Truth of an Organized Life - Who you are, part 1

In order to know where you're going, you have to know who you are.

I heard those words the other day and realized that there is truth to them, especially as we deal with organized living. We have to realize and understand who we are and how God created us in order for us to have the lives we desire.

In my last 2 posts we talked about who God is and the importance of grasping that foundation. Now we need to look at who God made us to be.

You may be asking yourself, why? I know who I am -- I'm an unorganized person! While that may be true, knowing yourself, your personality, and your normal "bent" can be helpful in overcoming your unorganized tendencies.

Many times we like to use the excuse, "That's just not me; that's not my personality", when it comes to being an organized person. But as we learned in my previous posts, it's not about us! It is who God is and who He has called us to be, and with His help, we can be organized!

The first step in doing that is understanding how we're wired. Now, I'm not an expert in the field of personalities or behaviors, but I have read enough to know that most people fall under one of four major personality types. I am going to list them below with some of the more common characteristics as an overview:

The Sanguine (also known as an Otter or Expressive) - these types of people are known for having fun. They crave attention, affection, approval, and acceptance. They can talk about anything at any time and are usually optimistic with a bubbly personality and a good sense of humor. They are usually the life of the party, loud, and entertaining.
The Cholerics (also known as a Lion or Dominant) - these types of people are known for their drive and their controlling behavior. They desire loyalty, a sense of control, a feeling of appreciation, and credit for their work. They have the ability to take charge of anything and can usually accomplish more than anyone else in the same amount of time.
The Melancholy (also known as a Beaver or Analytical) - these types of people are known for their strive for perfection. They are usually good organizers, set goals and high standards for themselves and others. They can have mood swings depending on how they see themselves or the things they are trying to accomplish. Very detail-oriented with high standards of performance.
The Phlegmatics (also known as a Golden Retriever or Amiable) - these types of people are known for avoiding conflict and keeping the peace. They have a dry sense of humor and a pleasing personality. They desire a feeling of worth, understanding and emotional support. They are usually calm, cool and collected and tend not to make impulsive decisions. They are usually well-liked.

Although our personalities come in many different shades and colors, these are the 4 basic types that most people will fall under. Sometimes we may be a combination of one or more of the personalities, but you can usually identify at least one that best describes you. If you are having trouble deciding which personality best fits you, you can always search the web and take a personality test to help you discover your true self.

Knowing our basic personality is important because it will affect how we view organization. The Choleric and Melancholy personalities will not have much issue with it; however, the Sanguines and Phlegmatics will. Does that mean that driven and analytical people are the only ones that can be organized? Of course not! As I said before, God has called us all to be organized as He is, so there is hope for all of us. But we have to understand ourselves so we can work through our personalities and have the organized lives we want to have.

In my next post we will continue looking at who we are and how that relates to organized living. Until then, I hope you will try and spend some time discovering you! It really will make a difference in the way you see yourself and your life. Until then...