Understanding Yourself and others

What's an INtrovert?

When I got married, I didn't know what an introvert was. I had probably heard the word, but that was about it... I married one, so I got to understand the differences between introverts and extroverts pretty quickly. It was surprising to me that our brains don't work in the same ways, and that we process things very differently from one another. Once I learned that, I was able to better understand and enjoy our differences. I'm a fan of understanding people. It helps me to like them better!!! These days, I think anything that can help us understand and like people a little more is worth trying out. 

myers-briggs (mbti)

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) has been my favorite tool for understanding the different ways that people think. Once you take a free test and find out what your type is, you can then start researching about yourself. Your type will be 4 letters: E or I (extraverted or introverted), N or S (Intuitive or Sensing), F or T (Feeling or Thinking), and J or P (Judging or Perceiving). For example, my type is ENFP and that 4 letter "recipe" of my personality is just one of 16 possibilities. Look your type up on Pinterest and you'll get all sorts of information you relate with! Things you thought only you did... It's amazing to find out there are other people who think like you out there in the world. Understanding yourself comes first, so read up on your type and see if it fits! The next step is to find out more about your family and friends. Ask them to take the test and send you their results! Most people are interested to find out their personality type and will take the test, so it is easy to do. I keep a running list in the notes on my phone for my friends' and family's personality types... Is that weird? LOL

the 5 Love Languages

Even before the idea of introverts and extroverts, the book The 5 Love Languages, was introduced to me at church. It highlights the 5 basic ways people give and receive love. This was a major breakthrough in my mind! I was loving others the way I want to receive love, not necessarily the way they feel most loved. Those 5 ways of giving and receiving love are: Quality Time, Acts of Service, Words of Affirmation, Physical Touch, and Gifts. I believe we actually need to receive love in all those ways, but there is usually one that is most important, or one area that needs more focus. I really had to learn how to love with acts of service. Not only has it benefitted my marriage, but it has made me a better person to learn how to love others in different ways. This also applies to children as well, so it has been helpful information to have. I'm truly glad to have learned this early on in my marriage. Since reading this book years ago, they have come out with a whole website with quizzes! Hurray! Another quiz, and you can find it here.

the four colors

The Four Colors is a book that was recommended to me when I started with my essential oils business. It claims to be for network marketing, but I think it's a fantastic way of understanding myself and others better. It's especially useful for relating to others in a sales or work environment. This book divides personality types up into 4 separate colors: red, green, blue, and yellow, each with distinctive ways of relaying and receiving information. TLDR: Red likes business, Green likes research, Blue wants to have fun, and Yellow wants to help others. Most will have one primary color that they relate to, with a secondary color that also plays an important role. 

enneagram

I am a little late to the enneagram game.. but it's all the rage! I will also admit that I don't relate to this test as much as I do to others so I'm not the expert of enneagram, but I can appreciate that this test has been a helpful window into better understanding for some of my friends, so I wanted to make sure I included it. Take the free test here and discover which number you are, then use that information to help you understand more about your strengths and fears. These tests can help pinpoint both positive and negative attributes. It's so helpful to consider the results and see what needs to be addressed to become a better person. 

harry potter house

Which house would you be in? If you've read Harry Potter, then you have probably wondered which house you would be a part of. Well wonder no more! You do have to create an account, but this and many others quizzes and tests are free over on the wizarding world website. The sorting hat quiz is short, sweet, and fun to take, and is another great personality quiz to add to the list. I would have guessed that I was a Hufflepuff, but the hat sorted me to Gryffindor! 

brand archetype

I first found out about brand archetypes in an online class I was a part of where I was encouraged to take this free test.  For those of us with our own businesses, those of us who work within a small business, or those who are in marketing, this test can be eye-opening! It's such a fascinating way to see how to market your business or brand to others, and it's encouraging to find your brand has one of 12 archetypes just like every other brand that exists. 

Internal Monologue VS. Abstract thought

Do you have an internal monologue? When I read this article, I was -as they say- shook. I spent a week or more analyzing my thoughts to see how I processed things, if it was more abstract, or if there was an internal monologue.. It turns out that I actually am a good mix of the two, using both abstract thought and internal monologue. It was a major distraction to analyze my thought processes so closely! But once I figured out I was a mix, I was able to relax and stop analyzing so closely. While this isn't exactly a personality test, it is a different way of categorizing different ways the brain processes information, and it was completely new to me!

the big five

The Big Five is the newest personality test I have heard of and I am HERE. FOR. IT. I love this way of breaking down points of your personality in graph form. It really helped me to see where I am completely unbalanced, and where I have more evenly distributed tendencies. You can see my results here. Take the free test for yourself here.

other tests 

I haven't yet taken these tests, but I wanted to include them here for you. These tests take a little more time to complete, but seem like they will be informative.

​Values Test --helps uncover your core values

Work Values Test--helps uncover your talents and and help you choose a career path based on your assessed work values. 

As always, please share any suggestions for additions to this post!