&gt;*The definition of symptoms of BPD leaves out many of the upsides of being borderline. That is, the skills and abilities that go along with having these symptoms. After all, why would most people put up with these symptoms if no aspects of their situation were ever appealing? As a borderline you probably experience an extraordinarily rich and intense life - your highs and lows every day may be higher than the highest highs and lowest lows most people experience all year. People with BPD often have very high energy when they're "up". People with BPD have often started over a lot in their life, and are therefore practiced and good at leaving things behind. As a result, being borderline could mean you feel like you carry around less emotional baggage than other people. Similarly, individuals with BPD are known for being easy to get along when you first meet them, since they're practiced at new interpersonal situations.*  
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&gt;*Additionally, people with BPD are good at "splitting," i.e., seeing issues, people, and situations from multiple perspectives, and jumping back and forth between those perspectives. This skill can be very confusing, since it can lead to a feeling of instability; rather, using the skill constructively can allow you to rationally weigh out options, and consider alternatives from multiple perspectives in a fair and balanced way. A trick to keeping "splitting" as a skill rather than a liability is to realize when you're doing it, and to make sure you only do it when you want to.*  
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&gt;*People with BPD are often quite sensitive to subtle social or emotional nuances. This skill can be a double-edged sword. It can work to your advantage in that you may be quite good at reading people's feelings, and using their weaknesses to manipulate them. It can work against you since, if there's any hint of discomfort you'll pick it up, and may over-interpret it. For example if someone is a bit bothered by a remark you've made and pulls back a bit so they can have a bit of space, you may pick up on this subtle action and interpret the person as abandoning you. If the person doesn't realize what they've done (and thus doesn't think to apologize for abandoning you) a grand misunderstanding can be had by all. To keep this skill working to your advantage it's often useful to be explicit about discussing your perceptions in a way that others can confirm or disconfirm them, e.g., by asking "are you abandoning me by pulling back?"* 

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Source: Being Borderline - An Operator's Manual by Gerg J. Siegle, PhD. link: [http://www.pitt.edu/\~gsiegle/being-borderline-operators-manual.pdf](http://www.pitt.edu/~gsiegle/being-borderline-operators-manual.pdf)