Has there ever been a time when you met a person and they just came in and took over? Someone with what can only be described as a strong personality.

These people are often slightly intimidating, but they usually also get what they want. They come across as confident and I know when I meet someone like this, I’m immediately drawn to them.

So what kinds of phrases do these confident people use to show this strong, magnetizing personality? 

Read on to find out what psychologists have found that separates people with strong personalities from the rest.

1) “I don’t dwell on the past, I focus on the present”

What do you think when you hear this phrase? 

To me, it almost sounds like the person saying it has no worries. What’s done is done and there’s nothing you can do about it, so move on to what matters. The Now.

When anxious people replay the past in their heads over and over, these incredible humans can somehow just forget that it even happened because they know that thinking about negative things affects the way they feel.

In Echart Tolle’s book, The Power of Now, he explains that he got rid of his anxiety by not worrying about what had happened in the past and by focusing on where he was right at that moment. By being in the now. 

He says that if you can focus on the now rather than things that you can’t do anything about (the past), you will become more confident, happy, and less anxious!

2) “I’m proud of you”

How does it feel when someone says this to you? When someone tells me they’re proud of me I feel all warm and fuzzy inside and I feel valued.

People with big personalities pump others up. This is because they are already happy with themselves, and they therefore aren’t in competition with others. 

They want everyone to win according to this psychological study. This study continues by saying that people with strong personalities are usually born leaders. Always ready to help others get to where they want to be.

3) “I won’t be pressured into something that I don’t want to do”

Have you ever felt pressured into doing something you didn’t want to do, but didn’t feel confident enough to say “No”?

If you’ve heard someone speak out and say that they don’t want to do something before, you’d likely have been thinking “Good on you” because it takes a strong person to voice that they don’t want to do something when everyone else is.

It’s not an easy thing to do, because we don’t know how people will react when we say no. Often from experience, we fear that we will be teased or that people will think less of us if we refuse to follow the crowd.

But, people with strong personalities don’t care about that because they know what they like and what they don’t. They want what’s good for them and what isn’t.

In this article, the psychologist says that pressure-less people march to their own beat. They are strong and have a positive mindset, so they don’t care about what the response to saying no will be.

4) “Feel the fear and do it anyway”

These people might be scared on the inside, but they know that the only way to combat fear is by facing it.

Here psychologist Barbara Markway says that people with strong personalities always try new things because they know that this will lead to self-growth. 

She also says that the people who take the shots even if they are scared or think they might fail, usually experience more success than those who wait for things to be 100% perfect before they act.

Of course, you have to decide which fears are legitimate and which are irrational. Then you can make the move to conquer them or not. But if a fear is impeding your life and stopping you from being happy, successful, or a better person, then feel the fear and do it anyway.

I had a fear of needles. It came from my Mum tricking me into a blood test when I was a kid. As I grew older I wanted to conquer my fear. So I decided I’d start giving blood, that way I was doing something kind as well as fighting my fear. And, guess what? It worked!

5) “I trust my own judgment”

Do you always trust your own judgment or do you often ask others for their opinion?

Psychologist Dr. Ivan Joseph explains that strong, confident people believe in themselves. He’s worked with many athletes and says that confident athletes are successful in the same ways as confident people. They trust their decisions. 

When you trust in yourself, it means you’ve spent time reflecting on past decisions, what went well and what didn’t, and what you can do better next time. You’ve done your research.

People who haven’t done their research or don’t reflect on past decisions often are the ones who don’t feel like they can trust their judgment fully.

6) “I value constructive criticism”

I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but it’s usually something you see in a workplace, there are two kinds of people. One kind avoids feedback at all costs and the other is always asking for it.

Which one are you?

A person with a strong personality will usually be the one asking for constructive criticism because they know that this is the only way to improve. 

This article on criticism says that the confident person will take it all, positive or negative feedback. They say it’s because these strong people know that no one is perfect and that there will always be a way that they can get better. They enjoy positive feedback as it shows them where they did well and what to continue to do.

The article continues by sharing how you should respond to feedback, both positive and negative, saying that “Thank you. I’ll work on that” is an appropriate response to constructive criticism. 

7) “Sorry, I made a mistake”

I know this phrase is often not one you’re likely to hear from everyone. But listen carefully because if you do hear it. Then this person may have a strong personality.

So why does a person like this speak in such a vulnerable way? As well as usually coming off with a lighter consequence, people respect an honest person who admits when they are wrong or has made a mistake.

This is because it’s hard to do. 

But there are so many benefits of taking responsibility for your actions, such as learning what to do better next time. 

Did you know that when we are accountable for our actions it helps to increase our self-esteem? Well, strong people certainly have a high level of self-esteem, so this could be the key!

The reason behind this is that when we admit we’re wrong we learn;

• How to get through tough times
• To respect the process
• Self-forgiveness
• How to advocate for ourselves

All very important skills that people with strong personalities usually have.

8) “I know my worth and won’t settle for less”

One more thing you might have noticed in someone who has the confidence of a lion is that they know what they’re worth and they won’t let anyone tell them otherwise.

These people won’t accept anything less, but they won’t think they’re better than others, because they aren’t arrogant. It just comes with high self-worth.

They know where they are going, and they aren’t about to be held back because someone doesn’t see their potential. Confident people see their abilities as significant but not better than others.

People with strong personalities know both their strengths and their weaknesses well and are happy to discuss both to succeed themselves as well as help others. 

So don’t be intimidated, they’ll always be on your team because they want everyone to win.