Today, we’re going to consider the go-getter choleric!

Like sanguines, cholerics are extraverts. They have strong, quick, lasting reactions to external stimuli, and they are intensely active. They get things DONE. Think of your classic C-suite type: intelligent, business-smart, bold, fearless, questioning boundaries and rules, never taking no for an answer.

When a choleric sets off down a good path, will worthy goals, it’s a BEAUTIFUL thing.

Cholerics are the opposite of the introverted, go-along to get along phlegmatic.

POSITIVES

Cholerics are not afraid to take risks when risks need to be taken. They aren’t afraid to act.

In a real way, cholerics make the world turn. They are swift to act, they know what they want, and they know how to turn that plan into real results.

In the Catholic Church, there are more canonized choleric saints than saints of any other temperament. Now, this isn’t because cholerics are holier than other temperaments; it’s because, as mentioned above, cholerics make things happen, and so make names for themselves. They are your CEOs, your St. Pauls, your St. Ignatius of Loyolas.

Cholerics are honest about what they think–often brutally so. Tact is not their strong point; they have to learn tact. But they’re not afraid to stand up to authority or to assert themselves. They are always questioning “Why?”

STRUGGLES

Cholerics can struggle with anger. They are known for hot tempers. They don’t like roadblocks or being told “no.”

Cholerics can also struggle with a particular form of pride: they don’t like advice and they tend to have issues with authority. This can include rightful, reasonable authority as much as authority that deserves to be questioned.

Being intense, cholerics can come across as dismissive or disdainful or others. They don’t take advice easily.

FAMOUS CHOLERICS

St. Paul

St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuits

Boromir

Julius Caesar

Napoleon Bonaparte