Personal development has been an essential tool over the years. Looking back, I realize that some of the assesments I’ve taken have provided the biggest opportunities for growth. They help point out common personality characteristics and their underlying tendencies. On today’s episode, I’m proud to present a creation of very own. See if you identiy with any of these 4 types of Homesteaders. How can this information help you?
Get complimentary access to my full library of resources for homesteaders like you at http://www.theprairiehomestead.com/grow.
Personal development has been an essential tool over the years. Looking back, I realize that some of the assesments I’ve taken have provided the biggest opportunities for growth. They help point out common personality characteristics and their underlying tendencies. On today’s episode, I’m proud to present a creation of very own. See if you identiy with any of these 4 types of Homesteaders. How can this information help you?
Get complimentary access to my full library of resources for homesteaders like you at http://www.theprairiehomestead.com/grow.
Welcome to the old fashioned on purpose podcast. So I'm really excited for this episode. One of the most transformative pieces of information I've learned over the past several years in growing businesses has been how to understand different personality types. Now this is something that a lot of folks generally only learn in a business type of setting, but I have found that understanding what makes people tick and what personality type they have is extremely valuable in all areas of life, whether it's with our kids or our friends or our spouse. Now, there are lots of different ways and lots of different systems for determining a personality type. But what I want to share with you today is a very simple four part personality system that I have used for years and I made a few adjustments to make it be a little bit more homesteader-friendly. So keep on listening and we will figure out what type of homesteader you are. I'm your host Jill winger, and this is the podcast for people who are disenchanted with conformity. The ones who favor homegrown and handmade over cheap and mass produced. The ones who swim upstream while the societal herd rides the river of least resistance, the ones who grow and shepherd, nurture and produce, need and craft rather than consume. The ones who are old fashioned on purpose and choose to truly live, not merely exist. If you're a trailblazer, a Maverick, a homesteader, a modern pioneer or a backyard farmer, well you have found your tribe. Okay. Let's dive into personality types of the homesteader. A few things for you to know kind of before I give you the four types is I didn't invent the types themselves. They're kind of a universal thing and there's lots of different variations on this system. I've heard different people refer to these four different types in terms of colors or shapes or numbers or um, gemstones. There's lots of different labelings for them, but the four types remain the same. Okay. I just took this idea and added a homesteader bent so you guys could take it and apply it to your old fashioned on purpose goals or your homestead or vision. Uh, what have you. There are also personality systems like the Enneagram, which is super popular right now. There's Myers Briggs, there's the strength finders system. Those are all great and I've played with all of them. I think the more we can do to understand what makes us tick and what makes the people around us tick, the better. And some of these systems are more extensive than others, but even then, you know, looking at all these different ways of categorizing personalities, you can still see a common thread come through all of them. So I encourage you, if you find today's topic interesting, try a bunch of different tests. Some are free, some are paid, they're all over the place, but just start kind of figuring out who you are, why you are the way you are. And it also is really helpful for your spouse or your kids or anyone in your close circles. Let me tell you, this information, I think I started learning this about five or six years ago, it was introduced to me in my doTERRA business. It was something that some of our uplines were teaching us how to understand ourselves, how to understand the people in our organizations. And I mean, without sounding overly dramatic, it was life changing for me. Not only it helped me to understand who I was and what made myself tick. Finally, like for the first time in my life, I was able to also identify different traits and characteristics in my husband and my kids and the people I was working with. It helped me to feel less frustrated with them, understand them more, and also communicate with them more clearly. So it's really good stuff. And today we're kind of having more of a playful bent on it in, you know, I'm going to use farm animal names for the four types because we're all homesteader-ish folk and we liked that sort of thing. But there's a lot of really powerful applications when we start diving into this. So it makes me really excited. I totally nerd out on this stuff. A few little notes. So I did use the farm animals, right? Cause I was trying to come up with a homesteader theme. So it's a little bit tough because we all have different associations or ways that we think of an animal. So the way I might think of an animal is different than the way you think of it. So the labels may not be perfect, but I want you just to understand the, the core information behind the label. And I'll kind of explain why I picked each animal as we go. But to see, you know, also, a couple of the animals that I used as my label are associated with like a gender, like a rooster or a hen and you can be a rooster and be a female. It doesn't have any like gender has nothing to do with it. So these four types can occur in male and female. It has nothing to do with just because the label is, has to do with a male or female animal, doesn't have anything to do with the categories themselves, I hope. Makes sense. I think it will, once you hear them. And also really important to keep in mind, there isn't a right or a wrong type. Okay. They're just different. And there may be times or in different settings or situations or it in different pieces of our culture where it might feel like being one of these types is the more right choice. But that's really not true. These are four categories and they're all equally good and can be equally unhealthy at times, right? So, don't feel like if you identify yourself in one of these categories that, Oh man, I need to just be a little different and try to fit into this category over here, which I feel would be more appropriate for me. U m, that's not how it works, right? Own where you are, celebrate where you are and learn how to live within that. And that's when you start to really figure out who you are and what makes you tick. O kay, so without further ado, let's dive in. To the four types of homesteaders. All right. Number one, I'm calling this type the farm dog, okay. When I think of this type, they are the inspirer. They're fun. They have lots of ideas. They are the visionaries. And think about someone you may know or maybe yourself who's like this, they're energetic. They like a party. They like lots of energy and movement around them. And I chose a farm dog as the descriptive label for this because when I think of most farm dogs, right? Maybe not the super lazy ones like our mastiff Dozer, but the rest of the farm dogs, they're fun. They're always up for an adventure. They want to come hang out with you and hang out with you and they might chase the rabbit and chase the ball and check out the cat and drink out of the stock tank. They got lots of ideas are bouncing all over the place. They like the fun. Okay, so that's number one. Now each of these types has strengths and each of these types has weaknesses. One of, something I heard a mentor to me years ago that has stuck with me is that our weaknesses are simply our strengths that have been turned up to high. And you'll see this over and over again through these categories. If we're dealing with a weakness, usually it's our strength. It's our superpower, which is a good thing. It's just got a little bit out of whack, a little bit out of balance, turned up a little too high. So we just need to kind of bring that back down, um, to get back in alignment. But anyway, the strengths of the farm dog personality homesteader type, is they have lots of ideas. So whether it's revamping chicken coop or figuring out how to make new things in the kitchen or rearrange the living room furniture, lots of cool ideas. They've got lots of energy, they're really, really fun to be around, right? And they're a great ambassador for the lifestyle because people see them, it looks like a blast and they want to follow them. So that's why they're great at inspiring others. Now the weaknesses of the farm dog personality type is they can get really easily distracted, right? There's so many ideas that are so awesome and exciting. They don't know which to do first or they start a thing, they get distracted by another thing and there's no follow through, right? So they can jump from idea to idea and never see anything to fruition. And so maybe you recognize this in yourself a little bit and we all, we all can carry a little bit of this in us, right? But if you have a whole bunch of unfinished projects that kind of follow you along and you just want to go to the newest, most exciting thing, you might be the farm dog type. Okay? All right. Personality type number two. I'm calling this type the mama hen. And again, it has nothing to do with being female. There's lots of men I know that fit into the mama hen type, right? But this personality type is the connector. Now, mama hen types have a quieter energy than the farm dog. The farm dog's got lots of energy. They walk into a room and you know they're there, and the mama hen a little bit more quiet. They might just be chilled, just kind of watching how things unfold around them. But they do like groups and connections. And I chose the mama hen as the representative animal of this, right? Because they're so good at caring for their babies. And a mama hen will want to stay with the flock, right? They want to be with a group. They want to stay connected and they're really good at nurturing and caring for others. The mama hen type also likes details. They pay attention to details. They like a lot of details when they're understanding a new concept. So I know that when I am teaching mama hen types, whether I'm teaching them about how to make bread or how to run a business or whatever, I know that for them to fully understand, I need to give them the details. They want to know the how's and the what's and the why's and the whens. Um, and I don't, I shouldn't leave that stuff out because that makes them feel a sense of disconnect. Mama hen types are also super encouraging. They're really good at cultivating friendships. And their strengths when it comes to homesteading would be that they're great at nurturing small animals. So if you've got an injured animal, a bottle, baby, any of those things, this type of person is going to thrive on caring for them and paying attention to the details. And making sure they're safe. They also are patient. They're really good at creating warmth and community and encouraging others in that homestead vibe. They're going to be the ones who, if they get a new neighbor and they're going to bring them a basket of eggs and a loaf of fresh bread right off the bat, it's going to be second nature to them and they're really good at cultivating those relationships. Right? They're very, very much community minded. Now the weaknesses of the mama hen type is that, like I said, remember your weaknesses are your strengths turned up too high. So sometimes the momma hen spends so much time in relationships, they have a hard time keeping their life on track. Right? And sometimes we do need to prioritize relationships, but other times we have to do other things, right? And they can have a hard time keeping the schedule balanced because there is so much human interaction elsewhere in their life. It kind of crowds everything out. I have also seen with mama hen types, they can have a hard time saying no or putting up healthy boundaries. So they tend to want to always help and always volunteer. And that's a wonderful thing, but it can also, you know, it can be taken to an unhealthy level if it is damaging your sanity or your family, right? So it can be really hard for them to put up those boundaries because they don't want to feel like they're breaking a relationship. So that's something that mama hen types get to work through and come to balance with. Okay. Type number three is the rooster. Again, has nothing to do with gender. Females can be roosters, males can be roosters, right in this personality type system. But the rooster is the driver. They're the one who moves forward. They're all about getting the job done and being efficient. And I chose the rooster to describe this type of person because when you think about it, a rooster is always on task. He's always making sure his flock has food and is protected. And if they're free ranging, he's moving them from place to place and keeping an eye on them. And he has an agenda and he's going to get it done. And this is the same with rooster personality type folks, right? They get to the point, they don't like a lot of fluff. They like bullet points. They're all about the tasks ahead. How can I keep these tasks in order and make sure they get done and I'm going to check them off and that is how I feel fulfilled in my life. Okay. Now the strength of a rooster personality type is they're excellent at follow through. So oftentimes when you combine the farm dog type with the rooster type, let's say you have a friendship or a marriage where you have the spouse or you know a person, one of each, the farm dog can come up with the ideas. The rooster can execute those ideas. That can be a powerful combination. They compliment each other, but a rooster is really good at following through. They like to make lists. If there is a project on a weekend, they are going to wake up on Saturday morning with a plan on how to get that project done. Don't interrupt them, don't drop over for coffee because we have to get the project done. Okay? They're really good at completing things. Now the weaknesses of a rooster personality type is that they have a tendency sometimes to take on too many projects, right? They can get stressed out, they can get overloaded, they can put too much on their plate. And also sometimes in their interest of getting it done, go, go, go cross off the bullet point list, they can inadvertently end up ignoring people in the process, whether that's family or it's relationships. Those often are not, as easily prioritize as the task. So you have to take that into account. If you are a rooster in case you haven't figured out yet, that's I am a rooster. This is my type. Okay. I love the forward movement. That is how I roll. I'm more comfortable moving forward. It's also when you see me teach in a video, one of the things that people have said over and over, they like my videos because you don't have a lot of fluff, right? It's because I'm a rooster. I cannot add fluff into my videos if my life depended on it. I literally have bullet points in front of me. Boom, boom, boom, check it off. We're done. Turn off the camera. Okay. So I am a rooster. I drive, I move forward. And that's how I roll. I also am not as good at the relationship parts of my life. I have to work extra hard at those in order because it just doesn't come as natural to me as getting the job done. Okay. So anyway, that's me. Maybe some of you can relate. And lastly, personality type number four of the homesteader is the milk cow. And again, nothing to do with gender, right? But the milk cow, I chose it to represent this type because this type is the thinker and these number four milk cow types have a very quiet still energy. They are thoughtful and they are analytical. And it made me think of Oakley, our matriarch milk cow because she moves slowly and with purpose. She will chew her cud and look you in the eye and contemplate life. Right? And she just is analytical and she has a quiet, still confident energy about her. And it really reminded me of those personality type people in my life who are just like that. Some traits of this is that the milk cow type of person will need all of the information in order to make an educated decision. Right. These are the people I know a lot of milk cow personality types who end up being engineers. Like not all of them but a lot of them. Right? They like spreadsheets, they love order, they love things to be organized. They want things to make sense. Christian, my husband is this personality type if you come and do his shop, 90% of the time. Um, it looks like someone with OCD lives here cause they kind of do and he's very organized, I actually love it about him and he's so organized. He has everything in drawers and everything is organized and there's labels and you know, keep it straight. They also can tend to be a little bit on the skeptical side because they need to have all the information before they make a decision. So often when I need to make a tough decision, I like to take it to Christian because I tend to be like rooster. I'm like jumping into stuff. Let's just do it first choice, go, go, go. And he's like, stop, let's think through all the ramifications. And he helps me make a more educated decision. So we work well together in that realm. Some strengths of the milk cow type is when they do something, they do it very well. They do it with excellence kind of by default. They don't know how to do it any other way. And they have done the research and the prep work in order to do it well. They're very organized. They're very orderly. They're a calming presence. Right. Which with Christian and I, that works well cause I'm like the rooster person jumping all over the place and he kind of keeps things more chill. So we also compliment each other well on that. Now the weaknesses of this personality type is that they can be very slower, very slow to change, right? Because they need all that information. Um, and I've noticed that the milk cow personality type, generally, if someone's going to be stuck in this, what I call paralysis by analysis, it's this type of person, right? They feel like they can't make a decision because they need all the details and that part of their personality can hold them back from achieving what they want to achieve or getting to where they want to go because they get stuck in the spreadsheets, in the details. And so if you are that milk cow person, make sure that you keep yourself where you know, disciplined enough that you get the details you need, but then you still are able to move forward. And that's kind of a skill. It's a muscle you have to develop, to push out into that uncomfortable zone. Right? But it can be done. So there you have it. The farm dog, the mama hen, the rooster and the milk cow. I am dying to know what you think of this. I'm dying to know which one that which, which type you identified with, which one sounded the most like you. A few little notes here. If you didn't see yourself in any of these or you're feeling really confused or you're feeling like you're both of them or all of them, that's okay. That's actually common. Just takes a little bit of time to analyze. You can have a primary type and more of a subtype. So with me, I'm actually a primary rooster with a subtype of milk cow. I love moving forward and getting the job done, but I do like order, so it's really important to me that my house be orderly. Not as important to getting the job done, but it's like my secondary. Right, so you can't have subtypes and if you're still just feeling completely confused as to what you need to be, I would invite you to go back and think about your nature when you were a child. Because what happens is a lot of the times we end up inadvertently morphing and turning into someone that we're aren't necessarily created to be, but we feel like we have to be because of our environments, whether that's a parent or a cultural influence that pushed us into a certain personality type. Sometimes as adults, we can show up one way when we're actually naturally another way, just because we've learned how to survive in whatever environment we're in. So for example, when I first learned about these types, I actually thought I was maybe a number two because in my childhood and in the circles I ran in as a young adult, women were only really accepted if they were that number two energy. And so I kind of morphed myself and smushed myself into that box, which wasn't me, but I had thought I had to become that in order to be a proper woman, which sounds so silly now, but that's kind of what I thought. And then as I shed those layers and kind of did a lot of self reflection and journaling and praying to figure out who the heck am I and what makes me tick, it started to become really obvious to me that I'm actually a rooster. I'm a three. That's who I truly am. That's who I have been like from birth before the world influenced me. Right? So it takes sometimes a little bit of a journey to figure out what you are. I think that though it can be the most powerful part of this is getting to know yourself better because that's going to help you relate to other people and build those relationships and understand your spouse and understand your kids. Like I already know which type my children fall into and that directly affects how I'm able to teach them and connect with them and I'm able to honor their personality type in how they show up in life. So it's really fun and it's a deep rabbit hole, but I thoroughly enjoy this particular rabbit hole, so I'd love to hear your thoughts. Definitely send me a message, let me know what you think and I hope that was helpful. I hope that sparks a new little frontier for you to explore and that my friends, that's all I got for this episode. I sure appreciate you listening. If you found this information helpful, pop over to your favorite podcast player. Leave a quick review. I read every single one and that's all I got, but we'll chat more in the next episode of the old fashioned on purpose podcast.