The Metamorphic Journey From ‘Type A’ to ‘Type Be’ (And How It Can Transform Your Life)
You’re a high achieving, successful businessperson. When something important needs to get done with top quality, people come to you. In fact, you’ve built your career on producing and delivering results without fail, year after year.
But as we know, there’s a shadow side to the Type A behavior that builds thriving careers. Certainly there are physical impacts from the constant sense of urgency that pushes us onto the next thing and then the next. But there are mental, emotional and even spiritual impacts that, if left unattended, can lead to varying degrees of burnout.
I know, I’ve been there. And it’s hard to step off the spinning treadmill of productivity when you’re on it. In fact, that’s what led me to wellness. A vacation in the Alaskan wilderness almost 20 years ago gave me the distance and stillness I needed to understand that it was time to make a change and leave Wall Street. I began to get curious about how I might live differently, even as I continued to juggle professional career stressors with personal life expectations and desires.
But the real change – the most transformative shift of my life – started when I began to question my Type A lifestyle. Was there a kinder approach to getting things done without sacrificing the quality and productivity I consistently delivered? A modification or adaptation? I found the answer to be a resounding “Yes!”
It’s been my experience that once a Type A, always a Type A. Those tendencies don’t completely or effortlessly surrender to a more Zen approach to life without consistent practice. But I noticed while I was still working in the corporate world that inviting moments of presence and intention were a game changer. I learned to allow my right brain, heart-based instinct to take the lead over my left brain logic, which was my default setting. And over time, this journey of living from the heart completely changed the trajectory of my life.
I liken this transformation to the biological process of metamorphosis, such as when a caterpillar becomes a butterfly. Here’s how the process works in nature. When it's time for a caterpillar to transform, it hangs upside down from a branch and spins itself a cocoon. The caterpillar releases an enzyme that melts it into liquid, activating special cells that reassemble it into a new form – a butterfly. The butterfly instinctively knows how to construct itself as it transforms. It becomes who it's meant to be.
When the butterfly is fully formed, it's still too weak to break out of the cocoon. In fact, it's the struggle to break free that builds the strength for its new life. Once outside, its wings expand and it becomes capable of flight as it lets go of the old caterpillar baggage that's no longer useful. And only then can it trust the unknowingness of what lies ahead.
Just like your butterfly counterpart, the more you practice, the easier it gets to reassemble, and then in time, to gather strength, to expand your wings, and ultimately, to take flight.
Benefits of Embarking on the Head to Heart Journey
It’s been said that the longest journey is from head to heart, From Type A to Type Be. And the benefits are many, including increased authenticity, as your self-understanding allows you to see yourself and others with more clarity and empathy. You may also find your relationships deepen as you accept and own more of your story, become more confident in the day-to-day, and feel less triggered by emotions or external events. And all of this can lead to enhanced wellness in the form of increased energy from releasing the invisible psychological and weight.
Three Ways to Start the Head to Heart Journey
I’ve found three entry points to begin accessing your Type Be self, which are:
Tending your inner voice: A great place to start becoming aware is in your self-talk, the things you say to yourself and how you talk about yourself to others. Note whenever you use a tone that's critical, judgmental or blaming and words such as can’t, won't, hate, give up or never. The act of noticing is the first step in amending the behavior.
Cultivating deep listening: Another way to expand your heart capacity and response is by listening attentively to others. This action automatically puts you in a receptive, caring, generous space that transcends the busyness of the day and puts you into the presence of the moment, creating space between thought and action.
Trusting the ease: The wisdom of the body versus the logic of the mind can give you clarity. Learn to trust when your body feels good, even when you diverge off your usual path. In fact, especially when you diverge off your well-established path. Pay attention to the difference between feeling constricted and trapped (head) versus feeling freedom and expansiveness (heart).
As you begin to experiment, what you’ll notice is you always have a choice whether to lead with the head or the heart. Head-based living analyzes our options through the limited lens of pros and cons, of cause and effect, which can feel tense and contracted. Conversely, heart-based living is rooted in possibility and opportunity, and feels spacious and in flow.
It takes time to trust that your heart has your best interest, well, at heart. But as you get to know this space, you’ll recognize it as your innermost wisdom. Imagine the peace you’ll feel when you can reliably trust your heart’s intelligence and take action knowing that everything is unfolding to support your success without undue stress.
Journal Reflections: When you think of the phrase “Type A,” what comes up for you? What would need to shift to invite “Type Be” energy into your days? What small step might you be able to take today?