Sometimes Even a Type “A” Personality Fails

Psalm 73:26 - My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

We all make mistakes from time-to-time, so why is it so difficult to admit when we’ve blown it and then move on?
 
I think people with type “A” personalities have a hard time when they make a mistake because they need to do everything perfectly.
 

• They can’t let themselves fail.
• They don’t want others to see them as a failure.
• They believe they can cut corners or do whatever it takes to succeed.
• They don’t want anyone to help them.
• They need to have people think they’re better than everyone else.

 
But what they don’t truly grasp is that by pretending to be right all of the time, it pushes other people away.
 

• Others don’t like someone who isn’t willing to admit they fail every once in a while.
• Others offer to help, but are turned down by type “A”.
• Others do see them like failures no matter how hard the type “A” tries to say otherwise, because we all fail sometimes.
• Others see the corners type “A” cuts, because they’re the ones getting cut out of the equation.
• Others certainly don’t see type “A” as better than everyone else, because that just equals being prideful.

 
It’s great to strive to do a good job, but we can’t always do that whether we’re a type “A” personality or not.
 
> Sometimes we need a little help.
> Sometimes we’ve taken on too big of a job for one person.
> Sometimes, we set ourselves up for failure by trying to not only do the job perfectly, but in record time.
 
A lot of time, the type “A” personality is under a great deal of pressure. They have a reputation to uphold, but that’s not the only reason. They may have parents who expect them to obtain to a certain standard. After all, when the parents were younger they were able to handle the pressure and reach success. Type “A” has to reach it, or they fear their parents won’t love them.
 
And let’s not forget that holding yourself to a high standard doesn’t have to be a bad thing. As long as type “A” doesn’t think that they’re better than everyone else, and they’re willing to ask for help when they need it. True success isn’t a one man show. It takes a collection of people working towards a goal.
 
Whether we have a type “A” personality or someone else we know has one, how can we help them avoid failing and get a better shot at reaching their goals? Take a look at the article, “How to Set and Achieve Goals Based on Your Personality Type,” on fastcompany.com. One of their thoughts is finding and commiting to a goal isn’t the problem. It’s reining them in to ensure that what they’ve chosen is reasonable. Also, they have trouble letting go of a goal when it’s a bad fit, they let one goal take over their lives until it hurts others.
 
Also remember, you always have someone who can strengthen you if you fail and will be with you through success or failure. God will always be your strength.

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