THE ADDICTIVE BEHAVIORS OF WOOD: control, victim/victimizer or hero dramas, busyness.

The imbalanced Wood personality is addicted to action. It defines itself by what it can DO in a specific time structure. Nothing feeds his self-worth more than watching things get crossed off that to-do list while simultaneously adding more to it. No time to rest and relax, this Wood personality says "I'm the only one who can do it right, I'm the only one who can do it fast enough, and I'm the only one I can count on".

Needless to say, the imbalanced Wood personality burns through relationships. Frustrated by other's perceived lack of skill or speed, he must continually jump in and save the day. This is the Warrior's tendency showing up, but the true Warrior quickly gets bored with saving the day of maintenance. Wood yearns for big action, for big dramas, for big wrongs to right. When held back and forced to perform within a small structure, expect to see the Warrior warp and get ugly and mean.

One of the main jobs for the Warrior is to take us from a victim reality to a creator reality. A victim reality is one in which the world cannot be trusted. Bad things can happen to us at any moment. We have little personal power, and so are victims of circumstance. The Warrior in us hates being held in a victim reality, and struggles to shift us to a world in which we have power. If we continuously take actions from a victim reality, grounding us in that place, we may find ourselves frustrated and angry all the time. That anger is the fuel to blast us from a world of fear to a world of trust. (see rage work)

If we are living as victims, the Warrior will need control over all aspects of his life. This includes controlling those around him. His arrogance is legendary when he is running amok. If you ask him for help, he will take over and do the job himself, all the while demanding your adoration over his skill. The imbalanced Warrior hits below the belt - nothing is sacred to him in his anger. When he combines his addiction to control with his addiction to alcohol, you have a very dangerous person in your psyche.

Every one of us has an imbalanced Warrior within. Do you constantly criticize those in power? Sneer at celebrities you think are air heads? Point out others' faults with great passion? This is your imbalanced Warrior making himself known. If you can allow him to express his purpose in your own life, which is to champion for fairness (no cheating please - that puts your Warrior into a self-destructive loop); to stop focusing on what others do and hold yourself to your own standard of integrity; then commit to a structure of personal power that allows your Warrior to follow his focus with single-minded abandon, you will find him truly being a Hero in your life.