Have You Ever Taken a Personality Test?

The other day when I was fighting through boredom I stumbled on one of those online Myers-Briggs personality tests. 

Have you ever taken one of those?

My personality type was defined as someone who needs to be needed, feels unappreciated, is unwilling to toot her horn because she feels it’s wrong to want a reward for accomplishments, is better in one-on-one situations than group settings, is a tad introverted, often feels like a doormat and has a handful of close friends but is very loyal to the ones she has.

I was reading and nodding in recognition except for the “needing to be needed” part because most of the time I don’t care to be needed and can enjoy time alone if that’s where my day brings me. (Shout out to my introvert side.)  

The not-caring thing is new. There are many things I obsessed over in the past that I don’t think are important anymore. Don’t like me? Oh well, other people do. Didn’t invite me somewhere? Doesn’t matter. I went someplace else with someone else or stayed home and it was fine. Ghosted me? Whatever. Stay away.

It’s like I am finally growing and maturing and seeing the world with different eyes – like I put on a pair of magic glasses and got a clearer view of what matters in life and what doesn’t. And good grief, don’t think I’m tooting my own horn here because we all know I’m not a horn-tooter. I’m trying to describe an awakening or a shift in thinking that occurred within me because – and you might not believe this – of my Gratitude Journal. Keeping a gratitude journal is one of the best things I’ve ever done. It's like five minutes of free therapy because it forces me to find joy in little things I may not have noticed when I would otherwise be fretting over dumb sh*t.  

Note to my handful of close friends: You’re all getting a gratitude journal as a birthday gift because I want to share its wonders. Kind of like Oprah and that car giveaway: You get a gratitude journal. And you get a gratitude journal. And you get a gratitude journal. And you get a gratitude journal.

So anyway, I’m not sure I got much out of that test other than to read things about myself that were uncomfortably familiar. I was already painfully self-aware of my unappreciated introverted side but reading it all in a tidy description was. . .well, I don’t know. It would have been nicer to read something cheery like “You love life and people and would be a superior leader and are admired for your lust for adventure and overflowing self-confidence.”

Instead, I got: You’re an introverted wuss and your ideal career choices would be anonymous internet commenter and martyr.

I kid. My recommended career choices came up as health care and the arts and it’s fascinating to think about how mostly accurate that test was because I’ve dabbled in those areas.

I don’t suppose it’s possible to change your basic personality type but I’m sure I could tweak my settings and dial myself closer to the person I want to be. 

And that is life. We are all a work in progress and the goal should be to learn and grow and do better for as long as we are able.