Opinion

4 reasons why being arrogant could actually be a positive thing

Be yourself and don’t care much about what others might think.

Is it arrogance? Is it confidence? Little of both? They can judge, but only you know the truth.

What did he just say? Okay, hear me out. It’s true that being arrogant means having a feeling of self-importance, being a little conceited, and much more. It’s often viewed by others as a negative quality about a person. Does it mean that no good could be coming out of being arrogant? Fake news!

Truth is that if you look at arrogance from a different perspective, you may find that there are some benefits to having this quality. Let’s explore four key benefits that I can think of to being arrogant.

Success rarely comes from lack of confidence. Wear that smirk with pride.

It helps build your confidence.

Okay, I’ll admit, it can sound a bit controversial when I say that arrogance may help someone in developing their confidence, but the fact is that a certain kind of attitude that is required to display confidence can sometimes appear like arrogance — to some people. Trust me, I’ve been told once before that I straddle the line between confidence and arrogance. Regardless of what others perceive, that cannot stop a person from being confident.

“A truly strong person does not need the approval of others any more than a lion needs the approval of sheep.”
― Vernon Howard

What Vernon Howard said is certainly true, as what may be perceived as arrogance by some people, might actually be the confidence that the person possesses. Just remember that sometimes, the way you think about a person isn’t the way they actually are. Were you ever too quick to judge someone?

In most cases, arrogance is the result of a person’s successes or achievements. I am a firm believer in the teachings of sports and the effects it has on people. Basketball — among other sports — taught me the value of winning and losing. It is quite natural to be a little proud of one’s triumphs. Sometimes confidence gets carried by arrogance.

It’s important to build your confidence, even if it involves a little arrogance. Remember that nobody can make you feel inferior without your consent. Apply this to your daily life and not let anyone get at you.

Arrogance could make you feel like being in an empty office — for better or for worse.

It keeps unwanted people at a distance.

Have you ever wanted to be left alone? To not be interrupted constantly throughout the day? Anyone nodding their head? It’s no surprise that being arrogant may help keep people from interacting with you. After all, there are a lot of people who may harm you in many ways — emotionally, too. Arrogance saves both time and energy wasted in dealing with such people.

If arrogance were a superhero, its power would be invisibility — creating an invisible shield around you. Nobody can mess with you or take you for granted. Such power allows you to focus on more important things, both personally and professionally.

By minding your own business and focusing on the things that matter to you, you’re maintaining your distance from those who create interruptions or obstacles. Does this make you impossible to work with? Absolutely not.

Perception is not reality. It’s only their reality, not yours. Distance from toxic personalities can be a good thing, but it doesn’t have to be permanent.

Need to get work done? Maybe be a little more arrogant.

It allows you to be more productive.

It goes without saying that having fewer people that interrupt you during the day, the more time you have to be productive. Yes, while it may appear unconventional to say that arrogance leads to higher production, it does happen in real life if you look at it objectively. People who often interpret confidence as arrogance tend to be generally threatened by the talents you possess. They find every opportunity to bring you down. If this happens to you, stand your ground and challenge them. Do not let them bother you in any way. After all, the greater your talent, the greater the number of targets that are on your back.

“All you need in this life is ignorance and confidence, and then success is sure.”
― Mark Twain

In my experience, being confident enough to ignore these distressing acts from others is truly the key to my own success. Let it be the key to yours.

In places where these toxic attitudes and perceptions are considered normal, it is vital that you get in touch with people in order to function properly.

Great leaders can impress lots of people — they can also be arrogant.

It allows you to become a great leader.

If humility is so important, why are so many leaders, especially our most famous leaders, so arrogant? Or, to flip the question around: In the face of so much evidence that humble leaders do, in fact, outperform arrogant leaders, why is it so hard for leaders at every level to check their egos at the office door?

Humility can feel soft at a time when problems are hard; it can make leaders appear vulnerable when people are looking for answers and reassurances.

Arrogance can actually be positive. Think about arrogance in a different mindset: living your life on your own terms. taking up a stand for something, and being independent. It’s about breaking the stereotypes and stepping outside of your comfort zone.

Arrogance plays an important part in being stubborn, where you can become so determined to achieve your aspirations and there’s no means of stopping you. In order to achieve greatness, you absolutely cannot be passive.

Instilling a philosophy where you shield yourself from being controlled will help you in different walks of life. It’s important that you make sure that in this process, you don’t end up hurting others — or yourself. Remember that some of the greatest leaders in the world followed these same principles in order to achieve their goals.

Last thoughts on being arrogant.

Arrogance is often viewed as an off-putting quality, however, when used in a constructive — enlightening, perhaps — way, then wonders can be achieved. I agree that arrogance has to be balanced in order to not become blatantly rude to people.

Do not fear being arrogant, for if you channel your mind in a productive — not destructive — way, achieving success is still within your reach. Is it challenging? Absolutely!

I find that the more you love your decisions, the less you need others to love them. Perhaps it’s more about being respected than anything else. It’s okay to be open enough for people to be able to understand you. You wouldn’t want to be misjudged, right?

Be yourself and don’t care much about what others might think, but be good and right — for only those who are right, cannot be questioned.

One more thing…let’s perhaps look at this from a different angle.

I imagine at this point in the article, you have a very strong emotion and opinion on this topic. After all, arrogant people are hard to work with. But, what if we took this article and replaced all the references to “arrogance” with “confidence”?

Instead of talking about great leaders being arrogant, we talk about great leaders being confident. Instead of arrogance building confidence, rather confidence builds more confidence. Instead of arrogance improving productivity, confidence improves productivity.

Would you still have the same reaction? Think about it.