Melancholy: Want to be Great? Accept Criticism!

Mon, Nov 26, 2007

Working at Home

The next personality type I want to blog about is the Melancholy.

Everyone needs a Melancholy on their team.  They won’t forget the little things that make things run so smooth.

Positive Attributes:

•    Thoughtful & Analytical
•    Serious and purposeful
•    Talented and creative
•    Sensitive to others
•    Self-sacrificing
•    As a homemaker, keeps everything in order.
•    As a business person, schedule oriented and hard working.

Negative Attributes:

•    Easily offended
•    Can get too caught up in details
•    Doesn’t do well with change.
•    Struggles with insecurity
•    Tends towards depression

This bit of advice is good for anyone but especially for the Melancholy because criticism is especially painful for the person who desperately wants to do everything perfect.

When you launch a new business you have lots of ideas and ambitions – as you should! Nobody starts something with the goal of being mediocre!

Unless you’re coming into this business with tons of experience in doing everything, there will be a learning curve – and you will make mistakes. People will point out something that you’re doing wrong or a customer will complain about your quality… and how you respond to these criticisms will determine how well you grow as a businesswoman.

Don’t run away from it. Face it. Study it. Learn from it. THANK the person who has the guts to tell you the truth.

This post was written by:

Kelly McCausey is the host of Work at Home Moms Talk Radio and owner of Mom's Talk Network. She has built a successful internet based home business and helps other moms do the same.

Contact the author

  • OK, I admit it, I'm Melancholy, but I've learned to take negative comments and put them to work FOR me. I've also come to accept that mistakes are a good thing. I've certainly made enough of them but honestly, without them I wouldn't have learned so much about how to do things better and make the changes that needed to be made.

    Struggles, insecurity and depression are always going to be there, just keep the faith and have patience and persistence. You'll get there :-)
  • Hey Carrie :)

    I don't know how well I like the online personality tests. I'd much prefer to have you take the survey in the Personality Plus book to see how you come out there.

    Noone has ALL of the characteristics of a particular personality type and we are all a bit of a combination, though usually two will seem obvious and recognizable.

    I don't like labels either and I don't use personality types to pigeon hole anyone - I use them to understand how they are motivated and thus hopefully, get along with them better :)
  • The tests label me as melancholic, but I don't think I am. I am very positive and optimistic and not easily offended. But I do have the trying to be perfect thing going on and I am orderly. But I LOVE change!

    That's why these personality tests get on my nerves a little bit. There's so much to each of us as individuals - our parents and sibs shape us, our experiences, our own ideals. Etc. I really don't like labels.

    And aren't I always asking my fellow MM members for constructive criticism? ;)
  • This is something I really needed to read specially with starting a new business.
  • This is me minus the orderly house. I wish I could keep it more orderly. It is not for a lack of want.
  • Yup this is me all the way! And I definitely see my strong points and weaknesses and sometimes the negative things of being melancholy can be a royal pain in the behind! But the positive attributes can definitely outweigh the negative.
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