One way to come up with gift ideas for your loved ones is to take a look at what kinds of things their personality patterns like. If you’re unsure how to discern which patterns a person does, take a look at my article How to Discern Your Patterns. And remember that each of us typically does two of the patterns, not just the one that is the most obvious.
Here are some ideas:
Leaving –
- activities and things that are fun and playful
- activities and things that are creative or spark their curiosity
- things that take them to other worlds and other dimensions, like fantasy novels and space music
- things that involve communication with animals or plants
Merging –
- things that are warm and fuzzy
- things that help them connect with the people they love
- things that help them feel connected to you
- things that feel and taste good, especially chocolate
- things that make them feel happy, valued, appreciated
- things that provide pleasurable, sensual experiences
Enduring –
- things that give them space from other people
- things that give them quiet time
- invitations to accompany you in doing something that they want to do, but don’t want to take the initiative on
- you holding space for them, doing with them what they want, at their pace
- you waiting quietly while they go inside and find what it is they want to say or do
Aggressive –
- high energy, stimulating adventures, activities, and music
- games, challenges, contests, opportunities to strive, fight, and win
- intense experiences of all kinds
- opportunities to hunt and track something
- opportunities to take risks and test themselves
Rigid –
- things to help them stay organized and on time
- opportunities to focus on form and structure
- opportunities to solve puzzles, break codes, read maps, analyze data
- games and contests that require knowing the rules and mastering details
- activities that require seeing how things fit together, like jigsaw puzzles
- opportunities to perform well and be rewarded for it
Another way to use the personality patterns to generate gift ideas is to think of what their patterns probably don’t have but need:
Leaving –
- help with grounding, core, boundaries
- help with staying oriented in time and space (like a GPS system)
- help feeling safe, loved, included, warm and fuzzy
Merging –
- help with grounding, core, boundaries
- help with staying oriented in time and space (like a GPS system)
- help with boundaries and saying no
- help with referencing themselves and putting themselves first
- help with self-care and taking time for themselves (a spa day)
- help with taking in and holding nourishment, attention, love
Enduring –
- help with moving their hips and lower body to get their energy moving (dancing, running, biking, swimming, kick boxing . . . )
- help with taking action, initiating and completing something
- opportunities to let someone else protect them from harm
Aggressive –
- help with grounding
- help with referencing others and putting them first
- opportunities to let someone else take control and care for them
- help with feeling their heart, their love, and their connection to you
Rigid –
- help with grounding
- opportunities to relax into pleasure, spontaneity, and chaos
- help with feeling their heart, their love, their feelings
- help with feeling their emotional connection to themselves
- permission to make mistakes and still be loved
Like all generalizations, this list is only generally accurate. But it’s a place to start. I hope it gives you some ideas and sparks your own creativity regarding gift ideas for your loved ones.
And happy holidays to everyone.