For our readers who are new to the 5 element personality types, there are 5 types: wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. The EARTH type is in the middle of the spectrum in terms of introvert vs. extravert. The WOOD type is the fastest, most extraverted, and most confident. The WATER type is the slowest, most introverted, and potentially the least confident — although their confidence may be boosted by the right type of parenting.
The EARTH types of the world are our caregivers, our friends-of-all, our peacemakers — the ones who are always looking out for the welfare of others. They tend to participate in many varied sports and activities of their many friends, and they are ambiverts — so they are like introverts who can be the life of the party.
Today we have Rae Jenkins, an earth mom, who raised an earth daughter.
LS: What was your biggest struggle in raising your daughter? She is 25 now, right?
Rae: Yes, that’s right. She’s 25. My biggest struggle was to help her find her way, and making her aware of her value and worth. I think it was such a struggle for me in particular because I didn’t see much value in myself for a period of time — even though I completely saw hers. It forced me to grow up and personally develop.
LS: This is a common problem for EARTH types. They sometimes adjust themselves and their interests to please others and maintain friendships, so their TRUE talents and interests get lost by the wayside. Would you say that this may have happened to you when you were younger?
Rae: Oh yes, absolutely.
LS: What would you say have been the major obstacles to her success?
Rae: The major obstacles to my daughter having success was her mental gifting. She was very smart and would quickly develop IDEAS that she thought were solutions. They were great ideas — but not necessarily solutions.
LS: That’s cool that you had that level of self-awareness and you helped your daughter see that as well. Do you think she enjoys taking care of others, and giving THEM ideas, so they can take the ball and run with it? What career field did she end up choosing?
Rae: Yes, that sounds right. Her career field is psychology. She works with kids that have autism while she’s finishing up her master’s degree. Her concentration is addiction studies.
LS: Wow, that takes a special level of empathy to work with addicts. Sounds like the perfect fit for an EARTH type.
Rae: Yes, I’m extremely proud of her, and thrilled that she sees her value.
LS: That’s what we all strive to do with our kids. To raise them to have confidence and work hard to aspire to careers that fit their personality type.
LS: So what about you? Does being an EARTH type help you in your career?
Rae: Absolutely! I sell legal insurance, so it appeals to my nature to help people even before they get into legal trouble or even just need routine legal help, as in real estate transactions.
LS: Yes, that sounds like a perfect fit! For those who don’t want to pay $400/hour for legal help, you can pay a small fraction of this for a whole year and be covered. This is brilliant — I’m so glad to find out about this! Here’s Rae Jenkins’ URL:
What 5 element type are you and your kids? Please contact us for a one-page guide for determining 5 element type.
