10 personality traits that show you’re a good person

There are times when you’d feel like a bad person.

Perhaps you often get into arguments, or people say you’re too snobby.

Well, I’m here to tell you that these things do not say anything about how “good” or “bad” a person is.

Instead, I will list down the definitive traits of a truly good person. I’m sure you can see most—if not all—of these traits in yourself.

1. You know how to keep your word

You might not have a smile on your face all the time or throw money at all the charities you could afford to support… but when you make a promise, you keep your word.

When you say that you’re going somewhere at 10, you WILL be there at 10 sharp.

You might find your nephew annoying, but you will show up to babysit him if you promised to.

You hate to disappoint people, and breaking people’s trust is the last thing you want to do.

Ultimately, this just shows you respect and care about other people a lot… even if you don’t put any effort into looking like a nice person.

2. You don’t want to be a burden to others

You try to carry your own weight.

If you’re over the age of 18, you know you are your own responsibility and no-one else’s.

At the very least, you make sure you clean up your mess, follow the rules, and take care of yourself so others won’t worry about you.

You try your best not to keep asking for help from people around you because you know that all of us have our own burdens to bear.

3. You’re tolerant of differences

You are not immune to getting into debates and even raising your voice from time to time.

That’s understandable. It can be incredibly frustrating sometimes talking to someone with a fundamentally different background from you.

But at the end of the day, you know we all deserve respect. Besides, it’s quite possible that you might be wrong or, at least, they might be partially correct.

So instead of ending friendships over differences, you instead decide to tolerate them and even try to understand their point of view.

4. You try to be the bigger person

It’s not easy always being the more mature person in the room. There are times when even YOU would find yourself tempted to stoop to their level and fight fire with fire.

There would be that part deep inside of you that would go “why do I have to always be the understanding one?”

And your response to that would be that an eye for an eye makes the world go blind.

So instead of stooping to their level, you either keep on holding the high ground or leave if you see that continuing to engage with them will accomplish nothing.

5. It’s easy for you to forgive

You’re not perfect, and you don’t expect others to be either.

In fact, you expect them to be loaded with flaws so anything “bad” that they do doesn’t surprise you.

Because of this, it’s so easy for you to forgive. And of course, you don’t hold grudges.

You’re not a doormat—to forgive is not necessarily to forget. But you do know that forgiveness is one of the best gifts you can offer another person to put their heart at ease.

6. You don’t think twice about helping someone in need

You see an old man struggling with his groceries, and the first thing to come to your mind is to help him out. So you go to him and ask him if he would like some help.

Your new colleague is about to break down in tears because she is having issues meeting a deadline… so you stay behind to be with her.

And if you see someone being catcalled or harassed, you would happily rush to their side and back them up.

As far as you’re concerned, if someone needs help at all, then it’s a no-brainer to offer help so long as you’re able.

It’s not like you’re naïve—you understand that helping people out can make them abuse your kindness—but you’re willing to stick your neck out even when nobody else is willing to anyway.

7. You look for the goodness in others

A lot of people in this world are way too quick to assume the worst in others.

You must have seen them before.

An innocent and well-meaning neighbor would offer some casserole and the others would say “I think she’s trying too hard.”

Or someone might say “I like plushies” and others would comment on how immature they are and that’s why they’re not able to hold down a job.

And well, you find this detestable. Living is hard enough, and the last thing everyone needs is having people drag them down over the smallest bad thing.

You’d rather give people the benefit of the doubt and look for the best in them.

8. You try to remain patient, even when you’re stressed

Of course, you get frustrated. You sigh, complain, and even lash out from time to time. This is normal—we’re all human and we’re imperfect.

But the thing is, you do your best to hold yourself back from hurting others.

You try to extend your patience as much as you can. You try to hold your tongue even when people are obviously trying to provoke you, and you keep your distance when you know you’re angry and stressed.

You might still have a lot to go before you can truly claim to be zen, but the fact that you’re constantly monitoring and improving your temper is a sign that you’re not that bad.

9. You try to cheer others up

You don’t see yourself as a cheerful person—you’re not one of those bright and bubbly people who light up the room with their very presence. In fact, you’re quite the opposite…you’re a bit like Wednesday Addams.

But you nonetheless try to find ways to cheer others up whether it’s by sharing a meme, cooking a good meal, or giving someone chocolate when they’re feeling down.

You see it as a duty to contribute a little something. You know you can’t just take and take from others…so you make sure you give a little from time to time even if it’s as simple as attention.

10. You often question yourself if you’re a good person

People who are so sure that they’re good are the ones who are actually the ones who find it easiest to be cruel.

We see so many religious people do this. They commit atrocities because they believe God is on their side, and therefore, they’re good.

A genuinely good person understands that they’re not perfect and will not let compliments like “you’re such a nice person” get to their head.

And if you’re a genuinely good person, you’d keep asking yourself “am I really a good person?” and try to be the best you can be.

Last Words

Being a good person is not something that you show to people, and it’s not measured by how cheerful people become around you or how popular you are.

In fact, a lot of absolutely horrible people hide behind this image of being this person who lights up the room or being the sweetest friend you can ever meet.

Goodness is something inherent to who you are, and how you view others. Do you see other people as thinking, and feeling beings like you? Do you respect people regardless of their status?

A “yes” to both of these questions means that you have the foundations of what it takes to be a genuinely good person.

Now that you’ve read about the personality traits of a good person, watch the video below for a counterintuitive perspective of why it’s important to stop trying to be a good person.