1s want to do whatever they do correctly. They are driven to always be right, upright, (sometimes even righteous), as well as conscientious, ethical, and moral. They have an image of perfection they try to realize, and their fear is that they can’t measure up–they’re not good enough, proper enough, or conscientious enough to attain it.
So they strive mightily to prove to themselves and others how principled and ethical and responsible and hard-working they are. It can be a pretty tough row to hoe. Perfection is an ideal that is rarely fully realized in the real world. Chasing after it can make 1s very intense and sometimes even, dare we say, rigid.
If 1s accept the fact that, trite though it sounds, nobody’s perfect and it’s OK not to be (and do) right all the time, they may find it easier to relax a little and focus on the bigger picture. The same degree of scrutiny does not need to be applied to everyone and everything. Mistakes were made. Stitches were dropped. Commas were misplaced. Life is irregular and messy and imperfect. Sometimes that’s the best thing about it!
So if you’re a 1, let yourself go out and do something haphazardly or casually. You know you have it in you. Let yourself off the hook for your past transgressions. They’re what make you human. They’re what make it possible for other people to relate to you.
Your true value–what you have to offer the rest of us–doesn’t lie exclusively in crossing all the i’s and dotting all the t’s, except when you’re proofreading. Otherwise good enough is often good enough.
Next Friday: Type 2: Embrace Your Inner Pip-Squeak
Nine Paths 
I’m not even a 1, and that had some useful ideas for me. Makes me look even more forward to when you get to 6s. I’d hate to be an 8 or 9 under these ciricumstances. 🙂
This is true, but I think the 8s probably don’t want anyone telling them anything about themselves, and the 9s are used to waiting. I can hear them sighing. Thank you for commenting!