Which Personality is the Best?
Each personality has a specific set of challenges and of advantages. While I do believe that there are some personality types that are more difficult to have (and to deal with!) under certain circumstances, it would be unfair, and perhaps dangerous to assume, that less challenging personality types are “better”.
It is very easy to have a self-righteous idea of one’s personality or way of dealing with the world. I remember years ago (long before we had cracked the personality code) my mother and I would work together in my huge circular labyrinth-like garden. My mother, who has the “9” Peacemaker personality would begin at one spot of the garden and methodically weed one square foot at a time. I, on the other hand, would weed one section for while, and then might spot something else that needed to be attended to, and so off I would go and deal with that job, eventually returning to my spot and continue weeding. My mother insisted that her way was more efficient. I insisted that my way was actually better, because not only did I weed quickly, but I also successfully multitasked watering the garden, planting fragile plants before they were overtaken by the heat, and trimmed plants that were about to be out of control. Even though gardening together was supposed to be a mother daughter bonding activity, our attempts to convince the other of a better way, became stressful to both of us.
Eventually we came to a brilliant conclusion (and a sense of peace). Both of us were right! My mother’s way was the best way for her; and my way was the best way for me!
Later, my partner Eric and I created unwittingly created a human experiment, in which we learned about the value of biodiversity and truly came to understand that in fact, no personality is better than any other. I’ll share that story with you tomorrow… so stay tuned!
