Stress Is At An All Time High — Handle It From A Position Of Strength!
My son Jack played soccer for the winningest high school coach in America. Coach Terry Michler has coached for over 40 years at the Christian Brothers College High School in St. Louis, Missouri.
During the first weekend of practice, he made observations and asked each player what their strengths were, favored positions and why. All high schools begin practicing at the same time, giving them just a few weeks before the season begins. He didn’t have time to develop or drastically improve players, he only had time to build a team around their strengths, and this has been his winning formula for over 40 years!
Why focus on strengths?
Understanding your strengths allows you to leverage them in your personal and professional life. By focusing on your strengths, you can maximize your potential, increase your productivity, and experience greater satisfaction and fulfillment.
Learning who you naturally are will allow you the opportunity to become who you want to be.
There are various tests and assessments available to help individuals identify their strengths, natural abilities, and typology. Typology is a way of organizing and categorizing individuals based on shared characteristics or patterns, allowing us to learn from these patterns of behavior in different contexts.
Popular tests include:
The CliftonStrengths assessment emphasizes the idea that individuals should focus on developing and leveraging their strengths rather than trying to fix their weaknesses. It suggests that by understanding and intentionally using their strengths, individuals can excel in their personal and professional lives. It measures execution, influencing, relationships, and strategic thinking.
The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), is a psychological assessment based on Carl Jung's theory of psychological types. It identifies an individual's preferences across four dichotomies: Extraversion (E) vs. Introversion (I), Sensing (S) vs. Intuition (N), Thinking (T) vs. Feeling (F), and Judging (J) vs. Perceiving (P). These preferences combine to form sixteen different personality types, such as ISTJ, ENFP, or INTJ. The MBTI focuses on understanding how individuals perceive the world, make decisions, and interact with others.
The DISC test is a behavioral assessment tool that measures four primary dimensions of behavior: Dominance, Influence, Steadiness, and Conscientiousness.
Kolbe, which focuses on your natural skills and abilities in four areas, fact-finding — follow thru — quick start — and implementor.
PRINT highlights your conscious and unconscious motivators.
The Enneagram is an ancient personality typing system that has its roots in various wisdom traditions, including Sufism, Christianity, and Greek philosophy.
Knowing your strengths or typology, such as the anneagram or MBTI, gives you the power to be conscious of your natural tendencies or predispositions, your motivators and your stressors. By knowing your stressors, it allows you to be conscious of and choose how you want to respond.
Most people learn their type or strength and settle into them. Essentially, they become stuck in their type and can either be healthy or unhealthy in their type or fluctuate between extremes. (At the end of the article, I have included the different Enneagram types and their healthy and unhealthy states). The real power is understanding your natural predilections and patterns of behavior and then “waking up” or becoming conscious of them and your power to choose. The reality is that all types are accessible to you in any given moment and you are much more than your type or test result — you are more than your genetic and environmental programming.
In any moment you have a choice. Knowing that when you are stressed and your natural stress response is… fill in the blank, allows you to reassess and move from a reactive orientation to a creative one.
Moving into an observer state, where you step outside yourself and observe your emotional state takes courage, which is a high energetic state, much higher than the stressed states you naturally go to. By immediately moving to the observer state/higher energy levels of consciousness, you can much more easily enter into a creative orientation.
By establishing reality objectively rather than through the lens of your types, you can quickly find your way to victory, fulfillment, and the desired future picture you have for yourself.
Working with your own motivators and typology as well as patient typology is part of the coursework in Through The Red Sea and The New Patient Experience. The next Red Sea Workshop is March 22, 23 2024. contact Chris@cfpd.com for more information or to reserve your place.
For more information or to schedule a strategy call with Dr. Edwards, contact chris@cfpd.com
Enneagram Types: Healthy and Unhealthy States
Type 1: The Perfectionist/Reformer
Healthy: When healthy, Type 1 individuals are principled, ethical, and strive for excellence. They have a strong sense of responsibility and are committed to making positive changes in the world.
Unhealthy: In unhealthy states, they can become overly critical, rigid, and perfectionistic. They may struggle with anger and have difficulty accepting imperfections in themselves and others.
Type 2: The Helper/Giver
Healthy: Healthy Type 2 individuals are compassionate, caring, and nurturing. They genuinely seek to help others and are generous with their time and support. They have a strong sense of empathy and are skilled at building relationships.
Unhealthy: When unhealthy, they may become overly dependent on others' approval and validation. They can be manipulative, possessive, and struggle with boundaries. They may also neglect their own needs while constantly seeking validation through helping others.
Type 3: The Achiever/Performer
Healthy: Healthy Type 3 individuals are ambitious, goal-oriented, and highly motivated. They are focused, efficient, and strive for success. They are confident and excel in their chosen fields.
Unhealthy: In unhealthy states, they may become overly competitive, workaholic, and obsessed with external validation. They may sacrifice authenticity and genuine connections for the sake of achieving their goals. They may also struggle with feelings of worthlessness if they fail to meet their own high standards.
Type 4: The Individualist/Romantic
Healthy: Healthy Type 4 individuals are creative, introspective, and have a deep appreciation for beauty and authenticity. They are in touch with their emotions and have a unique perspective on the world. They are often highly artistic and imaginative.
Unhealthy: When unhealthy, they may become overly self-absorbed, moody, and prone to melancholy. They may struggle with envy and feel misunderstood by others. They may also indulge in self-pity and have a tendency to withdraw from others.
Type 5: The Investigator/Observer
Healthy: Healthy Type 5 individuals are curious, insightful, and highly knowledgeable. They have a thirst for learning and understanding the world around them. They are independent thinkers and value their privacy and autonomy.
Unhealthy: In unhealthy states, they may become overly isolated, detached, and withdrawn. They may hoard information and struggle with sharing their thoughts and ideas with others. They may also experience anxiety and fear being overwhelmed by the demands of the outside world.
Type 6: The Loyalist/Skeptic
Healthy: Healthy Type 6 individuals are loyal, responsible, and committed. They are reliable and trustworthy, often serving as the glue that holds groups together. They have a strong sense of loyalty and value security and stability.
Unhealthy: When unhealthy, they may become overly anxious, suspicious, and indecisive. They may struggle with self-doubt and constantly seek reassurance from others. They may also be prone to excessive worry and fear of the unknown.
Type 7: The Enthusiast/Optimist
Healthy: Healthy Type 7 individuals are enthusiastic, adventurous, and optimistic. They have a zest for life and are always seeking new experiences and opportunities. They are highly imaginative and bring a sense of joy and positivity to those around them.
Unhealthy: In unhealthy states, they may become restless, impulsive, and constantly seeking stimulation. They may struggle with commitment and may avoid facing difficult emotions or situations. They may also struggle with a fear of missing out and have difficulty staying focused on one task or goal.
Type 8: The Challenger/Protector
Healthy: Healthy Type 8 individuals are assertive, confident, and protective. They have a strong sense of justice and advocate for the underdog. They are natural leaders and have a powerful presence.
Unhealthy: When unhealthy, they may become aggressive, confrontational, and domineering. They may struggle with anger and have a tendency to control others. They may also have difficulty being vulnerable and may push others away in order to protect themselves.
Type 9: The Peacemaker/Mediator
Healthy: Healthy Type 9 individuals are peaceful, easygoing, and harmonious. They are excellent mediators and seek to create a sense of unity and understanding. They are accepting and accommodating of others.
Unhealthy: In unhealthy states, they may become passive-aggressive, complacent, and avoidant of conflict. They may struggle with inertia and have difficulty asserting their own needs and desires. They may also become disengaged and numb themselves to avoid discomfort.