Picture yourself at the base of a towering mountain, its peak hidden beyond the clouds. You feel the weight of uncertainty in the air, and the path ahead looks steep and unpredictable. As you take it all in, a blend of excitement and hesitation stirs within you. This is your mountain of personal growth—will you take the first step?

We all have our own mountains to climb, representing the challenges we must conquer to grow and achieve inner balance. Growth isn’t just about sharpening our strengths, it also requires embracing our hidden shadows deep within. When we integrate every aspect of who we are, we step into our fullest potential.

Conquering your mountains takes effort, but without direction, that effort leads nowhere. Imagine giving it your all, only to realize you’ve been climbing the wrong mountain all along. Moving forward without a clear path doesn’t just slow you down, it wears you out, leaving you stuck in frustration and burnout.

But with the right map, the journey of growth becomes much more manageable. Your NXT type acts as a personalized guide, offering valuable insights that help you navigate the complexities of self-improvement. By understanding your personality, you can catch your blind spots, channel your energy toward what truly matters, and speed up your growth journey exponentially.

It doesn't really matter how fast you're going if you're heading in the wrong direction.

Stephen R. Covey

Your journey is yours to shape. But having some guidance at the beginning can make all the difference. That’s why we’ve put together ten essential paths to guide you—not as strict rules, but as flexible guides to help you navigate your journey more easily. We hope these paths empowers you to climb your mountain with confidence, knowing you're heading in the right direction.

Always putting others ahead of their own needs might feel like the right thing to do for Collaborators, but it can ultimately hold them back. When they neglect their own personal growth, the problems they set aside begin to pile up, eventually weighing them down to the point where they can no longer move forward. The reality is that they cannot truly help or support others if they are not in a good place themselves.

No matter how hectic their day may be, Collaborators should carve out time for self-reflection. Unresolved issues don’t fade away, they quietly grow and weigh down on the Collaborators. While admitting flaws may feel uncomfortable, confronting challenges head-on is the key to growth. By doing so, Collaborators not only become stronger but also more capable of uplifting and supporting others.

Life is a constant stream of choices. While Collaborators are fully capable of making their own decisions, they sometimes get swept up in following the crowd. Doubts can creep in, leading them to second-guess their instincts and go along with the majority, even when it doesn’t feel right. But let’s be honest: a decision isn’t the best just because it’s popular. The best choice is the one that truly aligns with their values and priorities.

To make decisions that truly matter, Collaborators must learn to trust themselves. When doubts or mixed feelings arise about a group’s direction, those aren’t signs to brush off, they’re opportunities to dig deeper. Whether those feelings are justified or not, they’re worth exploring. By being honest with themselves and confronting what’s beneath the surface, Collaborators can make choices they’ll stand by, free of regret, and fully in line with what they truly believe.

Collaborators often expect people to fall in line with what their community considers "right." But as they widen their lens and step into the bigger picture, they start to see how massive and diverse the world really is. What one culture celebrates as right might be completely off the mark in another. In a world this dynamic, can anyone truly claim to know what’s universally right?

Time and time again, Collaborators need to remind themselves: everyone’s wired differently. When faced with perspectives that challenge their own, judgment needs to take a backseat, and curiosity has to step up. No one culture or viewpoint outshines another, they’re just built differently. By embracing individuality and respecting where others come from, Collaborators can create a space where everyone thrives, strengthening their entire community.

Collaborators often face situations where logic suggests one course of action, but emotions point in a different direction. While it can be tempting to rely solely on feelings because they seem right in the moment, decisions based purely on emotions can lead to poor outcomes. Emotions can cloud judgment, causing us to overlook important details or long-term consequences. While emotions help highlight what matters most, they don’t always lead to the best choices.

To make better decisions, Collaborators should balance logic and emotions. Logic ensures decisions are sensible and well-thought-out, while emotions help identify what is meaningful. By combining both perspectives, Collaborators can see the bigger picture and make choices that are both practical and aligned with their values, avoiding the pitfalls of leaning too far in one direction.

Collaborators often find themselves navigating the ups and downs of their emotions. When difficulties arise, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed, as strong emotions can cloud their thinking and affect their judgment. However, Collaborators have the ability to take control of their emotions rather than be controlled by them. It’s ultimately a matter of mindset and choice.

To stay in control, Collaborators should aim to view problems from an objective perspective. By slowing down and assessing situations as they are, they may discover that what seemed like a major issue is often just a minor setback. This awareness allows them to calm their negative emotions and approach challenges more effectively. Those who can separate themselves from emotional illusions are better equipped to break free from their hold and face problems with clarity.

Collaborators thrive on the freedom to explore and engage with the world around them. This sense of curiosity fuels their passion for life, but it can also lead to challenges. Their eagerness to chase new interests sometimes results in neglected responsibilities, creating a life of chaos if left unchecked. Worse yet, others may begin to perceive these Collaborators as unreliable and unable to be counted on.

To bring balance, Collaborators should cultivate a more structured and intentional lifestyle. Setting realistic goals, establishing routines, or even creating simple to-do lists can provide clarity and direction. These small acts of discipline build momentum, enabling them to manage responsibilities more effectively. Over time, these habits empower Collaborators to take control of their lives, transforming freedom from a fleeting ideal into a sustainable reality.

Collaborators are naturally drawn to variety and change, thriving on the excitement of new experiences. However, this also means they tend to get bored easily by what's familiar. As a result, they often abandon current projects as soon as something more intriguing comes along, leaving a trail of unfinished tasks behind. This pattern of jumping from one thing to the next can prevent them from achieving meaningful milestones and may leave them feeling unfulfilled over time.

The challenge for Collaborators isn’t a lack of effort but rather sustaining focus over the long term. To address this, they need to identify what truly matters and set clear priorities. By aligning their actions with their core values and goals, Collaborators can channel their energy more meaningfully. This intentional approach allows them to explore the world while making lasting accomplishments, rather than chasing fleeting distractions.

Collaborators sometimes limit their own imagination by thinking too realistically, stifling the spark of innovation. Instead of dismissing unrealistic ideas, they should try embracing them. For example, a wild idea about a floating office space may not be practical, but it could inspire a design that reimagines how workspaces adapt to nature. By letting go of constraints, Collaborators can turn the seemingly impossible into a springboard for breakthrough ideas.

Realism doesn’t have to mean restriction. Collaborators can start by asking themselves questions that encourage exploration: What if this problem didn’t have limits? or how could this goal be achieved if resources were endless? Even the most absurd concepts can lead to practical innovations. When Collaborators release their grip on reality and dare to dream, they open the door to profound insights and a future bursting with untapped potential.

Collaborators often find themselves caught up in the hustle of chasing success and building relationships, but these pursuits don’t last forever. Once there's a single setback, they can be stripped away of what they thought defined them, leaving them to rely on the one constant—their own sense of self. That’s why it’s so important for Collaborators to strengthen their self-worth from within, so they don’t have to depend on the approval of others to feel whole.

Collaborators should take time every day to reflect on themselves. They can look inward with curiosity, even when it’s hard. Those inner thoughts and feelings, even the tough ones, exist for a reason. They can guide Collaborators to better understand who they are and what they need. By exploring their inner world, Collaborators will uncover the roots of their struggles and find the clarity to grow, heal, and reinvent themselves on their own terms.

For Collaborators, challenges often arise from working closely with others, and judgment can sometimes feel overwhelming. However, it’s important to remember that others’ words and actions are a reflection of their own perspectives, not a measure of your worth. Negative comments usually reveal more about the person saying them than the one receiving them. By letting go of ego, Collaborators can stay focused on what truly matters and find peace amidst the drama.

When making an impact, criticism is inevitable, especially from those who may feel insecure or threatened. While hurtful comments can sting, they are just words and only have power when we take them personally. This doesn’t mean ignoring criticism entirely, but rather, Collaborators can choose to look for the lessons it offers. Every piece of feedback has something to teach, and by using it as a source of growth, Collaborators can continue to move forward with confidence.

Mastering the ten paths might seem simple at first, but it takes time, effort, and determination. As you scale your mountain of growth, the peak isn't something you conquer in a single leap, but through steady, consistent steps. Focus on small, daily improvements, even just 1% at a time. Over time, those little efforts build up, and before long, you’ll find yourself standing at the summit, amazed by how far you’ve come.

Reaching the top is only part of the journey. Once you’re there, you’ll spot another peak on the horizon—higher, more challenging, and calling you forward. That’s the beauty of growth: it’s not about finishing a single climb but about embracing the lifelong adventure of reaching for new heights. With each step, you’ll grow stronger, wiser, and most importantly, happier than you were before.

Of course, the journey isn’t always easy. There will be tough days when the climb feels overwhelming. You might stumble into old habits or wonder why the path seems so steep. It’s normal to feel discouraged sometimes, but don’t let that stop you. When those moments come, remind yourself of the few points below to regain clarity and continue your efforts to grow.

No two are alike. What feels effortless for someone else might be your greatest struggle, and that's okay. Watching others succeed where you falter can be disheartening, but comparing yourself to them only sets you up for disappointment. Imagine measuring your progress with someone else's ruler—it doesn’t work. Instead, focus on your own growth and celebrate the small victories along the way. Your only true competition is the person you were yesterday.

It is what it is. Some people grow up with smooth, easy beginnings, while others face hardships from an early age. Life’s circumstances are often beyond our control, and luck plays a bigger role than we’d like to admit. But the pain of unfairness comes from expecting life to follow our rules. While we can’t choose what happens to us, we can choose how we respond. What truly defines us is not our circumstances, but how we rise above them.

A speck of dust. We all face problems, some that shake our world and others that seem bigger than they are. Often, our imagination amplifies these troubles, making them feel impossible to bear. When life feels overwhelming, stepping back to see the bigger picture can help. We are tiny specks in a vast, infinite universe, and in the grand scheme, most of our worries are fleeting. While this perspective may not solve every problem, it can bring a sense of calm.

Until you make the unconscious conscious,
it will direct your life and you will call it fate.

Carl Gustav Jung

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. New climbers dream of reaching the top, but those with experience understand that the real treasure is in the climb. If your mind is set solely on the destination, the journey will seem exhausting. However, by valuing the little moments of progress, each step becomes meaningful. Personal growth is an ongoing adventure, not a fixed point. Embrace the process, and you’ll find that the journey itself is the greatest gift.

As we wrap up our exploration of the SFLX Collaborator archetype, we'd like to emphasize that this isn't the end, but rather a new beginning in your journey towards a happier, more fulfilling life. We encourage you to seize this opportunity and embark on a path towards success as you embrace your shadows and thrive within darkness!

Along with the wealth of knowledge we've provided in the past six sections, we'd like to offer a curated list of relevant resources in the form of books, articles, and links that can further support you on your journey. Do check out these useful resources in the next section.

Read next section →
Useful Resources [Collaborator]