Menu
As a challenger, you are tenacious, self-confident, industrious, and assertive. You have a clear vision for what you want in life and are highly driven toward your goals, with a desire to leave your mark on the world. When life gives you mountains, you climb them.
You are truly a natural leader, with others looking to you for your ability to lay down a clear plan of action, your inspirational drive toward achievement, and your unique ability to present others with a chance for inner growth and development. In times of hardship, you carry those around you with your strength and inspire them to keep going as you do.
You are fiercely self-reliant and do not allow the opinions of others to sway you, going about your business with a determination that leaves others in awe. You make decisions quickly and definitively, and your friends never have to wonder where they stand. Anyone who finds themselves in your inner circle knows they have a protector who wants to see them rise up to be their best self.
As a leader, you take a conventional approach to your work and inspire those around you with your strong work ethic. You are very methodical and easily decode even detailed instructions, which is a blessing to those around you who may be intimidated by the particulars of a project. You take charge and ensure that tasks are completed correctly, and if issues arise, your teammates know that you will find a practical solution to them.
While you are very independent, you find yourself drawn to structured environments that give you a clear path to move forward in your projects, as you prefer to focus on results rather than ideas.
You have big goals and understand that achieving them requires strength and focus, and you are up for the challenge. Rather than waiting to see what happens, you will take control of any situation because you know that staying on top of the situations that life throws at you is the way to ensure you are not derailed from your goals. Where some people balk in the face of adversity, you know that backing down is not an option and you push forward.
You fear being controlled, being emotionally-vulnerable, and being rejected. Fear is a healthy emotion that alerts us when it is time to get prepared. Fear alerts us to the fact that something needs assessing. When you live in the space of fear it can become paralyzing and confusing. The feelings of anxiety and overwhelm can present themselves as guarded and tense. The opportunity is to embrace the fear as your friend. Shift the shallow breath to a deep breath and ask yourself, “Is this fear justified?” If so, “What do you need to prepare for?” It is also an opportunity to shift your story. Are you telling the story of strong vs dominating, independent vs guarded, or encouraging vs antagonizing?
So, before you read the shadow side, I invite you to see this as an opportunity for growth. Feedback is often not your friend as it can feel like rejection, but it is not. Your intentions are pure, yet they can create discord in your collaboration.
Your determination and strong drive propel you forward with your work, and you have a strong desire to push others toward success as well. You want your team behind you as you push forward in your goals. This can be very inspirational and can drive others to be their best selves, but when the challenger is not serving you, you may not be aware of how others are truly feeling and this can lead them to feelings of resentment. While you are an excellent leader, it is important to be aware of times that you may need to be a great listener as well.
As a challenger, you wish to control your own destiny. When the challenger is not serving you, this need for control can sometimes turn into a battle of wills if someone offers an opposing view to your own. Remember that good ideas are not often born in echo chambers. Collaborative efforts can bring great reward when you remain open to ideas you had not considered, and others will bring their best abilities forward if they are allowed a space to contribute.
Your deep desire for control in your life gives way to great strengths like independence, confidence in your abilities, and drive to continue improving. When the challenger is not serving you, however, this desire for control can manifest as a fear of being indebted to anyone, and can drive you to over-extend yourself at work to avoid needing help from your teammates. Constantly overextending yourself is not a sustainable practice and can leave you exhausted. It is important to remember that you are a member of a team working toward common goals, and accepting help is not a sign of weakness or a loss of control.
Life is not always easy for the challenger. Beneath the confidence and strength you display to the world is a vulnerable side of you that worries about rejection and being hurt, and it can be hard to let yourself deal with those feelings when you are used to being the strong one. It can be difficult to accept help, even when you could probably use it, when it feels like doing so is sacrificing your power over your life.
Challengers make good business owners, personal trainers, corrections officers, and sales directors.
Barbara Walters
Martin Luther King jr
Cersei Lannister in Game of Thrones
Tony Soprano in The Sopranos
Can I accept that I might need help with this task?
Have I taken time for input from my teammates?
Am I pushing myself too hard?
Have I addressed my physical needs or am I ignoring them to continue working?