Have you ever thought about your high school years and wondered why you weren’t more popular? Does it break your heart to watch your teenager have the EXACT same problems that you had when you were that age? Or – are you secretly jealous that your teenager is WAY more popular than you ever were — and it baffles you?
The popular kids are the same types in every generation. That’s because nature is nature, and that doesn’t change. Personalities don’t change, and we are drawn to certain people more than others. Anyone can be successful and happy in all areas of life, but if you’re concerned about popularity, let me demystify the social hierarchy for you. And please don’t be too sensitive when I refer to boys vs. girls. Any gender-specific pronouns can be reversed and still be totally true.
The WOOD type of teenager: this is typically the guy who is good at absolutely everything — and he KNOWS it. He’s the captain of the football team, the student council president, the guy who brags that he doesn’t have to study but he gets all A’s. He even might audition for the school play lead on a whim, barely having to study his lines — and he gets the part. You want to hate that guy because he’s SO darn arrogant, but when he takes the time to look your way and say ‘hello’ once in a blue moon, you can’t help being flattered. Why? Because he’s so sure of himself, that you subconsciously think that if he took the time to notice you, that it makes you feel like YOU could be more like him someday. If the WOOD “guy” is a girl, same deal. She could be mean as hell to you, but the one day she’s nice, you forgive her immediately, and for the same reason. She makes you think that YOU could be more like her, if only you tried a little harder, and dreamed a little higher.
But all 5 types may become happy and successful in all aspects of life, regardless of how they were perceived in high school.
The FIRE type of teenager: this is the temperamental, moody one who can’t keep still, even into her teens. When she’s in a good mood, she attracts everyone because she’s so bubbly and smiley. When she’s in a bad mood, everyone knows it, and you desperately want to make her happy — at any cost. You’ll do anything to see her smile again, anything to feel her charm shower over you. She is typically phenomenal at various artistic pursuits — drama, visual arts, musical instruments, vocals, writing. She loves being the center of attention, and gets involved when she sees someone else about to grab the spotlight. If the FIRE “gal” is a guy, this is the guy who smiles at every guy and girl in the hall, and he’s secretly writing poetry in his spare time, or he’s the singer/songwriter for his band. This type of teenager could also be running for student government, and will definitely get elected, but probably will not actually DO what he/she says he/she will. But that’s okay — the FIRE types can get anyone to do their work for them — they are that mesmerizing. Their role lies in their ability to inspire others to get the work done.
The EARTH type of teenager: this is the one who is friendly to everyone all the time, AND sincerely wants to be your friend — no matter who you are. You may be in heaven, only to soon find out that he/she is also friends with EVERYONE else. This person truly appreciates all types of people, and makes friends easily. He or she gets involved and excels at all student activities, but never really cares about being the center of attention. He or she may worry about seeing another student get left out of things. This person wants everyone to be happy, and may be prone to people-pleasing and over-worrying, as they play the peacemaker role when there is discord.
The METAL type of teenager: this is the guy or gal who is quiet and doesn’t care about joining the crowd, and doesn’t need many friends to be happy. He or she usually excels at academics that require a right or wrong answer, and loves to learn the details of how things work. These people may or may not be pleasant to you because they are always thinking about how to improve things with their critical mind, and they are going down their to-do list, as they are the ultimate taskmasters. They are more concerned with justice, correctness, perfectionism, and efficiency than they are with being friendly and social. But once you get to know them, they start to warm up, and can become lifelong friends.
The WATER type of teenager: this is the extremely introverted quiet type who misses out on what’s going on because he or she is daydreaming and may be writing in a journal. This person may be writing a novel, a song, a poem, or a piece of music, and longs to have just a little more social interaction, but can’t find the words to join in on other people’s conversations. From a young age, this guy or gal may not have felt confident because it took awhile to catch up to his/her peers in language skills and maturity. He or she never knew what was the latest trend in popular culture, so feeling behind the curve became the norm. You may know people like this and they may appear less intelligent because they talk more slowly and have to think a lot before making a statement. They are often underestimated due to their slower, more contemplative nature, but given enough time and the right circumstances and encouragement, they can accomplish great things, much to the surprise of their peers.
So the so-called “popular” types are usually the WOOD, FIRE, and EARTH people. Both METAL and WATER people often get misunderstood. But all 5 types may become happy and successful in all aspects of life, regardless of how they were perceived in high school. Which type are YOU? Comment here!
