Remember my post back a couple years ago when I shared some not so fun feelings I was having about myself? I mentioned that a friend had invited me over to a "party" to learn more about a profiling system that helps you better understand your tendencies. Well, as much as that felt in ways a negative experience (because I mistyped myself), energy profiling and Dressing Your Truth have been a huge help in my life, and I am so glad that my friend introduced me to it all.
After the party my friend lent me her copy of the book "It's Just My Nature," which discusses energy profiling in detail, and goes through each of the 4 types to help you decipher which one you lead with. The premise is that there are 4 main types (1,2,3,4), and that we have all of them in us, but lead with one and have lesser of the other three.
Just a small sampling of what each type has since there are literally chapters of information on each one.
T1- bubbly, animated, random light movement. Wants to have fun, bright, full of ideas and a positive outlook. Upward highest movement.
T2- soft and subtle, sensitive, blended, and likes to connect with people and ideas. Nurturing, values comfort, fluid lower movement.
T3- dynamic, exotic look , angular, edgy, will push to get things done, loves to accomplish lots of tasks, and enjoys seeing the results in their work. Higher, abrupt movement
T4- still, reflective, stunning, methodical, structured, perfection is valued, determined and confident. Critical eye, can take an idea and copy it while adding improvements. Lowest, heaviest movement.
Once I heard that Type 2s are the sensitive worrying type, that tend to be shy or quiet I immediately assigned myself to the T2 group. I didn't give any other types a chance, and so I concentrated my reading on the T2 chapters and skimmed through all the others. Deep down, I wished I wasn't a T2, probably because I didn't understand what it really meant to be one, and I was assigning all my challenges to being a T2. Little did I know how wrong I was.
Once I saw my friend again a few weeks later, I had finally come to terms that I was a T2 and that my challenges were just meant to be my challenges. I told Annie in passing that I was ready to buy the Dressing Your Truth course for type 2s. I had been looking for something to help me with figuring out fashion and how to dress myself so I feel and look good, and this seemed my best bet. She looked at me kind of confused, and said in a very kind way, "Have you ever considered that you could be a Type 1?" Her question threw me off, and I replied "Oh, no!" "I could never be a T1, I'm not bubbly or animated at all!" in my usual animated and hand gesturing way. Annie just smiled, and was nice enough to share with me her thoughts on me possibly being a T1. She mentioned my cute button nose, and my round face, the arches of my eyebrows that make a point, and a few other things that were facial features of the T1 group. I had never even considered being a T1, it seemed to be the last of the tendencies I thought I had. I was not cute, bubbly, light and outgoing. I was quiet, and shy, and not good at anything in the social arena. I opened my book that night to the Type One chapters, and began to read, and read, until I had a full understanding of it all.
Suddenly I was so confused, and yet it was like this light switch went on in my brain. I had the button nose, the round face, the "beauty marks" that did dot-to-dots all over my face and arms, and a point on one of my ears, that I had always hated growing up. All of these were indicators of a type one, and yet I felt nothing like the personality description. I had read in the book that sometimes when we aren't supported to live true to our nature, that we will move into our secondary energy as a sort of survival mode. I grew up in a home that was great some of the time, but not so great as well. There was a lot of tension and heavy feelings, and we were always sitting on the edge of our seats waiting for the next blow to come from a parent that lost their temper on a regular basis. There was not always room for light randomness and fun, although I know I fit it in sometimes. I realized that yes, I had in fact been living in ways that were not true to my nature, and that I was doing it because in that environment it was what worked. With the knowledge I had just gained from reading about energy profiling, I also understood where a lot of the heaviness came from, as I could type my family members and their energy. It was not that anyone was trying to make things difficult, it was just that the heavier energy T4, seemed to take over as the majority, and that person ruled the feelings in our home in a negative way. This is not to say that T4 equals negative, because that is not true.
I wasn't sure how to live as a type one. It seemed like I would have to put on a show live to my true nature, but I was ready to embrace who I was, and see the things that I had missed when it came to my tendencies. I was animated, bright, and random, and I was thrilled that I wasn't doomed to be someone who didn't like much about herself. In the next few days it was like a load had been lifted off my shoulders. I was embracing my type 1 nature, and I felt so much better. My husband even told me weeks later that I seemed so much happier all of a sudden around the time that I learned I was a T1. It was true. I finally understood myself on such a deeper level, and instead of criticizing my challenges I was focusing on all my strengths, strengths I didn't even realize I had.
