the peaceful perfectionist

via

EXTRA! EXTRA! READ ALL ABOUT IT!

It's no news flash that I am an introvert.  But I seem to have been going through this mid-life crisis of sorts for a year or two now.  I've been very introspective and wanting to learn more about myself so I can live more authentically.  I'm not hiding any more, I've been sharing much more of myself than before.  But the fact remains that I'm an introvert, I need quiet and alone time. So now when I need to pull back and let myself refuel in quiet solitude, I do so without feeling guilty about it because I understand that it is a valid need of mine..

via

I never could resist a good personality quiz so if you know of any, please share!  The following is an excerpt from Renee Swope's "A Confident Heart Devotional" which I started at the beginning of lent.  It's actually taken from Florence Littauer's book "Personality Plus" and I think it is incredibly accurate.  We all have aspects of each of these personality types but most people have one or two that they strongly identify with.

So take a gander at them for yourself.  Which one(s) are you?

Phlegmatic: Desires PEACE
Needs times of quiet, reduced stress, feeling of worth, respect
Strengths                  Relational Challenges
Calm                         Stubborn
Adds balance            Uninvolved
Witty                         Procrastinates
Low-key                   Unenthusiastic
Considerate               Hard to motivate
Reliable                     Denial
Makes peace            Careless

Choleric: Desires CONTROL
Needs appreciation for achievements, opportunity for leadership, participation in decisions
Strengths                 Relational Challenges
Problem solver         Opinionated
Decisive                   Workaholic tendency
Natural leader           Usurps authority
Good organizer         Insensitive
Task oriented           Arrogant
High energy             Manipulative
Excels in crisis          Has a hard time admitting their faults
Confident

Sanguine: Desires FUN
Needs interaction, affection, approval, attention
Strengths                  Relational Challenges
Loves people            Emotional
Friendly                    Dislikes schedules
Exciting                    Makes excuses
Humorous                Gets bored easily
Charming                 Loses track of time
Creative                   Takes on too much
Thrives on activity    Easily distracted
Great storyteller

Melancholy: Desires PERFECTION
Needs understanding, stability, support, space, silence

Strengths                 Relational Challenges
Works well alone      Easily depressed
Planner                     Lacks spontaneity
Organized                 Naively idealistic
Accurate                  Thrifty to extremes
Intuitive                    Doesn’t do well under pressure
Fair                          Perfectionist
Creative                   Hard to please
Empathetic               Discontent
Good with numbers


I am without a doubt a Phlegmatic Melancholy, or as I prefer to think of it....a peaceful perfectionist :)
The "strengths" that best describe me are makes peace, low-key, adds balance, planner, intuitive, fair, empathetic, and creative.  The list of relational challenges that best describes me are probably uninvolved, stubborn, thrifty to extremes, doesn't do well under pressure (I get just a wee bit crabby!), perfectionist, and easily depressed.  Perhaps that doesn't paint the prettiest picture but in all reality these are my instinctive behaviors.  Doesn't mean I can't modify them and that's what I'm working on.  I want to be more involved and relational with people but honestly it does not come naturally.

via

  And I will leave you with a fun little coffee related personality quiz....I'm a latte : )

via

The creative being

I recently read an interesting article about highly sensitive/creative-types and actually gained a little insight about myself.  I found I actually identify with alot of these characteristics. 
Not sure how I feel about that yet. 
Anyway I thought I'd share some of it for any of you other creatives or those of you that love one :) 

Creatives often feel and perceive more intensely, dramatically, and with a wildly vivid color palate to draw from, which can only be described as looking at the world through a much larger lens.
Without a substantial filtration system firmly in place to screen out most of the busy noise, these people tend to receive a far greater amount of stimuli directly into their psyches.

I certainly get overwhelmed easily in about every sense, even visually although that is the best way I learn or remember things.  Send me to the grocery store looking for a certain item and I may stand there in the aisle attempting to find the right one forever.  Even looking at all those labels can be a bit much for me, I just tend to examine every detail and can often get swept away by some thought completely unrelated to my task. 

Creatives might find themselves more easily overwhelmed, and often live chaotic lives, affecting not only personal relationships, but also their own productivity.
Over-stimulation can sometimes manifest further into anxiety or depression, bogging down their ability to cope with every day stressors or life’s challenges.

Do I live a chaotic life?  Maybe.  I don't think my life itself is overly chaotic compared to anyone else's but I do feel chaotic often.  This is something I am working on, being intentional about finding peace and rest.

 Pearl Buck once described the highly sensitive person as...

“The truly creative mind in any field is no more than this: A human creature born abnormally, inhumanely sensitive. To them…a touch is a blow, a sound is a noise, a misfortune is a tragedy, a joy is an ecstasy, a friend is a lover, a lover is a god, and failure is death.”

 I think this sums me up pretty well.  The intensity in which I feel things is easy for me to recognize. I tend to avoid the news.  A tragic act can linger in my mind for quite some time and I visually place myself in that situation and what it must have been like to experience it.  I am the last to let go of an argument.  Hubsy can move on from a disagreement in just a few minutes but for me the sting of conflict lingers.  That's not to say that I am unforgiving, it just takes me longer to get back up to the normally happy place I live in.  Any mistakes I think I have made end up haunting my mind more than they probably should.  It has been a long process for me to take it easy on myself.  I am learning how to be my own best friend :)

This might then bring up an important question: Do people create in an attempt to process, and survive, a condition that overwhelms them?
Pearl Buck also mentions, “Add to this cruelly delicate organism the overpowering necessity to create, create, create—so that without the creating of music or poetry or books or buildings or something of meaning, their very breath is cut off…They must create, must pour out creation. By some strange, unknown, inward urgency they are not really alive unless they are creating.”

Oh my does this point speak volumes!  The need to create something is indeed ingrained in my every day.  Be it a making meal, re-decorating a corner, creating a blog post, you name it.  I am much happier on days where I have released into a creative outlet.  The thought of a life where my ability to create is drastically restricted almost makes me panic.

These points may seem a little dramatic but it does seem that a high level of sensitivity
and the creative mind go hand-in-hand.
What do you think? 
Can you relate?

If you would like to read the entire article you can find it here.