand, those are the keys to “successful” scams. A stubborn person will not act on something they don’t understand as easily as a person who wants to be open-minded.
Cons
-Miss new opportunities
Being stubborn makes you lose actual good opportunities just because they require a change in how you see or do things.
For most people, the best improvements in the quality of life come when they find a new opportunity, so missing many opportunities just because you are stubborn can have disastrous results in the long run.
When I talk about opportunities, it’s easy to think about professional opportunities, but it is not just that. Sometimes you have to change the city you are living in, you have to find opportunities for a better social life and new ways to make friends or relationships, and so on.
-Lack of empathy
Usually, stubborn people think they know best, and that is why they are not open to changes, so it is hard to pay attention to other people around you and give them credit for what they are good at or believe that someone can come up with a better idea than yours.
When you have a habit of putting yourself in someone else’s shoes more often, you have an easier time understanding their point of view, and this might make you see why how they are doing things might also help you.
-Adaptability
Sometimes you don’t want to change the way you are doing things, but you have to, a stubborn person will have a hard time accepting that, and we often see businesses that fail because of that, but it can also be a case for everyday people.
You have to change things along the way, even if we talk about professional life, personal life, or social life, adaptability is very important, and a stubborn person is not as adaptable.
-Annoying for others
We all know someone that is stubborn to the point that they become annoying, you can’t change their mind no matter what. It is all fun and games until you really depend on that person and how they handle a certain situation.
So being stubborn might be very annoying for people that count on you, and that is a big problem since usually those people are close friends or family, they are not the ones you want to annoy.
Read Also: How To Be Confident Without Being Arrogant?
Conclusion
We saw why being stubborn is good and bad at the same time and what are the pros and cons. One thing I want to encourage you is not to say that you are stubborn but rather try to think that you can be perseverent and focused on something but not stubborn necessarily.
I’m asked a lot in interviews what are your weaknesses and can’t think of any. You say stubbornness in some circumstances is a good thing while others its bad. Exactly. We’re all who we are for many reason {upbringing,people we choose to associate with, personal choices we make} People assumptions of other people are often made by the little time they spend with that person. Perseverant and focused or stubborn which is it? What I tell interviewers is what you may think is a weakness may be a strength depending on the circumstances. Your either perseverant and focused not try to think that way. You say tamotoe i say tomato.
Thank you for taking the time to comment on the post!
You are right, people have different points of view, and some people take pride in being stubborn even when it’s a weakness, and some people call you stubborn when you are actually focused.