PERSONALITY CHALLENGES

It is possible that your personality will stand in the way of, and prevent you from attaining your goal. To deal with the personality issue, let us lay down a brief foundation.

This book is not about personalities, but having observed the effect of various personalities on singing or studying to become a singer, it is necessary to deal with this matter, in as brief a manner as possible.

There are various ways of understanding human personalities, the most common was created by the ancient Greek philosophers. In particular, Hippocrates¹⁰⁵ and his co-workers contributed a lot to this model.

In observing patients, they found that there were certain common behavioral patterns among people — this does not imply that any two people are identical though. They divided personalities into four groups, viz., Sanguine¹⁰⁶, Choleric¹⁰⁷, Melancholic¹⁰⁸ and Phlegmatic¹⁰⁹.

Personality Analysis

The reason why I chose this model is that it is based on two aspects that are integral to singing: EMOTIONS and EXPRESSION.

† Emotions — by analyzing the impact of your Emotional Quotient, one is able to both statistically and psychological derive behavioral patterns which are caused by this very property of our essential makeup. Most of what we do seems to be molded by the intensity of our emotional self.

† Expression — our level of exposure to various environments also determines our behavior. You can be introverted, extroverted, or in between

The Sanguine is the popular type, the Choleric is the powerful type, the Melancholic is the perfect type and the Phlegmatic is the peaceful type. Generally, there are four basic types of people, the popular Sanguine (emotional, influencing, socializing and expressive), the powerful Choleric (volitional, domineering, directing and driving), the perfect Melancholic (rational, cautious, thinking and analytical) and finally the peaceful Phlegmatic (personal, retrieving, relating and amiable).

105 the father of modern medicine

106 confidently optimistic and cheerful

107 easily moved to anger

108 characterized by or causing or expressing sadness

109 showing little emotion

UNEMOTION

COMPLEMENTATY BLENDS Relationship Oriented COMPLEMENTATY BLENDSTask Oriented

Witty

There is a quick way to quickly identify your general self, which we shall discuss here.

P

S

This type normally wears bright clothing and given to expressive fashion. Their personalities are generally intriguing and very lively. When they speak they are a bit louder than the rest and speak without inhibition, usually saying whatever comes into their heads. You will notice that they also tend to speak a bit more rapidly than normal, with a lot to say.

We said they are very expressive, you will notice this in their grand gestures. They will generally not speak without using some expansive body or hand gesture. Their living and working style is also somewhat casual, they do not seem to be uptight about anything. For them, life is visual, and they enjoy communication.

Positive Sanguine Traits

On the positive side, Sanguines love people and make friends easily, they are exciting and have a good sense of humor. They are very charming and have little or no problem finding a job. They are creative and colorful; they thrive on activity, and they enjoy story telling. Is this you? If it is, let us look at the weaknesses as well.

Sanguine Weaknesses

The Sanguine's primary weaknesses are being driven by their emotions and hatred for schedules. They feel guilty when they say no; they get bored easily and have no sense of time. They are easily distracted and have little or no focus.

APEL and the Sanguine How will APEL affect you?

If this is you, you will probably want to give up the program before you complete it.

You will find it difficult to stick to the schedule.¹¹⁰ People's comments may distract you from focusing on your goals and either derail or delay your progress.

The program will be very exciting to you, and this is a good thing. You will approach it with more energy than most people will, and once you have completed it, your expressive nature will be a great complement to your singing life¹¹¹.

P

C

Most Cholerics work and walk fast. They are very strong even in their conversation gestures. They tend to arrive late and leave early at social gatherings, and during the time they are there, they are busy, even using a cell phone or some other gadget.

Cholerics tend to focus on the here and now, are very task driven and sometimes missing the small detail. They love control; they are attracted to things they can control.

They exhibit strength and power more than anybody does.

Positive Choleric Traits

On the positive, they are fearless and can fix almost any problem. They love challenges and they are very decisive. They are strong leaders and can organize quickly.

They thrive under pressure, are very confident and usually right.

Choleric Weaknesses

If this is you, let us check your weaknesses. You have few or no friends, you are opinionated and over-confident. You have a problem relaxing and tend to become a workaholic. You expect complete devotion from others. You are nervy; you usurp authority and have difficulty showing emotions. You are arrogant and manipulative. You have a problem apologizing. Above all, you are afraid of two things, losing control and not being liked.

APEL and the Choleric

How will APEL affect you? You have the greater potential of succeeding at it than others. You will need to exercise patience because you tend to expect instant results. You may misuse your talent because of your arrogance, but with focus and persistence, you will make a great singer. Your discomfort with emotions may hinder your live performances; you may even avoid performing because you cannot handle compliments and emotional reactions.

P

M

These people are the embodiment of perfection; they make you feel judged when you are in their presence. You will notice them by their conservative clothing and perfect posture. They are not the jump-up-and-down-and-scream types.

110 APEL requires you to stick to a fixed daily practice schedule

111 there are lots of spiritual principles that affect your life

Their work and life are extremely well organized. They tend to be slow and are concerned with balance even if it takes a while to obtain it.

Positive Melancholic Traits

On the positive, they work very well on their own and are good at planning. They love numbers and facts. As we said, they are organized and given to accuracy. They analyze things always and try their utmost to be fair. They adore beauty and quality.

Melancholic Weaknesses

If this is you, let us look at your weaknesses. You are easily depressed and lack spontaneity. You idealism tends to be naive and you are thrifty to extremes. You cannot handle pressure and you need too much time to get anything done. You are a difficult person to please because of your excessive perfectionism.

APEL and the Melancholic

How will APEL affect you? It will take a while for you to get to the end of the program. You will be very skeptical and critical of the program and you will waste time analyzing the material. You may discourage yourself by setting too high a standard for yourself.

On the positive, your ability to work alone will make this an ideal project. You can organize your life to fit the program and you can appreciate the beauty of the art with intensity.

P

P

Phlegmatics are very peaceful and they tend to take things easy. They are the unexcited speakers with a low monotonous tone, evenly paced and seemingly well thought out delivery. Their work and life are also peaceful, and they can blend in to the point of almost not being recognizable. They are usually in no hurry.

Positive Phlegmatic Traits

On the positive, they are very calm and balanced. They are witty and reliable. You can count on them to be steady and consistent. If you need a peacemaker, you have found your person. They are likeable and will make good administrators. Another strength of theirs is their ability to listen and to delegate.

Phlegmatic Weaknesses

If this is you, let us look at your weaknesses. You are stubborn and aloof. You have a problem with procrastination¹¹². Your life and work is generally without enthusiasm. It is difficult to get you to move along. You are careless. You need to learn to follow things through and get used to change — which you do not like much. You avoid conflict even when it is necessary.

112 putting the actions off until a later and undetermined time

APEL and the Phlegmatic

How will APEL affect you? You are difficult to predict, your type tends to be lazy.

Nevertheless, the positive thing is that you can be steady and consistent once you are sold to the program. You must use some of your motivational skills on yourself. Do not be too careless with the practice. Try to be passionate about the program.

T

C

People are generally not confined to one temperament type; it is common to be a combination of two temperaments. A Choleric might be any of three combinations, that is, a Choleric Melancholic, Choleric Phlegmatic or a Choleric Sanguine. Similarly, the other temperaments will take the same flavors. A Choleric Melancholic will tend to exhibit power and perfectionism, while a Choleric Phlegmatic will tend to be a strong person who is extremely calm.

The reason I am telling you this is so that you must watch the weaknesses of both your temperaments once you have identified them. You will also notice that you will rarely be 50% of each temperament, so whichever temperament is the strongest, will have to watched more carefully. If you are 60% Choleric and 30% Sanguine, you will have to focus on the more glaring weaknesses, which in this case will logically be Choleric weaknesses.

As I indicated, the idea is not to discuss temperaments in full detail, but to give you an idea of the impact your personality will have on you while you engage in APEL. If you wish to gain a deeper understanding of temperaments, I suggest you conduct your own research.

113 hybrid temparaments resulting from crossing into two or more defined temparaments

T ^HE A RCHITECTURE

OF M ^AN

One of the first things in learning how to sing properly is understanding yourself at a spiritual level — what you are and how you are designed.

If you wanted to train a dog, you would need to understand about dogs a lot more than you already do. It is impossible to train anything to do anything without a lot more than just an elementary understanding of that organism.

It is impossible to drive a car without knowing what the controls are and what they do.

It is impossible to plant any seed and cultivate it through to harvest without understanding about its seasons, patterns of water intake and pattern of germination. It is impossible to raise a baby to a full grown adult without understanding about human beings. If you think life is elementary and requires no understanding, try keeping a goldfish, and see how many you kill before you get the hang of it.