Supportive traits are like great personal assistants that help us navigate through life’s challenges more smoothly. From handling day-to-day responsibilities to tackling complex issues, we often and consciously rely on these trusted aides—our supportive traits—knowing that they are capable and reliable at what they do. Ultimately, living in the absence of our supportive traits is akin to losing both our arms; we would struggle tremendously to function without them.

Your habits shape your identity,
and your identity shapes your habits.

James Clear

As our supportive traits come naturally to us, we tend to employ them effortlessly, as if we are writing and drawing with our dominant hand. Therefore, we often take our supportive traits for granted, not realizing how valuable they are to someone of a different archetype. If left unchecked, we might even run the risk of overusing them, preventing other parts of ourselves from flourishing.

Like our dominant traits, our supportive traits are simply facets of our personalities. Whether they are strengths or weaknesses is entirely dependent on the way we utilize them. If we cultivate and develop our supportive traits well, they can become valuable additions to our toolbox of super strengths. However, if we use them in an unhealthy manner, the same traits will ultimately lead to our undoing.

Great feats are meant to be achieved with great people. With that in mind, Collaborators bring awesome people together to accomplish amazing things. When talents are combined, it gives them an edge over impossible challenges that may hinder the group's success. But Collaborators know that the true power of teamwork lies in the spirit
of unity because when excited people collaborate, they inspire and motivate each other to strive for even more.

Life is filled with intriguing opportunities, often tempting Collaborators to ditch the old and hop onto the new. Although they initiate many projects with others, they often fail to bring a single one to completion. Everything starts as a thrilling adventure, but the hype soon fades away as Collaborators move forward. Without the dedication to follow through their projects, they are only known to have hollow ambitions with nothing to show for it.

Because Collaborators feed off the energy of people to drive themselves forward in life, some might lose passion when the hype fades away, especially when left alone. Without the push from others, Collaborators lose inspiration, often procrastinating and slacking off on their projects. If they fail to find their inner spark of motivation, they will never achieve anything substantial on their own.

When the winds of life don’t blow their way, Collaborators swiftly adjust their sails, turning any situation to their advantage. Just like a rubber band, Collaborators are flexible in adapting to change, enabling them to smoothly get themselves out of sticky situations. While others fret, Collaborators thrive in difficult positions, giving them an upper hand in the challenges that life throws at them.

Improvising is only a short-term solution. Collaborators that rely on it too often may find themselves severely lacking direction in the long-term. Their thrill for action only distracts them from seeing the bigger picture. When Collaborators enter a situation without having a clear objective, they are only hoping for the best out of it. Unfortunately, hope will not bring them very far because without a direction, they'll often end up lost in the midst of chaos.

Worse yet, Collaborators who act on their instincts are bound to land themselves in loads of trouble. Entering a situation without a plan may not guarantee a successful exit, as luck will not always be on their side. When things go wrong, they are more prone to making rash and reckless decisions on the spot. Because of that, they end up digging a deeper hole that even their adaptive skills can’t get them out of.

Great opportunities present themselves to those who dare seize them. Instead of waiting for one to come, Collaborators jump right into action, and in doing so unlock more doors that lead to even better opportunities. Some might call it luck, but in truth, it is their proactive nature that creates that luck. In their minds, there is no such thing as a mundane situation, only exciting opportunities to be explored.

However great an opportunity may be, it is pointless if Collaborators lack the will to follow through. The many opportunities presented adds up to nothing, because Collaborators are not willing to put in effort to seize them to their fullest. Instead of endlessly looking for bigger and better choices, Collaborators should learn to stick to one, because an opportunity without commitment is no opportunity at all.

Having the luxury of too many options might only land Collaborators in a paradox of choice. Paralyzed by the desire for the best, they put away a good opportunity for fear of missing out on a better one. Windows of opportunity won’t always stay open, and if Collaborators hesitate to decide, those chances will be lost forever. By wanting to seize everything, Collaborators will only end up with nothing.

Thus far, we have explored both the Collaborator's dominant and supportive traits. In our jargon, these traits are known as one's heroic traits. Think about it, don't we all look like heroes when we put these traits to use? Not just wannabe heroes, but real ones—those who are truly powerful yet unimpressed with their own abilities.

Superhuman strength and the ability to fly are awesome superpowers that we all wished we had. But Superman doesn't pride himself in any of those abilities. To him, using those powers to save the world is just another day on the job. Similarly, even though we are great at our dominant and supportive traits, we do not find them the least bit amazing. From our perspective, there is nothing special about these mundane things that we do every day.

That said, as heroic as our traits may seem, no hero in the world is perfect. Even the most powerful heroes, such as Naruto, Thor, or Wonder Woman, have their own flaws and weaknesses. However, that does not invalidate them as heroes; it only makes them all the more admirable. The same goes for our own heroic traits. They may not be perfect, but our strive to improve them is what sets us apart.

I am not a hero. I just did what any
decent person would have done.

Miep Gies

When our heroic traits bask in the light, they will inevitably cast shadows—traits that we tend to neglect. Our shadows are foreign to us, as they are the complete opposite of our natural traits. Because we fear what we don't understand, most of us will subconsciously push away or suppress these parts of ourselves. Unfortunately, if we allow the fear of failure to overpower our minds, these suppressed shadows will eventually swallow us whole.

Nevertheless, shadows are not our weaknesses. They are simply parts of ourselves that we are unfamiliar with, and therefore, would rather avoid. But if we harness our shadows, they will eventually become our hidden strengths. It may be daunting at first to explore these dark and unknown parts of ourselves. However, with a curious mind and a compassionate heart, there's nothing to be afraid of. With that said, let us venture deep into the shadows within us.

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Shadows Within [Collaborator]