Another link-up?! Yes, and this one is rad. Side note: I’m pretty sure that rad is one of those words that youth ministers WAY overuse in their attempt to stop calling everything awesome. End side note.
The wonderful Olivia over at To The Heights had the fabulous idea of doing a link up about our temperaments. I think that in getting to know who we are, what makes us tick, and what we are passionate about, we can come to know where we are going, and how to get there.
The four temperaments are: choleric, sanguine, phlegmatic, and melancholic. Like Olivia, I think they are pretty strange names. Choleric makes me think that you must be perpetually ill. Sanguine makes me think of blood. Phlegmatic also makes me think you are sick and full of phlegm (yuck). Melancholic makes me think you must be sad and mopey all the time. When I read the short descriptions of each temperament here, I guessed my dominant temperament in a second. But, because I’m a nerd and I wanted to be sure, and it had been a while since I took any temperament test, I took this test. To be really sure, I also took this test. If the fact that I took two tests just to be sure doesn’t reveal something about my temperament, then I’m not sure what does.
It turns out my initial guess was spot on: melancholic. To an M. 😉
One site describes melancholic as:
Time alone is vital for this reflective, introspective temperament. A perfectionist at home and on the job, the melancholic is likely the one with the perfectly organized closet and kitchen, the tidy desk-top, and the painstaking attention to religious observances, sometimes to the point of scrupulosity. A melancholic longs for a deep soul mate, yet when (s)he is around people, (s)he often finds him/herself mistrustful and disappointed. Sensing this criticism, others will keep their distance—thus further entrenching the melancholic in his/her solitary life. In relationships, the melancholic tends to be slow to initiate, cautious, hyper-critical, and pessimistic–yet, once committed, they are unwaveringly loyal and self-sacrificing.
Holy smokes, folks, they’ve got me pegged. Despite the fact that I’m a youth minister, I’m actually quite introverted, much to most people’s surprise. Sure, I can be an outgoing, crazy, weird dancing, spastic youth minister. I can get up in front of a crowd of teens and tell them all about Jesus and what it all means (or try!), but only for so long. At the end of a day full of ministry or a weekend long retreat I’m utterly spent. I need that alone time to reflect and to grow.
You can’t see my desk from where you’re at, but my home and office desk are clean. I used to leave notes on my desk at my old job so that the cleaning ladies wouldn’t move anything out of place because it would drive me bonkers. I joke that I’m really CDO (it is like OCD, but the letters area in alphabetical order, as they should be).
That longing for a deep soul mate? Have you read my blog (read that with a bit of sarcasm, because that’s how I’m typing it)? Sure, the mistrust and disappointment is there…if I don’t let God lead me. I’ve learned that disappointment can be a bad thing, or it can draw me closer to the God who never disappoints. When it comes to relationships, that part is pretty spot on too. Slow to initiate, cautious…yet, once committed, they are unwaveringly loyal and self-sacrificing. Bam. Guard your heart? Guard your relationship heart? Goodness gracious, you could read through my blogs and peg my temperament in a heart beat.
So, for the new comers to the blog, and to the old friends and followers: that’s me – melancholic. Not sad or sappy any more than you are, but highly reflective, sensitive, analytical, musical/creative, organized, perfectionist, and dreamer. Makes sense, doesn’t it?
{Also, neither of the tests I took gave me a secondary temperament, but if I had to guess, I’d guess I’m melancholic/choleric.} {Also also, famous melancholics include: St. John of the Cross, Padre Pio, St. Catherine of Siena. Cool people in my book!}
What is your temperament and how does it affect your life?
