Guest Post - 6 Personality Types and Ways to Motivate Them

6 Personality Types and Ways to Motivate Them

By Elena Sessa

Originally heralding from northern California, Elena Sessa is working her way through college at San Jose State University as a certified personal trainer and fitness instructor. When she's not studying or training, she puts her passion for health and fitness to yet another good use by writing on these topics for Beachbody which provides popular workout videos and fitness products including P90X2 Workouts, P90X Certification, and Ultimate Reset.

When Obi Won Kenobi muttered, “The Force will be with you, always,” the man knew what he was talking about. No, I’m not saying we all possess the ability to duel with lightsabers or to mind-control law enforcement officers into doing our bidding, but we all have a certain power inside us that allows us to achieve above and beyond. It’s called motivation. But unlike Star Wars, there’s more than one “Force” in the real world—different people require different forms of motivation. This is a list of 6 personality types and different ways to keep the Force strong within you.

1.)     “The Giver”: Always giving, never taking. You’re a people person who gets satisfaction from helping others. You deal with situations based off of how you feel and are externally focused.

What you need: Athletic support--and, no, I don’t mean a good sports bra--I mean from the people in your life. Having support from your family and friends will make all the difference in helping keep you on track and keep your motivation high. An exercise buddy will help motivate you to do something good for yourself and help others in the process.

2.)     “The Power Player”: It’s your way or the highway. You are the type of person who is aggressive, assertive, and independent. You measure success by external rewards and love to be the leader.

              What you need: You need a challenge to be motivated! A triathlon or a marathon would be a great option because you are independent and driven to do well. Both require focus and hard work, which is right down your ally. Another option could be to take the lead and teach a fitness class. "Power players" make great fitness instructors. There are plenty of ways to become a certified fitness instructor, for example the P90X certification program. You can look into the P90X Certification here (http://www.beachbodycertification.com/p90x-certification)

3.)     “The Nurturer”: You are a mother at heart. You are internally focused and always want to believe the best in people. You aim to please and learn best by doing.

What you need: Being positive for others is easy for you; however it is sometimes difficult for you to be positive towards yourself. Feedback is an important aspect when trying to achieve goals because we need validation to be motivated. This includes positive feedback to others as well as yourself.

4.)     “The Mechanic”: You are a handy-man (or woman) with the drive to understand how things work. You are internally driven and deal with things rationally and logically. This personality type can get bored easily, so they need constant action to thrive.

What you need: You are athletic and have great hand eye coordination. Sports would motivate you to exercise and provide you with action and excitement to fill your adventurous spirit. Team sports are a good option because you are competitive and might work harder if you have another person to compare yourself to. 

5.)     “The Doer”: You’re energetic, independent-- a risk taker. This personality type lives in the moment and has the need for constant change. You are motivated to get things started, however you are not as motivated to finish.

What you need: This type of personality may run into trouble in the fitness setting because they want to Go! Go! Go! without listening to what their body tells them. Variety will help motivate you to exercise. Switching up your workouts will keep your mind and body challenged and focused.

6.)     “The Artist”: You are original, creative and reserved. This type of personality has the need to feel that they are living their life to how they feel is right, and to rebel against anything that conflicts with that goal. Because of this, they are generally not motivated to exercise.

              What you need: You need goals to be driven out of your comfort zone. Goal-setting theory suggests making goals that are SMART. In other words, they need to be: specific, measureable, achievable (yet challenging), realistic and time relevant. Trying activities such as yoga, dance or Pilates might interest your creative and free spirit.

Regardless of your personality type; there are always a way to motivate yourself--or others. Some people need a swift kick in their pants while others need nurturing to be able to succeed. Once you succeed at a goal; whether it is health, personal, or career related, you will feel self-confident and motivated to accomplish something else. But remember, keep up the positive attitude or there will be a great disturbance in the Force.