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“There are three sides to a coin – flip side, flop side and the edge.”
I was not talking abstract psychology, just plain old technical look-see – it was one sentence and my entire speech. (Talking perceptions at the Art of Self Leadership Seminar.)
Everyone grinned. The philosopher, the analyst, the daydreamer, one was a poet/artist, the speaker, the finance head, the student, the hotelier, the dramatist.
I had finished, “Asset 1: Experience . Asset 2: Megabuck-muscle, the mind. Asset 3: Our very own personal edge.
The Girl next to me in purple coat, black pants, lavender eyelids and the original Madonna eyes leaned forward and sighed.
Me – I was purring with relief that there wasn’t much more to be said really, when I saw ‘IT’! Wedged neatly into the back of her head, a tiny trap door labelled, “AND YOU DIDN’T KNOW!” + wicked smiley.
The Boardroom was becoming surreal, like a Salvadore Dali painting. YIKES. It wasn’t just her. We all had these “Trap Doors”, crafted above our medulla oblangata, hidden cleverly ‘neath tattooes, butterflies and dragons in our scalp! There wasn’t time to check details.
Those “Doors” opened into our heads, where we kept our hoard – untapped skill, talent, gifts, ideas, memories,innovation, even wisdom, faith, courage, perception…a million million acres we had all inherited, even acquired…and here was the worst part. We did not know what we had stashed in there but there were others who knew! They were walking in that “Door”, taking away what they could. Even our Energies…! (These trap doors wore descriptions – “Habits. Mindsets. Pet Villians. Dogma. Blindspots!”) Hey! No one told us! Why hadn’t we known? When we were in school…?
All of this was spoken into the room and after I said what I had to say, and it was very, very quickly said, there was that relief. The Salvador Dali moment had passed. Doors were firmly banged shut! We all began to purr with relief, and went upstairs for rotis in table basket; spinach spiked-chicken, buttered vegetables-tender spice, fruit cubes in muted cream. The view was 360 degrees – overlooking a City and a very blue sky that noon. It would rain and keep us in an hour longer.
Fathers of Psychology: in spirit – Carl Jung, E.Erikson and others nodded, creeping back sleepily into thumb notes in the blue file. They (the Fathers), had worked well. We were now all sweeter than cavemen who had used clubs for words. I demonstrated with a wooden potato masher from home and there was the joy of physical assault, but sense stepped in and we moved to prescribed personality tests by my very talented colleague Joe and his gentle wife Laksh who we soon saw, had ‘edge’ enough to run for parliament.
I never knew I was an “INFP” type (Introvert/Intuitive/Friendly/Perceptive) also shared by A.A. Milne, Princess Di, Psychologist Meyer Briggs). There were 16 personality types* and who knew there weren’t more? Like at an icecream bar where we could pile flavours.
Came home to my kids and enough icecream to emotionally defrost in, because I was worried about being like some others at all and whose edge was what! The sun was shining. I stared at my unsuspecting kids ages 16, 11 and 10. Tomorrow we would run us all through some more Meyer-Briggs pages – get everyone’s edge and megabuck-muscles / trap door and stalkers all in place!
Know what? They were accurate, the tests! And hilarious. Everyone was pleased, even our teenager – INTP (introvert/intuitive/theoriser/perceiver). “Last minute planner, ready to explore, love and other committments, but can reverse with alarming speed! Needs a challenge or will get depressed. Due to a broad range of interests, they find it hard to focus.” Others in this type – Albert Einstein!
All except my husband who refused to believe himself a ‘daydreamer/Fred Astaire/Liberace’ type. When we read out ‘Steven Spielberg’, he grinned. I was thinking “Spielberg, eh?! Not bad. Not bad.”
Well, its true. We all have IT. The “edge” & megabuck-muscle – our fantastic brain, mind – waiting for outlet, more than the 1% we access!!! (Albert Einstein use only 2% ?)
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Tagged: Albert Einstein, Carl Jung, History, Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, perceptions, Personality, Psychology, Salvador Dalí, Self-leadership, Steven Spielberg, Trapdoor
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