All I have are my bones…

So, with a 3 1/2 hour long drive from Minneapolis to Madison this evening, I had a great deal of time to spend thinking about whatever it was that crossed my mind. Somewhere about an hour or so in, I found myself thinking about personality types; how I would categorize myself, what the categories were, and my disappointment with them. I realized that the categories I had heard of in the past, “Type A”, Myers-Briggs, etc., described virtually nothing about the individual’s personality, but rather referred you to some reference or another in order to determine exactly what was being said about the personality in question. I decided I would try and categorize myself with a new moniker, one that I felt sufficiently described my basic personality attributes to someone unfamiliar with it’s semantics, but also carried the ability to add depth. It was this that led to what I decided to call “Master Key” personalities.

What Is A “Master Key” Personality?

A Master Key in essence is an individual in whom the sum of personality traits results in their ability to take on any task and achieve it, regardless of difficulty. The defining feature of a Master Key, is that they are aware of this ability, and make use of it at every opportunity. The secret to the Master Key’s success is not necessarily intelligence (though I believe it goes hand in hand with the personality type) but rather, their absolute belief in their ability to succeed. This is a self-reinforcing belief, because since it drives success, they are further bolstered by that success, which pushes them to even further heights.

The analogy is like this: Everyone is presented with opportunities throughout their lives, and all it takes to reap the benefits of those opportunities is just opening the door (in other words, taking the leap or taking a risk). Certain personality types are like a change key (a key that only opens one door), they just aren’t willing to take the risk, or perhaps they don’t like change…really it could be any reason, but whatever it is, they choose to pass up the opportunity. This often translates into them settling into a career or a lifestyle that they are satisfied with, but still have dreams that they will never make real because they are simply unwilling to take the risks to achieve them. Master Key personalities on the other hand, are always willing to take risks, deal with change, and tackle challenges in the attempt to achieve their dreams. They have absolute faith in their ability to ultimately realize those dreams. In other words, Master Key personalities have what it takes to open the door on any opportunity, while “Change Key” personalities are stuck with only one door, and that door leads to mediocrity.

Personality Traits?

A Master Key is inherently self-reliant, confident, has an extremely strong belief in their own ability to weather any storm, and an equally strong belief that perseverance and hard work will earn them success. Additional traits that I view as likely possessed by a Master Key are the following: Higher than average intelligence, lack of any reliance on supernatural forces (in other words, a Master Key isn’t waiting for prayers to be answered, they are out there putting in some elbow grease to answer it themselves), and not easily diverted from their goals. Master Keys probably would be considered lucky by others, but this is a misperception, as the good fortune is a result of their attitude towards life. As the famous saying goes, fortune favors the bold.

Who Are Some “Master Key” Personalities?

Here are a few famous examples of people I define as Master Keys:

• Buzz Aldrin
• Lewis And Clark
• Thomas Edison
• Alexander The Great

So What?

I bring this thought out into the open because I see “Change Keys” all around me. People with dreams but no guts. People whose path in life is limited in one direction. Life can be lived this way, but is it really living? If we only have one life, do we really want to fritter it away doing something we don’t love? When you look back on your life, will you see someone that achieved their dreams or at least tried, or will you only see someone slowly plodding to their inevitable grave? It is my belief that anyone can become a Master Key, but I fear that few ever actually will.