Thinking independently has become a valuable skill nowadays, empowering people to navigate a multifaceted world with integrity and confidence. If you’d like to know whether you possess this trait or not, here are some characteristics everyone can use as benchmarks.
Sense of curiosity
People who aren’t afraid to think for themselves are often more curious than the next guy. They don’t accept things as they are; instead, they question norms and beliefs to gain an understanding of themselves. They aren’t afraid to seek different perspectives, knowledge, and experiences.
Analyzing and critical thinking
Searching for reason and logic is a characteristic of people who aren’t afraid to think for themselves and who have a knack for analyzing information. They aren’t easily swayed by other people’s opinions or biases but rather use their abilities of critical thinking to come up with results.
Being open-minded
Thinking for yourself often comes with being open-minded. As a self-thinker, a person who thinks in this manner becomes more receptive to different perspectives and viewpoints and isn’t narrow-minded. They are also active listeners, which helps them decide on a stance or their thoughts.
Strong sense of confidence
Unwavering confidence is a strong self-thinking characteristic, and this helps strengthen their reasoning abilities. Some people may think that self-assured people are arrogant; however, despite popular beliefs, having the confidence to understand your thinking process and patterns and come up with the best solutions or conclusions is a positive trait.
Being self-aware
Self-reflection and self-awareness are some of the strongest traits that anyone can practice. However, this becomes easier for those who aren’t afraid to think for themselves. This ability can help them to be more mindful of their own biases and shape their perspectives of life in and around themselves as well as others.
Withstanding criticisms
When you stay true to your convictions and have resilience for criticism, you can become a more independent thinker. Many people are afraid to voice their views, especially when they are challenging the majority population; however, having this trait can help you more easily withstand external pressures.
High emotional intelligence
Those who aren’t afraid to think for themselves have characteristics of empathy and understanding, for themselves as well as others. Emotional intelligence is a trait that everyone should embrace, as it holds vital importance. This Harvard Business School article discusses how over 70% of employers value emotional intelligence more than technical skills.
A healthy dose of skepticism
Allowing these individuals to evaluate things critically instead of accepting things at face value means having a healthy dose of skepticism, which is another characteristic of those who aren’t afraid to think for themselves. They scrutinize information to find out the hidden meanings or underlying motives behind it.
Ability to remain patient
Patience is a great characteristic to have, and independent thinkers are lucky to have it because it comes naturally. They take the time to carefully develop their personal opinions while listening to and seeking to understand the opinions of others. As they slow down, they find it easy to dismiss the pressures of things around them or succumb to overthinking.
Honesty and humility
According to this Entrepreneur article, “Honesty removes FUD (fear, uncertainty, and doubt).” The same goes for humility; those who are humble strive to remain honest in every situation, and “take… the time to find out the whole story” with both their words and their actions.
Power of discernment
It may come as a surprise, but self-thinkers have a strong ability for discernment, or the ability to make good judgments or smart choices. This helps people to differentiate between the good and the bad, or the right choice versus the wrong choice. Those who value independent thinking practice this constantly.
Creativity and problem-solving
Creativity can help us solve problems better, and those who aren’t afraid to think for themselves tend to lean toward a more creative approach to problem-solving. They aren’t afraid to approach things that scare them and explore unknown territories in both their thinking and their actions.
Being intellectually courageous
When faced with the challenges of what’s accepted and what’s not accepted in terms of beliefs and viewpoints, it takes courage to speak up—not to say any random thing, but rather to speak up about opposing viewpoints. This takes intellectual courage, and self-thinkers do this well.
Being highly adaptable
It becomes easy for self-thinkers to be adaptable and flexible. It’s in their nature to be more open to changing circumstances and people’s opinions; however, they’ll ask for evidence. For them, making mistakes isn’t a vice; instead, they embrace it and see it as a learning journey. This Independent article says, “The most independent minds aren’t afraid to make mistakes.”
Strong sense of focus
When you have the know-how to remove any distractions from your environment and focus on the present moment or task at hand, you can attain enlightenment. Those who aren’t afraid to think for themselves have a strong sense of focus, which allows them to block out the ‘noise’ from others as well as things like the media and popular opinions.
Being more conscientious
Independent thinkers don’t just do things for the sake of doing them, but rather are more conscientious about the things they do and spend time on. According to author Szilvia Olah, they don’t believe in blindly following people or having a ‘sheep’ mentality without questioning things. “Cherish these guys because they are telling you something that the mass is blind to.”
Having a genuine nature
Being authentic is highly regarded by independent thinkers, and they appreciate this trait in others and avoid those who aren’t. To them, staying true to themselves makes more sense, and this flows into their opinions and beliefs. They’re against conformity and popular beliefs or trends.
Avoid stereotyping and labeling
It’s easy to judge people by the way they look, how they speak, or where they come from, and many people do this either consciously or unconsciously. Independent thinkers steer clear of this attitude, knowing well that stereotyping or labeling anyone is a ‘lazy’ mentality. They’re more open and welcoming to people from all walks of life, and they embrace differences.
