Most importantly, if you understand that title reference then we can definitely be friends because you get me. This is how my brain works when I try to think of catchy blog post titles and can actually only think in musical lyrics…
So anyway, last night I took a personality quiz….and then today I took like five more.
In my ever-continuing quest for self discovery, I’ve become pretty enamored with quizzes and how they inform my knowledge of self. I’ve taken some really great, informative, and fun quizzes. I found out what my Patronus is (some sort of bird), what Parks and Recreation character I am (April, duh), and even found out that someday I will be famous due to my taste in baked goods (thanks Buzzfeed, for that confidence boost).
Okay, but seriously, I recently delved into Myers-Briggs personality quizzes, which I’ve avoided for years because everyone else was doing them and talking about them and I don’t need a personality test to tell me that I can be pretty damn contrarian. However, as with most things that people recommend to me and I avoid for multiple years before looking into and then end up being really, really interested in, Myers-Briggs is actually pretty cool.
I sometimes have a tough time identifying characteristics that are really “me” when I’m reading through profiles. I have this grand idea in my head of my ideal self, as I’m sure so many others do, and I often struggle to determine if what I’m relating to is really reflective of me or if it illustrates what I like to call “Future Erika”, who is obviously the best version of me. “Future Erika” is successful, self assured, and she somehow has perfect hair all. the. time. She’s great. But I digress…
My Myers-Briggs profile (INFP, in case you’re interested), was almost scarily accurate. I found myself nodding along, reading portions of it out loud to my husband, and saying “Ohmigod, yes!” every few lines. I feel pretty strongly about really knowing and understanding yourself, and maybe I’m the only one who struggles with this, but for me, personality quizzes and profiles are an excellent way to increase that.
Here are my favorites so far with links so you can try ’em out yourself:
This is the one that started my new obsession. It’s based on Myers-Briggs but really breaks down the personality types into sections and goes into detail in areas like relationships, career paths and workplace habits, and strengths and weaknesses. I already knew that I am an introvert and that my feelings tend to drive my actions and decisions, but I didn’t realize just how turbulent I am (94%)!
This quiz focuses more on careers and how the ten success drivers are prioritized in your decision making. I value Ethics, Stimulation, and Fun, which means that I don’t just take myself into account when looking for careers, but I consider the entire world. Seems pretty fitting for a teacher, I guess.
Bonus: This one also gives you book suggestions that fit with your priorities, which warms my little book-loving, English-teaching heart.
The best part of VisualDNA’s quizzes are of course the visuals. Unlike most personality quizzes which ask you to consider a statement and rate your agreement or disagreement with it on a sliding scale, VisualDNA has you choose pictures that most appeal to you as you answer a series of questions about your life, career preferences, desires, and habits. Pretty AND informative!
All three of the above quizzes gave me similar results: I’m an introvert who enjoys being around people but who needs time alone to recharge. I’m exceptionally spontaneous and adventure seeking–often to a fault. It is important to me to be agreeable and I like when others are happy and well cared for. I’m also very susceptible to neuroticism and turbulence due to my capacity for emotions. (This is 100% a fancy way of saying HOT MESS, I’m certain).
This was thought provoking for me and I’m glad I finally spent some time delving into this. I spend a lot of time second guessing myself or my motives, so realizing that I do have some solid attributes and that my intentions are generally good (I just want to change the WORLD, y’all!) was a nice surprise. 🙂
Have you taken Myers-Briggs? What do you think of it?
About Post Author
