Just Because You’re Laid-Back Doesn’t Mean You’re Lazy

Being laid-back is a great quality to have. It means you can handle the emotional roller coaster that is life without it completely driving you nuts. But having a high chill factor has its downsides, because it often comes off as laziness. You know that being less reactive has nothing to do with apathy and everything to do with just going with the flow, but you wish everyone else would start understanding that, too.

  1. You do your best thinking when you’re zoning out. To an outsider, it might look like you’re couch potato-ing away the afternoon watching Friends reruns, but in your head you’re working through that fight you had with your brother.
  2. You’re just not the excitable type. Sure, you’re thrilled to see your friends when they walk into the bar, but you’re not gonna get up and start shrieking with excitement. You just saw them this morning at spin class, not last year.
  3. A little mess doesn’t make you mad. You’re no slob, but yeah, there are some dishes in the sink. You’ll get to them when you get to them — it’s not worth freaking out about.
  4. You can’t believe that some of your friends go on dates every night. You’re all for romance, but using five different dating apps to go out on a new first date every day of the week sounds like your worst nightmare. You’re a little more patient than that.
  5. You honestly don’t care where you eat. It’s not that you’re indecisive, it just really doesn’t make a difference to you either way. When your friends are dead set on sushi, that sounds fine to you, too. Who doesn’t like sushi?
  6. Sometimes you lose track of time. Occasionally you show up late, but you try not to let it frazzle you, because that never makes the situation better.
  7. You don’t like to fight. You could probably make a great case to win your way most of the time, but it’s not really worth the emotional energy when just dropping an issue seems like an option.
  8. Staying in sometimes sounds truly sounds awesome. You could curl your hair and get drunk in an uncomfortable outfit, or you could light some candles, do some goal setting, and really feel like you accomplished something.
  9. You wear the same outfit all the time. Your tastes are so refined that you already know what looks and feels good, so why rock the boat? It’s called being self-confident, not being lazy.
  10. Traffic doesn’t piss you off. You could pull out Waze and go on some mad ninja driving mission, or you could calmly sit here on a route you’re familiar with and jam out. You don’t have to be anywhere in a hurry, so it’s an easy decision.
  11. You let your boyfriend choose the wine. Because he actually knows what he’s talking about, all you feel the need to do is drink it. It mostly tastes the same, anyway.
  12. You’re not gonna be running a marathon anytime soon. You’re plenty serious about your daily workouts, but you just don’t see the point of pushing it into extreme territory. You don’t need to prove yourself to anyone.
  13. You hang out with the boys a lot. There’s so much mysterious effort and drama surrounding girls night out, and you like to jump straight to the good stuff of eating and chilling out — something your male friends have totally mastered.
Kate Ferguson is a Los Angeles local and freelance writer for a variety of blog and magazine genres. When she's not writing, the UC Davis graduate is focused on pursuits of the entertainment industry, spin class, and hot sauce. Look for article links, updates, (and the occasional joke) on Twitter @KateFerg or @WriterKateFerg, or check out her personal blog ThatsRandomKate.blogspot.com
close-link
close-link
close-link
close-link