CHAPTER LII – What’s Your Type?
I am Jude. I recently completed a free Meyers-Briggs type personality test at 16personalities.com.
The Myers-Briggs Personality Type(MBPT) Indicator is the world’s most well known psychological tool.
It is a self-report inventory designed to identify a person’s personality type, strengths, and preferences. There are 16 different combinations of personality types.
It indicates your personality preferences in four dimensions:
Where you focus your attention – Extraversion (E) or Introversion (I)
The way you take in information – Sensing (S) or Intuition (N)
How you make decisions – Thinking (T) or Feeling (F)
How you deal with the world – Judging (J) or Perceiving (P)
I was prompted to complete the assessment after a memorable conversation with Coach Stacy Poe.
As a trained MBPT assessor, Stacy highlighted the personal and professional benefits of the framework.
She also described the practical applications of MBPT and provided some real world examples from her own life. She demonstrated how it could improve my understanding of others – and myself.
The Results
And then I took the test. To say I was surprised by the results is an understatement. The truth is that I was blown away.
I am an INFJ which stands for Introversion, Intuition, Feeling, and Judging.
According to the test results, INFJ’s are the rarest personality type, occurring in just 2% of the population. It is also the rarest personality type among men.
That certainly got my attention. Then I read the descriptions.
It felt like someone read my mind. They were so accurate it was eerie.
https://www.verywellmind.com/infj-introverted-intuitive-feeling-judging-2795978
INFJ’s are walking, talking contradictions. They are easy-going perfectionists that are both logical and emotional and creative and analytical.
“Idealistic and principled, they aren’t content to coast through life – they want to stand up and make a difference. For INFJ personalities, success doesn’t come from money or status but from seeking fulfillment, helping others, and being a force for good in the world.”
I have said it a thousand times and I intuitively understand that we all see the world differently. However, my conversation with Coach Stacy somehow shifted my perspective. Thanks sister.
No perspective is any better or any worse than any others but everyone’s is unique – and some are especially uncommon, like INFJ’s
Criticism and Limitations
Now let’s be clear. There are some fundamental issues with the MBPT.
Firstly, it’s purely for information and awareness only.
It’s not predictive of success, ethics or happiness. There is no scientific proof of its benefits and its utility is limited.
There are no definitive personality types and people are constantly evolving.
The assessment is neither reliable nor valid. Studies have shown that when people take it multiple times, 50% of the time, their type changes. That’s problematic.
It can also prove detrimental in the workplace.
Try it – What do you have to lose?
However, even saying all that, I was impressed. I learned something about myself and how I can begin understanding other people better,
I strongly encourage you to take a MBPT if you already haven’t. But don’t stop there, encourage your loved ones to do the same. Engage in a discussion.
If nothing else, it provides an opportunity to communicate with one another, and that’s more than enough.
Side Hustle – Unshackled Solutions Life Coaching and Consulting
Are you frustrated with your current circumstances?
Do you want more?
What could you accomplish if you had more encouragement, support and perseverance?
I believe that we all possess the power to change. Sometimes we simply need more motivation, a higher level of accountability or a slight shift in our thinking.
That’s where I can assist.
Let me help you confront the negative thoughts and behaviours that are limiting your growth and development.
If you are interested in finding out more about life coaching or exploring what working with me would look like, please contact me directly at unshackledsolutions@gmail.com to schedule a discovery call.
The Benefits of Life Coaching
Your Next Best Read – The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari
This narrative tells the extraordinary story of Julian Mantle, a fictional lawyer forced to confront the spiritual crisis of his out-of-balance life after a near fatal heart attack.
It describes the subsequent wisdom he obtains during a life-changing odyssey that enables him to develop more purpose and peace.
Julian discovers wise and practical lessons that teach us to:
- Develop Joyful Thoughts
- Follow Our Life’s Mission and Calling
- Cultivate Self-Discipline and Act Courageously
- Value Time as Our Most Important Commodity
- Nourish Our Relationships
- Live Fully, One Day at a Time
It is a self-help classic that provides a step-by-step approach to living with greater courage, balance, abundance, and joy.
Positive Reflections – What’s Good?
Getting Unplugged / Going Dark
I began actively using social media in 2021. Before then, it was mainly a novelty and reference tool.
However, over the past two years I have become more and more distracted by notifications, laughing faces and likes.
When I hear a ‘ping’ or receive positive recognition from friends and family, there is an immediate Pavlovian response.
I Immediately want to check Facebook or Instagram. And once you are in, it’s easy to get consumed,
Before you know it, you have completely lost yourself watching meaningless videos – and wasting time.
I have realized that TIME is our most important commodity. It is far too precious to waste mindlessly in the Matrix.
So to that end, I am shutting down Facebook and Instagram for at least a week.
I expect this will be a significant challenge for me as scrolling and posting have become an important part of my everyday experience.
The only exception being communication related to life coaching and the business.
I want to use the break to redefine my relationship with social media – and by extension, my phone. I also need to upgrade my feeds and eliminate all the garbage.
So if you happen to share something, comment on a previous post or tag me and you don’t get a response, assume that I have gone dark and am no longer checking the feeds regularly.
I’ve got better things to do. And I suspect so do you.
Public Announcement
Change is Inevitable
Post-tropical Storm Fiona left a trail of destruction across Nova Scotia.
It was a reminder of the awesome power of nature.
Torrential rain and high winds caused flooding and widespread power outages that left 415,000 out of 525, 000 customers without electricity.
Phone and internet service were interrupted for many people and some homes are still not reconnected – but we are slowly recovering.
Clean-up and renovations are well underway and insurance costs are estimated in the millions.
However, with the exception of the human lives lost, the biggest disappointment for me has been the number of broken and uprooted trees.
The winds were unrelenting and a large number of older wooden sentinels were victims of the devastating gusts of wind.
Victoria Park has become one of my favorite places to walk, run, hike – and to just BE.
I drove up on my bike to check out the damage. And wow!
As someone who has a new appreciation for nature, it was hard to see the number of trees that have fallen or will need to be cut down. It bothered me.
But here’s the great thing.
Just as I was leaving, I passed another biker with his young son in a carrier on the back. We stopped and briefly chatted about the damage.
His perspective and left an impression on me. He was fully confident that the park would be rebuilt, and his optmism was infectious.
He was right… all things come to pass.
Just like after Hurricane Juan, and every other serious weather event, the park will survive.
Whether it’s the majesty of 200 hundred year old trees, or the destruction that has temporarily currently closed the park. Change is inevitable.
We have got to accept the things that are beyond our control and have faith that they are happening just as they should. I can’t wait to see what this means for my favorite outside space.
The work has already begun. I am Jude.
