Extroverted, spontaneous, spirited and playful, Adventurers or Enthusiasts possess an optimistic, versatile approach to life. With a basic desire to be satisfied, people with this temperament fear being deprived. They thrive on excitement and love having new experiences.
Adventurers are curious enthusiasts. They go after what they want with determination and intention. Since they possess agile minds that quickly assimilate information, Adventurers would be desirable participants in your brainstorming meetings, as they come up with uniquely creative ideas.
Because of an almost instantaneous synthesis of information and their ability to pick up skills easily, this personality type often becomes a “Jack of all trades.” Yet they often have difficulty deciding what they want to do as a main objective, whether regarding a career or their personal life. Adventurers tend to experience a high from their initial spontaneous rush of ideas. But once things settle down, they quickly lose interest and are ready to move on to something more exhilarating.
Desiring to maintain their individuality, happiness, and freedom, Adventurers participate in whatever they consider worthwhile experiences in order to maximize their excitement and keep themselves occupied. But at the same time, this frequent overextension often results in distraction, fatigue, and a sense of feeling scattered and undisciplined.
Adventurers can be out of touch with their innate ability to provide self-guidance. This creates impatience, anxiety, and the inability to make decisions: they believe they are incapable of making appropriate choices, whether for themselves or for others.
To avoid or compartmentalize their anxiety, Adventurers keep themselves constantly busy. Working on a myriad of projects and thinking about a variety of subjects allows them to tuck their unsettled feelings inside their unconscious mind.
Because they often can’t identify what they want out of life, or make even the simplest decisions, Adventurers instead try everything. In their minds, this method of trial-and-error will help narrow down the possibilities, but instead often leaves them overextended and exhausted. This can often drive them toward making even worse choices, thanks to their fast-paced avoidance panacea. When this occurs, Adventurers can become extremely frustrated and angry. In addition to their compounded feelings of inadequacy and lack of direction, the anger may also unintentionally destroy their relationships and adversely affect their physical and financial well-being as they pursue an ever-more-elusive sense of freedom and happiness.
Cameron Diaz, Goldie Hawn, Leonardo DeCaprio and George Clooney each possess the Adventurer temperament.
At their best, individuals with this personality type truly experience everything, living in the present moment and becoming deeply grateful and appreciative for what they have. They are awed by the simple wonders of life. At their worst, Adventurers discover that their energy and health are completely spent. They can become claustrophobic and panic-stricken, depressed and self-destructive, sometimes giving up on themselves and on life.
If you or your partner exhibit traits of the Adventurer, here are some recommendations to harness the best this temperament has to offer:
- Recognize your impulsiveness, and get in the habit of observing your impulses rather than giving in to them. Let most of your impulses pass without responding, and become a better judge of those that are worth acting upon. The more you can resist acting impulsively, the more you will be able to identify what is really best for you.
- Learn to listen to other people and to yourself. You may learn things from others that will open new doors for you. Learn to appreciate silence and solitude; avoid the temptation to distract yourself (and push away your anxiety) with constant noise from the television, stereo, or by becoming addicted to social media. Living with less external stimulation will enable you to learn to trust yourself.
- You do not have to have everything this very moment. That tempting new acquisition will most likely still be available tomorrow, or the day after that. Most worthwhile opportunities return; by not impulsively giving into your need to have something right now, you may find yourself in a better position to discern which future opportunities are best.
- Always choose quality over quantity, especially in your experiences. Live life in the moment, not in anticipation of what comes next. The ability to have quality experiences can be learned only by giving your full attention to what you are doing now. Too much expectation of future experiences almost certainly guarantees you will miss the present one and diminish the possibility of ever being satisfied.
- Make sure that what you want will really be good for you in the long run. Consider the long-term consequences of what you want; you may find out that it leads to even more disappointment or unhappiness.
Being able to identify your personality traits and incorporate strategies to maximize the positive aspects of your temperament type can help you be a better person and a better partner. Understanding your partner’s temperament and knowing how to respond when they are in a place of stress or apprehension can be a positive influence too. So, remember, as you seek new exciting adventures, don’t forget to stay in the present moment in order to appreciate yourself and your partner.