The Benefit of Knowing Your Personality Type

For most of my life, I’ve felt like I don’t fit in.  Now, I’ve always had really good groups of friends that could have a great time hanging out and doing fun activities.  And I’ve always had a few really close friends that I could pour my heart out to and vice versa.  But in normal day-to-day activities, it was more difficult.  I don’t know if I was too hard on myself, wanting to be exactly like others, or I didn’t want to accept the fact that I was quirky and saw the world differently than other people. My personality type had a lot to do with this.

I do know that I didn’t accept myself for who I was and embrace the gifts and unique qualities that I possess.  It’s easy to feel guilty for not being a certain way or not being a certain person that others wanted me to be.  Or I thought others wanted me to be. There is a distinction between the two, though minor, it again showed the pressure I was putting on myself.

I did have a “friend” in grade school tell me that I was too much to deal with and didn’t want to remain friends (I’m sure that wasn’t the exact wording of my 3rd grade classmate, but at least how I remember it).  I also had a college roommate tell me I talked too much! This shows that I can definitely be too intense for some people.  And maybe I am socially awkward.  I don’t always know the correct things to say, or know which topic I should bring up amongst people I don’t know well.  Also, I am definitely a people pleaser.

Finding Freedom Through a Personality Test

But freedom came about a year ago when I rediscovered the Myers Briggs personality test.  This was something I was familiar with because I had taken it a long time ago when I was about to graduate from college, but when I searched for the test since then, I would end up finding a paid version and never took it again.  So, I was sitting on the couch one rainy afternoon and scrolling through Facebook.  I came across a friend’s post sharing her personality test from 16 Personalities.  I gave it a whirl and about 15 minutes later was thoroughly engrossed in reading all about myself.  And let me tell you.  This was life-changing.

So, the ways that I’ve felt that seemed awkward and out of place was now being explained as normal.  I was wired to feel this way and to have these preferences.  I would highly encourage you to take a personality test and help you get in touch with who you really are.  It helps provide validation, encouragement, and guidance, allowing me to be at peace with who I am! The one thing that stood out the most to me was that my personality can be a whole host of contradictions.  And this made so much sense!!  It helped me identify why I couldn’t meet my goals, and why I was feeling so guilty about it. Here is a great chart I found on Wikipedia that explains the different personality types really well.

Personality Type Overview

By Jake Beech (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

My Example of Freedom

For example, when it comes to meal planning, I want to be as efficient as possible when it comes to grocery shopping, I want to be frugal and find the best prices, I want to plan healthy meals to stick to some new-fangled diet, and that is super yummy with lots of variety!!  Talk about exhausting!  You can’t have complicated and efficient in the same situation.  So, I identified one of my problem areas!!  Another one is that part of my personality loves to come up with systems and regimented schedules, but the other part of me doesn’t like sticking to them, wanting the flexibility to see how I feel and adapt to different scenarios.

Benefits of Taking a Personality Test

I hope this has shed some light on the benefits of taking a personality test and learning about yourself, as weird as that sounds.  Here’s a quick list:

• Find peace and contentment knowing you’re not alone
• Gain confidence and courage to be yourself
• Capitalize on strengths and learn how to overcome weaknesses
• Final Thoughts

Lastly, a little bit more about myself.  You might not be able to relate to my personality type as a small percentage of the population have the same type as me, though I can relate well to personality types very similar to my own, but hopefully this will encourage you to examine your personality, learn more about yourself, and accept yourself just as you are!!

I am an organizational junkie that loves baskets and hates closet doors.  Because who doesn’t need a cute place to show off all their baskets!! I am full of contradictions and battles and find myself agonizing between the complex and the simple.  My mind goes a mile a minute, but I would rather strive to live in the moment.  The Notes app on my phone constant a friend; I love files and folders; and pictures of serenity and nature.

Overextending myself often ends up in burnout mode.  Confrontation is extremely uncomfortable for me, and I’m sensitive to criticism. I want to be out and about with my closest friends or chatting on the phone; while equally enjoy being curled up in bed with a good book and my fur baby.  There is nothing like the serenity of being under the ocean, watching colorful fish while listening to the relaxing breath of conserving air (i.e. scuba diving), and I love going on walks through the woods.   I want to be true to myself and a compassionate friend.  I am an over-thinker, perfectionist with a love for helping people.