The infamous Type A personality…. You probably all know this personality, even if you don’t associate with that description. Maybe you are one yourself. Chances are that it may describe your manager, your CEO or the chairman of the board if you have one. Generally, Type A personalities are described as driven, high achieving and ambitious. You could also describe them as highly strung, overly competitive and hostile. Both descriptions would be equally valid, depending on your perspective. Now the purpose of this article is not to debate the varying schools of psychological theory and research behind this method of categorising personality types. Nor is it to lament the limitations of “pigeonholing” people into particular … pigeonholes. The purpose of this article is to share some personal insight into the limitations of this general approach to business and ultimately life as a self-confessed Type A. Ultimately I hope to share some of my discoveries of the last couple of years which have allowed me to temper the harder edges of this personality type to maximise my quality of life and improve interactions with family, friends, colleagues and clients.
In case you haven’t already worked it out, I am a classic Type A Personality. Instilled with a philosophy of “Nothing good in life comes easy and without pain and commitment” by a father who had slogged his way from a tin shed in western Sydney to carve out a successful career in Law, I was determined to make it on my own. Throughout my 20’s I studied and worked hard, moved around remote parts of NSW and QLD carving out a successful career in HSE in the then booming mining sector. I moonlighted in TAFE teaching, co-authored a WHS text and “achieved” a number of the lofty goals I had set for myself. Somewhere along the way, I managed to find time for my wife and then eventually 2 small children. The second one really took a toll on me psychologically and I began to notice internal conflict and rising anxiety.
Then a couple of things happened. As a lifelong surfer, waterman and student of the ocean, I started to suffer recurring injuries that I couldn’t seem to shake. Eventually, after some advice from a couple of good friends in physiotherapy, I made the decision to return to Yoga. I had dabbled in it in my early 20s, but never really had the time to consistently practice. I was also watching SBS one night and caught the end of one of the “Trust me I’m a Doctor” type programs on the emerging science regarding the practice of mindful meditation. Traditionally I had always associated Yoga and Meditation as purely the territory of the sort of people who wear Thai fisherman pants and engage in 20-minute conversations about Kale, but I thought I’d give it a go anyway. I won’t be contrived or gush about the result because I would be the first one to accuse me of sounding like some naff self-help book. However, I sit here more than 2 years later feeling as though these 2 practices have transformed my life. Just like anything else, mindfulness takes commitment and discipline. I also know I still exhibit the anxiousness and impatience of a classic Type A personality at times. But and it is a big but… I know that I have found the ability to slow and focus my mind in a way I didn’t previously possess. I know I can relate to my friends, family, colleagues and clients in a way that previously alluded me and for the most part I can be more present and focused in each moment rather than my mind constantly racing to the next item on the list of things I need to achieve today, tomorrow or next week. Ultimately I feel I can be here now. To all those Type A personalities out there, learning to soften the hard edges of your personality and learning to slow that racing mind is the greatest gift you can give to yourself.