Butcher, Baker, Candlestick Maker...

This is the wrap week in my review of the 4 Basic Personality types.

Deep. Intellectual. Artisitic. Organized. Moody.

The Melchanchoy, or Analytical as I prefer to call them, can be the toughest to spot because they are rather complex. Gary Smalley likens the Analytical to a beaver, who is busy, and a precise perfectionist. This is the friend who has the cans in her pantry in alphabetical order. She is usually very neatly put together. Analyticals tend to be rather reserved. They are excellent at finishing tasks.

As bloggers, these people are often quite funny. To quote Uncommon Blonde who describes it best: “I always try to be ladylike and polite which results in a running dialog in my mind of sarcasm, comebacks and uncommon stuff which I usually refrain from actually saying." So they blog it! I know Linda at 2nd Cup of Coffee is Analytical as well. (Remember her obsession with the perfect gingerbread house? Gingervitis?) Humor is a saving grace for analyticals, as they naturally tend toward taking life quite seriously.

These friends aren't very spontaneous, they relish a well thought-out plan. They can be pessismists and tend toward irritability.

Careers you might find an analytical in are accounting, medicine, science or even as a principle musician in an orchestra. My husband is an excellent builder because of his attention to detail and demand for perfection.

Keep in mind, that a mature individual will normally have developed strengths from another personality’s profile in order to grow and be effective. A person’s weaknesses are apt to be more revealing of their personality type.

Our family of 5, which is now 7 soon to be 8, displays a gallery of the classic personality types. We LOVE to travel together and here’s how it works. Uncommon Blonde does in-depth planning and research to insure things go smoothly. Builderman takes responsibility and is in charge of independent forays and adventures that are legendary. Cupcake makes sure things are going her way satisfactorily and provides drama and entertainment. Fireman is flexible and up for anything, as long as you feed him. And me… I am laughing my way through thick and thin with the joy of knowing we’re together.

I’ve had fun reviewing the “LEAP Personality” material. Our differences keep life interesting and balanced. Repeat that 3 times and smile.

Of Fluency, Fun and Fountains

In the past couple of weeks, I’ve introduced you to the Choleric (leader), the Phlegmatic (peaceful) and today you meet the Sanguine (expressive). Expressives are the social, fun-loving creatures; they love to talk and laugh and be around people. Expressives are full of hope, optimism and energy. Weaknesses can be lack of follow-through, disorganization and a tendency to waste time (talking!).

Oh mercy, this makes me think of one of our family gatherings… where the decibel level is astonishing as a room full of women compete for talk-time and multiple conversations run right over the top of each other. My husband (the analytical) has to go outside! I’m right in the middle of them, of course.

Typical jobs for Expressives would be public relations, personnel, teaching, radio or TV or sales.
Bloggers with this personality type would surely include BigMama and me. (Since I'm right in there in the same league. LOL) I'll tell you something about me though... my humor is not expressed very much in writing. But put me on a stage with a microphone in my hand and something happens that I can't explain.

I’ve mentioned animal comparisons, but if you were a structure or could be described as architecture what would you be? I have friends that are bridges, libraries, schools, cafes and hurricane shelters. I’m a fountain. I’d like to say I’m beautiful fountain like this:
But truth is, I’m out there with the kids.

Leave a comment and tell me what structure you would be!

Portrait of the Peaceful One

This is week 2 of an impromptu review of Hippocrates’ ancient personality classifications. This week's spotlight personality spotlight is the opposite of last week's Choleric. The choleric (leader's) animal link is the lion. Today, I want you to meet the Phlegmatic, or Peaceful as I prefer to call them. Everyone needs at least one friend in the group that’s Peaceful. We’re talking NO DRAMA. The golden retriever is a portrait of the peaceful.

Faithful and loyal, competent and steady. The Peaceful personality is somewhat of an introvert and is of the slow and steady wins the race mentality. They are able to bring harmony to a group because a primary motivation is keeping the peace. They are great under pressure and have administrative abilities.

They can be frustrating in their flexibility when decision-making time comes. If you ask them to decide where the group is eating, it’s hard to get an answer. They’re the ones who say “anything is fine”. They are not very self-motivated and can become couch potatoes if you leave them alone. They tend to deal with conflict by trying to ignore the problem.

George Bush, Sr. was a peaceful personality, proving that they can be leaders too. He was often criticized for being clueless because he was slow and thoughtful in his responses. He was also considered to be wishy-washy; surely a factor in losing his bid for re-election in 1992 to Clinton.

Natural professions for the Peaceful would be teacher, diplomat and social worker.

My son, who I told you a little about yesterday, is primarily a Peaceful personality. Clues in what I told you – he was an easy child and he didn’t care for team sports. He is everybody’s friend.
I would venture to say that a well-known blogger who fits this personality profile is Lysa TerKeurst. Bear in mind that rarely do people fit neatly into one type but are often a blend of two types. Both of these mentioned have a good dose of the Sanguine as well.

As we mature, we usually consciously develop certain attributes that assist us in accomplishing our goals. Thus, it is often a person’s weaknesses rather than her strengths that reveal more about natural temperament.

Next week, I’ll tell you more about the Sanguine. This is a playful otter type.

I'm saving the most complex for last... the Melancholy (Analytical) , represented by the beaver.

Get in, Get It Done, Get it Over With & Get Out

Last Thursday, I mentioned that I used to teach a seminar called “Discovering Your Personality IQ” and fished for interest in following up with some highlights on the basic 4 personality types.

A number of years ago, I attended a CLASS Seminar and Training (Christian Leaders, Authors and Speakers) with Florence Littauer. She is a prolific author and wrote Personality Plus among other books.

The beauty of this system is in its simplicity. However, fitting humanity into just 4 categories is about as effective as putting all women into just 4 bra sizes; there will be a lot of “in between” situations!

Today, I introduce to you the “choleric” personality. This person is an extrovert and a leader. They are happiest when in control. They are very task oriented and if people's feelings get hurt on the way to the goal … oh well. They know how to get a job done. Typical jobs for this person would be lawyer, coach, career military or a business owner.

One of my co-workers has this personality. He is a trip, in my opinion. Very smart, very efficient and you can get along fine with him if you do what he says and let him be in charge. : )

My husband has a blending of this personality type in him as well, even though he is primarily a “melancholy”. (I prefer the name “analytical.”) That’s when it’s a really good thing that we’re opposites. It works!

I honestly can’t name one blogger that is primarily choleric. My theory is that they are too busy getting things done to do much social networking. There are probably a number of them with business-oriented blogs; they would have a mission and and be focused on accomplishing something specific.

A well-known public figure who is choleric is Hilary Clinton. If you want to name someone you know that fits the bill here, the forum is open!

Snips and Snails and Puppy Dog Tales

Here's the puppy update; I am going to wait on the Morky I showed you last week. At my husband’s request, I am going to study and research breeds and make a decision after I have carefully considered all the possibilities and the timing. Sigh. I’m sure that’s a smart course of action. However, if left to my own devices, I would get this puppy and I would be happy with it. This scenario reminds me of our personality differences.

As a Sanguine, my plan of action is
Ready, Fire, Aim.
Think about that, or not, as the case may be.

My husband is a Melancholy and his method is Ready, Aim, Doublecheck your Aim, Deep Breath while Aiming, Step Back and Check the Wind and How it Will Affect Your Aim, ReAim,
Fire.

I actually taught a Seminar for years called “Discovering Your Personality IQ”. It definitely helps in relationships to respect the personality differences rather than let them annoy you. I had retired that seminar but I am thinking I need to resurrect it. (For me! LOL) The lessons are still as applicable as they were 20 years ago. To think that Hippocrates came up with the basic 4 personality classifications in 370 BC does imply longevity. Below is a simple chart that I think is helpful. This is not an academic profile, but it's fun and this is not an academic blog!

I was thinking about doing a series for the next 4 Thursdays highlighting each personality type and giving some examples of well-known people (maybe even bloggers we all know) who define the particular perosnality types. Let me know if you think that sounds interesting. I am enjoying looking at this material again.

Quirky is the New Normal

When I celebrated my 100th blog post last week, I considered a list... uncommon things about me or some such thing. But 100? Forget it. Last week, in leaving a comment regarding my quirks, I laughed because at first I couldn't think of any. Then I realized I have alot.

Some of my Quirks:

1. I RARELY sit still to watch a movie all the way through at home. I love to go to the theater (though I don’t do it much) or else I watch a rented DVD in parts. Oddly enough, I can sit still to read for hours on end. Maybe the brain is engaged more in reading? Sounds good to me.

2. I can’t stand the feel of hair products in my hair. I would rather have messy hair than feel hairspray, mousse, etc. in my hair.

3. I won’t put bumper stickers on my car. I abhor the window decals that say “In Loving Memory of so and so…” that are popular in this area. Sorry if that offends someone. These are my quirks and that is more information than I want sitting at a traffic light.

4. I get queasy to the point of fainting at the sight of blood. Or when I'm in pain. Or when I see someone else with blood on them or in pain. I have more stories regarding this quirk than I care to tell. Yet I did fine delivering three 9 and 1/2 pound babies naturally. Go figure.

5. I am happy to find justifications, rationalizations and explanations for almost anything, regardless of actual knowledge on the subject. And I can make it sound like I totally know what I’m talking about. If my cousin didn’t already hold the title, “Queen Bullsheeta”, that could be my nickname.

I would find it interesting to get Builderman to list my quirks. I suspect he could come up with a long list! But this is not his blog so this is my list. What about you?

I'm a Comma

What Punctuation Mark Are You?

I just can't seem to resist quizzes. I'm not sure why that is. Linda, over at 2nd Cup of Coffee, posted this one a couple of months ago. The only thing that drives me crazy about the blogthing quizzes is they don't have a link to learn about all the other types. The quiz results say I get along great with a question mark. So why can't I find out the scoop on question marks??????

I have been waiting to post this quiz until I figured out where blogthings stores "the rest of the story." It appears they are headliners, not fine print types. So have fun with the quiz. And let me know what you are... especially if you are a question mark.

P.S. Okay - I have to be totally honest. I liked this quiz because I liked my results.
Here's what it said about a comma, moi:

• You are open minded and extremely optimistic.
• You enjoy almost all facets of life.
• You can find the good in almost anything.
• You keep yourself busy with tons of friends, activities, and interests.
• You find it hard to turn down an opportunity, even if you are pressed for time.
• Your friends find you fascinating, charming, and easy to talk to.
  (But with so many competing interests, you friends do feel like you hardly have time for them)
• You excel in: Inspiring people