The term “addictive personality” gets tossed around a lot these days, often with very little consideration for what it actually means. The reality of the situation is if you ask any doctor, most would tell you it’s a pretty serious psychological setback.
And while this may have some truth to it, this doesn’t mean it can’t come with its own unique set of benefits too.
An addictive personality basically means you are someone who is naturally more susceptible to addiction, due to any number of physical, psychological, or even genetic factors. While this definition immediately calls to mind drug and alcohol addiction, those aren’t the only things an addictive personality applies to.
In fact it is only implicit of a susceptibility to addiction, be that addiction to something detrimental or positive.
By being aware of the characteristics of an addictive personality, and channeling them to your benefit, it’s easy to take control of your disposition and make it one of your most powerful tools, instead of the hindrance so many people view it as.
You’re Passionate
Someone with an addictive personality is often more passionate than their peers. This is a great benefit but it’s important to be aware of the distinction between passion and obsession.
It’s easy to get wrapped up in something you’re passionate about, while ignoring other things that deserve your attention. This is why it’s extremely important to distribute your passion across everything you do, giving yourself a leg up in life rather than holding yourself back by becoming fixated on little things that offer you no benefit in the long run.
However it’s also important not to suppress your passions. When you find yourself fixating on one thing don’t force yourself to ignore it in favor of doing nothing instead. This is exactly what leads to people with addictive personalities finding other unhealthy outlets. You should instead try to redirect the energy into another area of your life.
You Crave Excitement
One of the most telltale signs of an addictive personality is a need for constant stimulation and excitement, this is exactly people with addictive personality types will often turn to unfavorable vices in search of excitement.
To ensure you don’t fall into destructive habit it’s important to keep yourself busy with constructive outlets and hobbies.
Use your habit forming tendencies to your advantage and chose to get excited about your aspirations so it becomes a habit to give your all to the things that will set you ahead in life instead of the things that will hold you back. Make it so the excitement “fix” you crave comes from getting closer to your goals.
You’re a Risk Taker
Another tendency of people with addictive personalities is the compulsion to take larger risks than some other people. This can of course manifest negatively if doing so puts you in danger, however, like everything else on this list it can be used to your advantage if you know how to do it.
Many people chose to play it safe, too afraid to slip up and fail. Which isn’t a bad thing but it makes it difficult to grow. Nothing is gained without having something to lose, and so if you take risks intelligently the payoff can be huge, and it can often help put you in a position that would be hard to attain had you chosen to play it safe instead.
If you’re the type of person to dive into things headlong, always be sure to watch your back and consider the consequences of your actions before you commit more than you’re willing to lose.
You Value Nonconformity
There is a strong correlation between those with addictive personalities and people who would be considered rebels. Often exhibiting behaviors that would be considered outside the societal norms.
Like everything else this is something that has the potential to cause problems. but at the same time can set you ahead if you apply it right. In fact nonconformity is one of the most valuable traits of a good leader, especially those in creative fields.
Some of the greatest leaders in history have relied on the their out of the box thinking to set them apart from the crowd and give them an advantage. However in pursuing your ideals it’s important to remember not everybody will understand your vision, it takes careful consideration and respect for people to accept something that isn’t normal as revolutionary instead of simply dismissing it as nonsense.