Personality types... God's favorites and six keys to success...

When you work under pressure there is seldom much space (or time) for course correction and fixing up mistakes! I find it extremely frustrating when I let something unnecessary slip, like arriving late for an appointment, missing a message, or not being able to meet a deadline.

One of the elements of my current ministry role that I find quite refreshing is the sense of urgency and decisiveness in the corporate environment. This coupled with the ability to work towards closure has been quite a change for someone who comes from a Church / pastoral background where decisions are often hard to implement because of the need to bring so many people on board. Of course, there is a converse danger in this environment - it is frequently so task oriented that people and relationships tend to suffer and fall by the wayside. That's why I thank God that I have the good training and sensitivity to people and relationships that comes from my Church background, but that I can operate in an environment that is suited to my natural inclination towards closure, decisiveness and pressure.

I would like to share two thoughts with you around this theme. The first is something that I have been tacitly aware of for most of my life, but is becoming increasingly clearer as I deal with more and more people in vastly different settings all around the world... The issue that I am talking about is the false concept that somehow certain people are 'better' than others. In the little video reflection below I discuss this... I so frequently encounter this attitude in the work environment, I have to battle with it in my own pride filled heart, and I see it in the Church as well. Society tends to create an unquestioned stereotype of what temperament and personality is most likable, successful, and in the Church what kind of person God loves most! I have been dealing with quite a few persons in recent weeks who have gone through the Myers-Briggs (MBTI) personality profiling. One tends to hear that a certain personality type would be better suited for this position, whereas another personality type would be better suited for a different position. In a purely functional, deterministic, sense I suppose there is some expediency and truth to such typing, but real life always seems to 'upset the apple cart', so to speak! Somehow people who should never thrive in a certain role seem to make a tremendous success of it, whereas someone who is a perfect temperament and personality fit simply cannot cope!

What is becoming increasingly clear to me is that each individual is a unique, special, and magnificent creation! And, that whilst (western) society may be structured (largely) according to extroversion, sensory, thinking, judging personalities at present, this will not always be the case! The baby boomer generation may have looked up to people who wooed the crowds, were able to capture the small details through their senses, exclude unnecessary emotion in making decisions, and use 'hard cold facts' to come to a decisive course of action, BUT, there is a need for intuitive, internally energized, perceptive, emotionally in tune individuals. After all, George W Bush would seem to be the quintessential ESTJ - look at the mess he's made of things! Whereas someone like Nelson Mandela seems much more of an INFP (so is Thabo Mbeki by my reckoning, and Jacob Zuma is a ESTJ...) Personality is great, but there must be something more to making things work!

When I read the verses from Acts 10:34-35 "I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right" it struck a chord within me. This is NOT a negative statement (spot the double negative in that sentence! I could be writing in Afrikaans here! ;-) Rather, it is a radically positive statement - how could God show favouritism when every person is God's favourite! That was one of the most enjoyable images of William P Young's picture of God in his book "The Shack" - the fact that God was 'particularly fond' of every person!

I like that about God! Here's a little video thought on the subject:

However, I have also come to realise in the last little while that one can live one's life within certain parameters that make it more blessed and fulfilling. A friend sent me these 6 keys to success. I thought they were quite good (on the whole) and so I am sharing them here. They may be of some inspiration and help to you - I think it comes from Rick Warren's book 'The purpose driven life' (it sounds like him! But, I cannot be sure).

Successful people have one obvious trait in common: personal discipline. They are willing to do things that average people are unwilling to do.

It’s my observation that successful people express their self-discipline in six ways:
· Successful people master their moods. They live by their commitments, not their emotions. They do the right thing, even when they don’t feel like it. “A person without self-control is as defenseless as a city with broken-down walls” (Proverbs 25:28 NLT).

· Successful people watch their words. They put their minds in gear before opening their mouths: “Those who control their tongue will have a long life . . .” (Proverbs 13:3 NLT).

· Successful people restrain their reactions. How much can you take before you lose your cool? “People with good sense restrain their anger; they earn esteem by overlooking wrongs” (Proverbs 19:11 NLT).

· Successful people stick to their schedule. If you don’t determine how you will spend your time, you can be sure that others will decide for you! “So be careful how you live, not as fools but as those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity for doing good in these evil days” (Ephesians 5:15-16 NLT).

· Successful people manage their money. They learn to live on less than what they make, and they invest the difference. The value of a budget is that it tells your money where you want it to go rather than wondering where it went: “The wise have wealth and luxury, but fools spend whatever they get” (Proverbs 21:20 NLT).

· Successful people maintain their health. That way they can accomplish more and enjoy their achievements: “Control your body and live in holiness . . .” (1 Thessalonians 4:4 NLT).

Now, where do you need to develop self-control?

The disciplines you establish today will determine your success tomorrow. But it takes more than just willpower for lasting self-control. It takes a power greater than yourself. Think about this promise from the Bible: “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline" (2 Timothy 1:7 NLT).

The more I accept God’s control over my life, the more self-control he gives me!