The “Craftsman” (6% of the population)
Like Steve Jobs and Demi Moore, you can easily become hyper-focused to whatever fascinates you, putting in long hours and losing all concept of time until you have mastered the concept or skill at hand. This will serve you well, once you become committed to this program because you will easily stay on track until the end. Maintaining those results once you do achieve them, however, will take a separate commitment, so be ready to “re-commit” once you achieve your end goals.
You tend to think in terms of true and false, black and white, right and wrong. Logic rules. This helps you clearly decide which foods to eat and whether exercise is something you will do or not. Once you adopt eating right and exercising regularly as part of your value set, there is no stopping you. Amazing fitness is within your grasp. Bruce Lee was a perfect example of the level of fitness a Craftsman can achieve.
You are compelled to stand up for what you believe, even if you are the only one standing there. In fact, you don’t mind that at all. If others follow you, you will gladly lead them, but regardless of what others think, you have your values and you won’t easily bend them.
You are more apt to prefer personal training or to train on your own unless you can find a workout partner who can push you farther than you could push on your own. It might be hard to retain workout partners though because few people will be as driven as you, so you will be hard to keep up with. Short, intense workouts like the X Gym style will be your preference, so you can get the most done in the least amount of time.
You are keenly sensitive to what’s going on in the here and now and you base your values on present and past real-life experiences and facts. You need to see why things matter today. Then you are able to look to the future.
You’re not afraid to take risks because your values are more important than any loss you might suffer by sticking to them. You say what you feel and ask for no apologies. You tend to be quite eloquent too so apologies aren’t usually necessary. People tend to respect your strong value set more than become offended by it, even if they don’t agree with you.
You may feel over-anxious at times (even for no logical reason), so the EFT technique, Word Swap, and Square breathing techniques will help you with this.
You thrive on excitement and adventure because you are an adrenaline junkie but you also appear quiet and reserved, which to some people might be a strange combination. Others might be surprised that you are willing to participate in risk-taking adventures. Think of your goals in terms of how improved health and fitness will help you achieve your thrill-seeking dreams
You are more likely to seize the moment than to plan things out. Because of your spontaneity, you prefer not to be tied down but value flexibility rather than a rigid set of rules. This may seem like a conflict to others because you easily and often set rigid rules for yourself. You’d just rather not follow someone else’s set of rules. This is why it is important to understand the parameters and concept of this program and then set your own set of rules to live by. Make this part of your goal setting process. First, set your goals, then set the rules you know that you will need in order to stay on track and achieve those goals.
Like Michael Jordan, another classic Craftsman, you may find that you enjoy recognition for your unique talents and exceptional abilities. This recognition is just a fringe benefit though. Your real drive is for your own excellence, for your own sake and according to your own values.
Be sure to set your goals based on values and how achieving your optimal health can help others too. For instance, you might have high blood pressure and realize that this program can cure it for you. That’s your first goal. Then your related follow-up goal could be to take that experience and knowledge to help others to cure their blood pressure problems. Then, your third phase goal would be to help cure so many people that your efforts and leadership results in putting the pharmaceutical companies who sell blood pressure medications out of business.
You don’t adopt values that won’t also benefit others. You deeply care about the experience of others and how your values can help them. Steve Jobs was a good example of this Craftsman quality. His meticulous attention to the user experience made Apple computers wildly successful – both times he was at the helm. Also like Jobs, you tend to view your goals as more of a mission, so the Mission Mindset technique will most likely resonate well with you.
Your brain type is best suited for athletic endeavors. Your ability to take risks because of your confidence in your physical ability lends you to amaze others, but also towards injury, so it’s important that you select a safe exercise regimen.
You value your freedom, so planning for the future does not appeal to you. Instead, you tend to plunge into matters, not wanting to waste any time. So you can probably see that learning self-control and regular exercise will pay off for you in the long run. You learn this easily once you put your mind to it, and once you have developed this ability, you will be much more well-rounded and able to have more foresight. Congressman Ron Paul is a good example of a well-rounded Craftsman.
You are typically realistic, independent and spontaneous. Your tendency toward being realistic helps you form goals that you are able to achieve. Your independence can work against you, however, as you tend to do things on your own without asking others for help or support. Your spontaneity can also be a liability, unless you have a keen knowledge of the food parameters within which you should stay, because otherwise, you may make poor nutritional choices in the spur of the moment. For this reason, the 7 Minute Rule technique could be helpful.
If your life becomes sedentary, you are hurt more than other brain types, so it’s important to stay active with lots of different interesting activities and workouts, especially as you age when people tend to slow down and calm down. This would be a mistake for your brain type!
Your brain type requires regular exercise more than many of the other brain types in order to stay on track and maintain your health and weight. Exercise will serve as a very effective reminder of your values toward optimal health and will help keep you on track each day. It will also serve you well as an effective physical outlet for pent-up energies.
You will do best when eating healthy, planned-out meals and limiting the dietary options that can be too tantalizing. Self-imposed limitations will work well with your brain type, but obeying other’s suggestions may cause you to rebel since being your own independent person is one of your core values.
Until you can develop the ability for focus with a long-term perspective, you should focus on short-term objectives such as your clothes feeling looser and losing a certain amount of weight or body fat in a specified period of time. It’s helpful for you to focus on the process and how that process can help you that day to achieve better health. A good goal for you would be to “Get a little healthier today than I was yesterday.”
Summary and Recap
Goal setting: Make your health a strong personal value. Take one day at a time, and one step at a time, focusing on why each step matters and how it will help you achieve your optimal health. Imagine what new thrills optimal health and fitness will bring, not just to yourself, but to other people you can help as well.
Best Workout: Short, safe, frequent and intense workouts by yourself or with a personal trainer or workout partner who can keep up with your intensity.
Motivated by: Set your own rules and parameters within each step, based on the guidelines in this program.
Supported by: A few friends who can appreciate your unique talents and abilities.
Areas to strengthen: Ask others for help and support. Be sure to have plenty of healthy food readily available at all times so you are prepared in moments of spontaneity.
Strengths to use: Your ability to hyper-focus on each step will help you achieve the goal for each one. Your strong sense of commitment will also help you. Be sure to re-commit as you start each step and then again as you reach your ultimate goal.
Brain training techniques: Square breathing, EFT, Word Swap, Mission Mindset, 7 Minute Rule, Conscious Boat
