The 4 TYPES of SPOONIES
Approx. 2000 words
2 mental “spoons” per hour required to read and understand
Written by Julie Goodie
CATEGORIZATION: IT’S A HUMAN NEED!!!
Our brains are wired to organize things and people into categories. Categorizing helps our brains make sense of things in this complicated world of ours. It helps us process the large amounts of information that keep coming at us at ever increasing speeds. It helps us organize knowledge. It helps us quickly see what’s missing in our lives, on our plates, in our closets,…
For our meals to be balanced, our plates need to contain foods from each of the 4 food groups: vegetables & fruit, grain products, milk & alternatives, plus meat & alternatives. Because, our bodies, to be healthy, need all 4 types of macronutrients: carbohydrates (carbs), proteins, fats, and water. And our bodies, to be healthy, also need all 4 types of micronutrients: water-soluble vitamins, fat-soluble vitamins, microminerals, and trace minerals.
In our closets, if we only have tops and no bottoms, we can’t go out in the world… Not like that… Half naked!!! We know that, in our closets, we need at least 3 to 4 types of pieces: tops, bottoms, shoes, and at least one layering piece if we live in a colder climate (for those chillier days).
Society is no different. It needs all types of people. It needs fun people. It needs caring people. It needs daring people. It needs reflective people. It needs open & creative people, agreeable people, confident people, extraverted people, and conscientious people (Big Five’s personality type categories). It needs people who are expressive, people who are amiable, people who are drivers, and people who are analytical (Merrill-Reid/Wilson’s personality type categories).
Society needs all types of Spoonies: BUBBLY Spoonies, HELPFUL Spoonies, DRIVEN Spoonies, and PRECISE Spoonies...
PERSONALITY TYPING
Personality typing can be traced back to ancient Greece, to more than 2,000 years ago, when Hippocrates (known as “the father of medicine”) started dividing people into 4 different groups: the sanguine, the phlegmatic, the choleric, and the melancholic. Over the centuries that followed, those same 4 temperament/personality types have been given a host of different names and designations depending on the system: Myers-Briggs, Enneagram, DISC, Insights, The Four Tendencies, etc.
But no matter the names, no matter the designations, a few facts remain:
No type is better than the other. Every type has equal value.
Each person is a unique mix of all personality types.
Most people have a dominant type.
For a rare few, their dominant type is a blend of 2 or 3 different types.
A person’s personality type can change over time… Yes!!! Personality is not set in stone!!!
Studies have shown that personality is more fluid and malleable than what was once thought. Personality can change over time or depending on life circumstances like, for example, depending on health status or on economic status. It can change as life roles evolve from employee, to parent, to caregiver. It can change depending on the life season a person is in.
Like, for example, conscientiousness (which is the quality of wishing to do one's work or duty well and thoroughly) has been observed to peak at prime working age (when people have the most responsibilities they will ever have in their lives). While openness to new experiences has been shown to decline as people age (as people become more and more set in their ways, and have less and less energy to deal with all the adventures that inevitably come with newness).
Why then would you be interested in knowing your personality type if it is known to vary over time or depending on context? What’s the use?
Well… Because categorization, as mentioned above, is a human need!!! And also, because becoming more familiar with how you move in the world (how you expend your energy) in the present moment, in your current life season, can help you:
Increase self-awareness: better understand your current strengths and weaknesses.
Improve your communications with others.
Make more informed decisions about your personal and professional lives.
Become more aware of what your current needs are, of what’s missing in your life at this particular point in time.
As you can see, there are many valid reasons for wanting to know your personality type, for wanting to know which type of Spoonie YOU are…
SO WHICH TYPE OF SPOONIE ARE YOU?
There are many self-assessment questionnaires out there to help you determine your personality type. There are lots and lots of personality tests out there, in the world!!! Still… Here’s another very simple way of determining which TYPE OF SPOONIE YOU are:
Are you a person who is more focused OR more scattered? If your answer is that you are more scattered, then you are most probably a BUBBLY Spoonie. If your answer is that you are more focused, then move on to the next question…
Are you a person who is more focused on tasks and goals OR on people? If your answer is that you are more focused on people, then you are most probably a HELPFUL Spoonie. If your answer is that you are more focused on tasks and goals, then move on to the next question…
Are you a more confident person OR a more cautious person? If your answer is that you are a more confident person, then you are most probably a DRIVEN Spoonie. If your answer is that you are a more cautious person, then you are most probably a PRECISE Spoonie.
And… There you have it!!! It can be as simple as that!!!
But if you also very much enjoy self-assessment questionnaires, I suggest you click on the following link where you will find a fun 10-question quiz to help you determine which type of Spoonie YOU are…
Or you could also just read through the following table which lists a bunch of traits for every type of Spoonie. In doing so, you will probably recognize yourself in more that one type. No worries. That’s completely to be expected. Completely normal. Since, each and every person, in this world, is a unique blend, a unique combination, of all 4 types.
BUBBLY Spoonies
BUBBLY Spoonies like to keep their options open. They tend to be creative, eager, enthusiastic, animated, happy go lucky, lighthearted, versatile, open, optimistic, bouncy, playful, and fun. But they also tend to be a bit all over the place, scattered, indecisive, undisciplined, forgetful, inattentive, absentminded, and distracted.
What BUBBLY Spoonies fear most is losing their sense of freedom. They try to stay away, as much as possible, from restrictions, dependence, and responsibilities. BUBBLY Spoonies also have a great fear of missing out (FOMO). Consequently, they have a hard time saying “no” to… Anything and everything!!! Really!!!
BUBBLY Spoonies’ superpower is their openness. And while openness is a great superpower to have, if it gets to the point where BUBBLY Spoonies are completely exhausted, then they could probably benefit from:
Learning how to be more present. Learning how to FOCUS.
Taking the time to prioritize, to think about what’s most important.
Taking the time to organize themselves a bit better.
Limiting distractions as much as possible.
Doing only one thing at a time.
HELPFUL Spoonies
HELPFUL SPOONIES like harmony, justice, and comfort for all. They tend to be dependable, dedicated, attentive, thoughtful, comforting, nurturing, accommodating, quiet, calm, and gentle. But they also tend to be a bit overly sensitive, timid, docile, yielding, shrinking, and self-effacing.
What HELPFUL Spoonies fear most is not being loved and appreciated. Therefore, they often try to meet people’s limitless needs and demands for fear of disappointing them. They have a very hard time setting boundaries and saying “no” to people.
HELPFUL Spoonies’ superpower is their agreeableness. And while agreeableness is a great superpower to have, if it gets to the point where HELPFUL Spoonies are completely exhausted, then they could probably benefit from:
Taking the time to TAKE BETTER CARE of themselves.
Setting boundaries. Saying “no” more often.
Respecting their limits.
Letting others do for themselves.
DRIVEN Spoonies
DRIVEN SPOONIES like to feel accomplished. They like to reach goals and scratch things off their to-do lists. They tend to be decisive, determined, persistent, daring, capable, efficient, and productive. But they also tend to be a bit too fast moving, impulsive, reckless, intense, demanding, forceful, and impatient.
What DRIVEN Spoonies fear most is not fulfilling their life’s greatest ambitions. Therefore, they are extremely demanding with themselves (and sometimes even with others). They are never satisfied. They always seem to want more, more, more, and more. They have a very hard time saying “no” to goals, to projects, to promotions, etc.
DRIVEN Spoonies’ superpower is their determination. And while determination is a great superpower to have, if it gets to the point where DRIVEN Spoonies are completely exhausted, then they could probably benefit from:
Taking the time to BREATHE.
Balancing activity periods with rest periods.
Taking enough REAL breaks.
Slowing down their pace.
PRECISE Spoonies
PRECISE SPOONIES like to feel secure. And they seek security through order and preparation. They tend to be organized, focused, reflective, observant, knowledgeable, thorough, methodical, objective, and logical. But they also tend to be a bit too serious, stubborn, set in their ways, analytical, critical, and distant.
What PRECISE Spoonies fear most is losing control. They fear chaos: disorder and confusion. They fear insecurity and uncertainty. Consequently, they are quite the perfectionists. They have a hard time leaving things half done and problems unresolved.
PRECISE Spoonies’ superpower is their conscientiousness. And while conscientiousness is a great superpower to have, if it gets to the point where PRECISE Spoonies are completely exhausted, then they could probably benefit from:
Learning how to LET GO.
Learning how to stop at good enough.
Worrying and overthinking less.
Delegating more. Asking for help more often.
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Let’s Play a Game!!!
How well do you know your people?
Make a list of all your family, friends, and colleagues. Then, try to guess their respective types.
How many of your people are BUBBLY Spoonies? HELPFUL Spoonies? DRIVEN Spoonies? PRECISE Spoonies?
Maybe even have them take the quiz to see how many you guessed right…
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ENERGY MANAGEMENT FOR ALL TYPES OF SPOONIES
As previously mentioned above, what BUBBLY Spoonies mostly need to learn how to do is how to focus. What HELPFUL Spoonies mostly need to learn how to do is how to better take care of themselves. What DRIVEN Spoonies mostly need to learn how to do is how to slow down, and how to take more time to breathe. And finally, what PRECISE Spoonies mostly need to learn how to do is how to stop at good enough, and how to let go.
But, no matter their type, and even more important, before anything else, is for ALL SPOONIES to FIRST:
“Work on GENERATING ENOUGH ENERGY before spending it on anything at all!!!”
There are certain things that all types of Spoonies need to work on, more importantly, before anything else, first, to make sure that they’re generating enough energy for themselves by:
Getting enough sleep (including naps when needed).
Eating enough nutritious foods.
Drinking enough water.
Getting enough exercise.
Spending enough time in nature (catching some rays & getting some fresh air).
Spending enough quality time with their people.
Taking enough time to connect with themselves.
Doing things that they’re good at, and are passionate about.
To help all types of Spoonies learn how to better manage their energy in order to LIVE THEIR BEST LIVES, I’ve created The LEFTOVER SPOONS CHALLENGE. If you decide to take the challenge, it will guide you through a 9-step process, in 6 weeks, that will have you create your very own personalized list of energy management goals to work towards, and that will help you learn how to… BREATHE. FOCUS. TAKE CARE. Then… LET GO.
Also, know that I’m currently working on a course entitled UNLOAD YOUR BRAIN… It will have you work at reducing your mental load so that you can sleep better, improve your mental health, strengthen your relationships, take care of what matters most, and enjoy your life more fully!!! If interested, I suggest you sign up now, with your email address, below, so that you can be notified as soon as the course opens…
In the meantime, and always, I hope that you will remember to HAVE YOURSELF SOME FUN & KEEP SMILING!!! Wishing you…
HAPPY TRAILS!!!
