Creative? Messy? Forgetful? Move from one project to the next without finishing the last one? If you answered yes to most of these, you could be a Type CC personality.
We have the Type A'a and the Type B's to explain why people are the way they are, but that doesn't really cut it to explain every single type of person out there (and who ever hears about Type B?). Then if you search online, there's other personality types, the most common being the 16 types of the Meyers-Briggs test, which does seem to narrow down people into more categories. But being an ENFP/INFP, this still doesn't tell you everything about me. So I created my own personality type to explain a little more about who I am, and those who are like me.
I call it the CC Personality Type.
CC stands for the Chaotic Creative, meaning those of us who suffer from ADHD (or similar concentration issues) and are very creative. We usually are more messy than Type A's or Type B's, a lot more creative and have a lot more swimming around in our heads than most. We are those who have 1,000 ideas and probably haven't finished but a couple of them. We can train ourselves to be a little less chaotic (which was what my old blog was about), but we'll always be somewhat scattered and will need to rely on outside devices to keep us organized (notes, alarms, etc.).
I am moody, messy, restless, and sporadic. I don't like rigid structure (I actually shut down when I am subjected to it--that's why I cannot do outlines before writing stories, it kills my creative fire). I am forgetful and absent-minded, yet fiercely creative. My house overflows with books and supplies that fit my various artistic needs. And laundry. I am horrible at keeping up on our laundry (although I am working on combating this with a combination of Marie Kondo's style of organization and a capsule wardrobe).
One thing that bugs me is the stigma that surrounds our personality type. People think creativity is a choice. Let me tell you, I don't really choose much about the way my brain works. Would I trade my creativity in order to be more "normal", cleanly, and organized? I honestly don't know. I can't say yes or no. I would be lost without my creativity, yet I don't enjoy being so disorganized. So those of us CC's out there, we literally can't follow any structure made for personality types that are different from our own. Not that we don't want to, but we just can't. And it honestly causes disastrous consequences if we're forced, one of which includes shutting down (meaning many things, including depression).
When CC's are put into a world where we are required to adhere to a type A style of anything, we just simply can't keep up. We can become confused easily and the stress of trying to keep up makes us even more forgetful than normal. If it's work, we can get bored easily and some of us end up either quitting or just not going in. Not because we are lazy, but because of an uncontrollable urge to purge which that does not speak our brain's language.
So how do we keep organized as type CC personalities? Well, we don't! 😝 But for real, I will be frank with you: organizing will always be an uphill battle for us. Always. There is no way around it. We can get better, little by little, but it will take years on end and we'll always have relapses back into messiness (in our brains, in our houses, in our businesses, and in our lives in general).
And guess what?
That is okay.
Accept this about yourself and move on. Because we are not type A's and we never will be (well, not without STRICT discipline--something our personality types are not famous for). No, you're not locked into who you are right now, but know that even if you never change, you are fine just the way you are. Accept you are messy. No more excuses.
Just own it!
And a HUGE thing: stop apologizing for it. Give yourself permission to be who you are and stop being sorry about it. You have nothing to be ashamed of. We live in a world dominated by success equaling how Type A you can be. And that's simply not true. We are successful, too. Just in a different way. It's like intelligence: there's book smarts and street smarts--one can tell you every country in the world and the other can fix your car without googling how to do so. Which is smarter? Neither, they are just different types of smart.
We need to stop defining our success by Type A standards. We need to create new standards in which to judge ourselves by. Or, just stop judging ourselves and others all together.
Because really, what is success? One person's success is not another's. I am in a bullet journaling group for mental health and some of those women's success is just getting out of bed that day and brushing their teeth. And that IS success. I know, I've been there. And then I have a Type A friend who's success is being the first American to hold the job title in her company as Global Human Resources Manager. I am proud of both of these women, both work hard for their success. But one would not consider the other's as something they'd want to strive for. The same goes for us. Type CC's do not need to compare themselves to anyone, ever. Nor should we compare others to us.
Some people might label us with some sort of mental illness or just plain having ADHD. Which both may be true, but that still doesn't change who we are. Whatever mixture of issues we may have creates this personality style, which explains who we are without having to label it for anyone who had no need to know our personal issues (say, if some of this is caused by bipolar or something else).
For most of my life I've been labeled as a flake or a "quitter" (hell, my own dad told my inlaws before I got married to my ex that I was a quitter and I'd probably leave the marriage--little did he know the guy was abusive and I did end up leaving LOL). I look back and see everything I've quit as me walking away from something that no longer served my body, mind, or soul. I am not like most people who will sit through something and torture themselves just for the sake of "sticking with it". Though, I am working on that part of myself because some things I did quit too quickly. I am mellowing out in my older age (notice I didn't say "old age"!) and learning to deal with the uncomfortableness of life that is inevitable (esp. to teach my kids how to do the same). But I still don't regret anything or any choice I've ever made. Because it's made me who I am today, and I am pretty kick-ass! (most days 😉)
So, if you're like me, and struggling with organization in all areas of your life, and especially your home, instead of telling people "Sorry for the mess..." hang up one of these signs instead:"Pardon the Mess, We Live Here."
"A Clean House is the Sign of a Wasted Life."
"My House Isn't Messy, it's a Real Life Seek and Find Game! Contact me for a game sheet!"
"A Messy House is a Sign of Character (and you should see the characters that live here!)"
"My House Isn't Messy, it's Rustic!"
"Creative Person Working, Ignore the Mess"
"My House Isn't Messy, We Just Have Everything on Display. Like a Museum."
"This isn't a mess, it's a cleverly disguised burglar deterrent system."
"This isn't a mess, it's a judgmental person deterrent system. If you don't like it, leave. And don't come back."
"Creativity is MESSY. And I am very creative."
"Sorry for the mess, we are under construction."
"Our House Is Lived In, It's Not For Show. If You Don't Like It, You Know Where To Go."
"Our house isn't messy, it's an obstacle course designed to keep our family fit!"
"If a cluttered house is the sign of a cluttered brain, then what is an empty house a sign of?"
"Ignore the mess. Did you come to visit me or my house?"
(I only wish I had one of these signs last month, when my depression was so out of control and I literally had stopped cleaning my house for an entire MONTH and my father-in-law decided to drop in for an unannounced visit. The first thing he said as he looked around was "Jesus Christ." He didn't bother to ask if I needed help or say much of anything else, he just carried on a conversation with my son and then left and hasn't been back since. Thank goodness.)
While I don't usually enjoy my disorganization, I have learned to accept it. That doesn't mean I don't strive to become more organized, I just don't expect it, nor do I force it. I let it flow naturally and give myself room to go back to my old habits if that's what my brain wants. And I do not apologize for my mess anymore. If someone is going to come over unannounced (which I hate), then they have to deal with it (and as in the case above, he's not invited back to come into my house anymore).
It's YOUR house, not your company's, never forget that. And remember to enjoy your chaotic creativeness. Not everyone can do the things that you do. And if that means you'll be making a mess while doing it, then so be it. A small price to pay for creative greatness 😀.
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