The Secret Joy of Being Defiant -by Bart Baggett

DEFIANCE - To rebel, resist, or break the rules. The rebel, the class clown, the trouble-maker, the fighter... which one are you?

Do you follow the rules or do you make your own rules? I have found one interesting personality trait in a vast majority of successful entrepreneurs: defiance. The tendency to break the rules, rebel, or defy the status quo seems to be a recurring theme in literature of heroes, superstars, and the super-successful. Dr. Thomas Stanley's research in the book The Millionaire Mind indicates that most millionaires claim one important skill helped them achieve success. That skill was to "Think differently from the crowd."

Clearly, you don't have to break rules and get into trouble to think differently. But, research firmly indicates that people who make straight A's, have perfectly legible handwriting, and have perfect spelling, are the least likely students to become self-made millionaires. Shattering statistics. Aren't they?

There are two personality traits in handwriting analysis that prove this point. The first trait is called a "go to hell K." (For the second trait, you'll have to read the book, The Success Secrets of the Rich and Happy.) A capital K in a word that should contain a lower case k indicates defiance. Look around at the entrepreneurs and pioneers of the world. Many of them have this type of K. (So do the class clowns, criminals, and trouble-makers.)

Which of the below handwriting samples is more likely to become an entrepreneur?

A person who follows all the rules and proper protocol. (Notice the legible handwriting, small lower loops, curvey m-tops, beginning hooks, and normal sized "k.")

The above handwriting is that of a very successful man in his mid 50's. A defiant rule-breaker in his youth, he still bucks the trends. His optimism is critical to his success. His pointy m's are a sign of quick thinking and intelligence. His high buckle k reveals his defiant rebellious streak. Even his sharp t-point indicates some sarcasm. This is the writing of legendary radio host Jack Diamond. Jack has hosted one of the longest-running morning radio shows in the USA (in Washington D.C.)

A career in morning radio is about as close to being a creative entrepreneur, while still having a boss, as you can get. In reality, Jack is both a successful on-air personality and off-the-air entrepreneur/businessman. Morning Radio and other forms of performance comedy tend to attract people with defiance, sarcasm, and other fun but trouble-making qualities. Don't we love them?

The simple act of making a BIG K where a small k is supposed to be indicates a person's dislike of following rules - defiance.

This trait is common among trouble-making kids, entrepreneurs, fighters, and many types of people, both successful and non-successful.

Look at the handwriting of this 9-year-old girl. A go-to-hell K if ever there was one! Although she is young, her mother confirms that every one of her k's look like the two you see here. This young lady questions every rule, but (currently) also still obeys her mother. What do you think she'll be when she grows up?

Another defensive mechanism is defiance, that quality in a person that is always ready to resist forces which he thinks are infringing upon his freedom of action. The defiant person doesn't like to be "managed" and is always alert for any sign of unjust authority. This trait is shown by exaggeration in the middle of structures.

With the exaggeration of a letter within a word, usually it takes the form of a capital letter, but it can be the enlargement of any stroke formation. What we're saying is that the upper portion of the stroke (the area that is in the philosophical area) is exaggerated. Most handwriting analysts talk about the defiant k and some of them call it the "go-to-hell" k. The buckle of this k is not in the mundane area where it belongs; when it invades the philosophical zone, we know we have defiance. We also realize that the circle on the k becomes imagination if it's closed; and this will enlarge the defiance (Figure 69).

We have also included a capital R in the middle of a letter, and you will find m's and n's that reach up from the line of reality, out of proportion, into the philosophical area. When a defiant person meets you, he'll tell you, "I'm sorry you don't like my doing this, but that's the way I'm going to do it; whether you like it or not!"

Defiance is a defense of the ego. It says, "I defy you to criticize me, to attempt to hurt me." It is important to check the defiant writer's handwriting thoroughly, to see what other traits are inherent in his handwriting style. For instance, if there were stubbornness in good measure, the defiant person would be very hard to overcome. Then, let us consider defiance in combination with persistence and very heavy writing; we'd know that when you add stubbornness, the defiant person with persistence and depth of feeling would fight even harder, wouldn't he? If he were domineering and sarcastic, we'd also know that he'd have a chip on his shoulder, that he'd be looking for a reason to knife someone, figuratively or literally.

Although defiance is probably a negative trait most of the time, Bob Burnup of Independence, Missouri told me that he took all the mail that came in to him from all over the country (and he is well known in handwriting circles) and did an evaluation on defiance. The results were very surprising, for his evaluation showed that 67% of those he checked were defiant.

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The go-to-hell K - Defiance

So, you can look at just one letter of the handwriting to find out how well or how poorly someone responds to control, rules, orders, commands, or threats. This personality trait is VERY common among Americans. Remember the entire "American Revolution" in 1776? (England does) Remember the whole Pearl Harbor thing? (Japan does) And remember our Nation's response to 9/11?

Based on the overwhelming need to defy the odds, face the threats, and stomp down those who would steal our freedom...Americans will continue to be defiant.

It is in the genes.

Thank you for reading Weekly Strokes. Keep those t-bars high!

Bart Baggett

Q:   What can be told from a person's signature?

A:   The signature represents what a person wants the world to see or what he wants to be, an image that may or may not be the same as the inner self.  Because a signature contains only a few letters, it does not provide enough information for the analyst to make a complete and accurate evaluation.

Q:   My signature is illegible.  What does that mean?

A:   It means people have a hard time reading your name.  Seriously, illegible handwriting can mean a number of things.  In general, an illegible signature reveals a desire to be seen but not known, keeping things private.

You may want to keep your true identity hidden.  It could also mean you are in a hurry.  People who continually sign their name all day long often do so in a hurry and, therefore, don't care what their signature looks like.  Illegible handwriting in combination with other specific traits may indicate dishonesty, but there are a lot of variables.

Q:   Why is my signature different than how I write everything else?

A:   Because the signature is a badge to the world.  It is a representation of what a person wants the world to see about himself.  A signature that is different from the rest of his writing says he does not want to reveal everything about himself.  There may be some aspect of his personality that he wants to hide, so he creates a new "person" by creating a signature with a different look.

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