I know I'm probably crying wolf here, but I've changed my mind again, and I'm back to ENFP. Most of you probably don't even care about personality types, but here's a brief description of my type:
ENFP "The Advocate": "Enthusiastic, expressive, emotional, warm, evocative, imaginative, original, artistic, improviser, perceptive, affirming, supportive, cooperative, positive, open responsive, sensitive, playful, fun-loving, multifaceted, gregarious, zestful, spontaneous, idealistic, initiators of new projects and possibilities, agents of change. Their focus is on self-expression and possibilities, "what could be' rather than 'what is.' Life is a celebration and a creative adventure. Enthusiastic initiators of new projects, relationships, and paradigms. Masters of the start-up phase. Lose interest when the project or relationship gets routine or when the primary goal is well on the way to accomplishment. Often eloquent in expressing their vision of a world where ideals are actualized. Frequently have a positive attitude in situations others would consider to be negative. Work in bursts of enthusiasm mixed with times when little gets done. Need careers that are personally meaningful, creative, and allow for full self-expression and that contribute to other people in some way. Extremely versatile. They may have friends from many walks of life, a wide range of interests and hobbies, and they gain a professional level of mastery without formal training." Suggested careers: Public relations, actor, teacher.
As opposed to:
ENTP "The Inventor": "Enthusiastic, puzzle master, objective, inventive, independent, conceptual thinker, creative problem solver, entrepreneurial risk taker, improviser, competitive, questioning, rebellious, rule breaker, gregarious, witty, involved, strategic, versatile, clever, adaptable, energetic action-oriented agents of change. Improves systems, processes, and organizations. Relentlessly tests and challenges the status quo with new, well-thought-out ideas, and argues vehemently in favor of possibilities and opportunities others have not noticed ["Born To Explore" is a prime example of an ENTP doing this!]. Can wear out their colleagues with their drive and challenging nature. See the big picture and how the details fit together. The most naturally entrepreneurial of all types. Usually not motivated by security. Their lives are often punctuated with extreme ups and downs as they energetically pursue new ideas. They have only one direction: ahead at full speed, leaving a trail of incomplete projects, tools, and plans in their wake. Their idea of fun and best creative self-expression involves devising new conceptual modeling and dreaming up imaginative and exciting ventures. Need lots of room to maneuver. When forced to dwell on details and routine operating procedures, they become bored and restless. Respect competence, not authority. Seek work that allows them to solve complex problems and develop real-world solutions. Often surrounded with the latest technology." Suggested careers: High tech engineer, marketer, entrepreneur. This type is the most likely to switch careers.
I should probably just take the plunge and use the real Instrument so I know for sure and I can stop wondering. I guess it's just too fun trying to figure it out myself.
Update: I just took the MBTI instrument. ENTP. Slight preference for thinking. Enough said. I'll shut up about it now!
Saturday, April 29, 2006
Thursday, April 27, 2006
Hey everyone, as many of you know, tomorrow is a big day! More than 53,000 people throughout the United States will be walking to central locations in their cities to sleep. This is in honor of thousands of children in Northern Uganda who do this every night to evade a rebel army which kidnaps children and forcibly enlists them, immediately exposing them to murder and bloodshed as a brainwashing technique.
San Luis has 580 people signed up already to sleep in Santa Rosa Park! You can still be part of this important movement to end a war that is spiralling out of control. This has the potential to make a huge impact! We will be writing letters to congress while we spend the night with hundreds of people who want to make a difference. (And don't worry, there will be police around to make sure it's safe!)
For information about your city's event and why this is so important, visit www.invisiblechildren.com and click on Global Night Commute. There is also an article on The Tribune website.
I hope to see you there!
UPDATE: There's now 600 people signed up!
San Luis has 580 people signed up already to sleep in Santa Rosa Park! You can still be part of this important movement to end a war that is spiralling out of control. This has the potential to make a huge impact! We will be writing letters to congress while we spend the night with hundreds of people who want to make a difference. (And don't worry, there will be police around to make sure it's safe!)
For information about your city's event and why this is so important, visit www.invisiblechildren.com and click on Global Night Commute. There is also an article on The Tribune website.
I hope to see you there!
UPDATE: There's now 600 people signed up!
ADD and the xNxp
Learning about Myers-Briggs has given me some interesting insights.
For one, while doing a search on my personality type, I came across a website about ADD (attention deficit disorder) which stated that a majority (90%?) of the site visitors who believed they had ADD were of the xNxp personality types, which include INFp, INTp, ENFp, and ENTp. These are the Intuitive-Perceptive types (only about 10% of the population), the abstract, idea-oriented people. I am one of them. While I haven't put a finger on exactly which one of these I am (and it seems to vary), I am a strong N-P.
N-Ps are often the gifted students who can never seem to live up to their own standards within the school system. I believe that part of the problem is that primary and, to a lesser extent, secondary schools are dominated by xSxj (sensing-judging) personality types, who want things done a certain way and by a certain time. This doesn't bode well for the N-Ps who have an innate need to try new ideas and work at their own pace, often which is defined by bursts of creativity rather than a steady flow of productivity which the SJ teachers are used to and expect. But the student needs to understand what he's doing. To know the "why" more than the "how." Busy work is the bane of the intuitive-perceptive student's existence, yet he sees students around him getting good grades simply because they memorize their study guides without ever understanding!
Fortunately, I had a fairly positive experience in school. I had teachers throughout who took special notice of my talents (I wonder if my parents were more involved than I knew) and gave me a chance to use them, while giving me some leeway on my weaknesses so that I would still enjoy school. AP classes were an important part of that. And yes, there was about a year after I started college when I was convinced that I had ADD. I'm now in a place where I can use my ideas and creatively solve problems, and I've realized this is extremely important for N-Ps. Give them a chance to thrive outside of the bureaucracy of education, and they will!
The moral of the story is this: teachers ought to be sensitive to needs and differences of students. There is a small percentage of gifted students who need to be noticed and given a chance to develop their talents. These are the people who change society with their ideas. Einstein & socrates=intp, Shakespeare & homer=infp, Mark twain & Dr. Seuss=enfp (well, they make us laugh!), Walt Disney & Thomas Edison=entp.
Let's give these people the opportunity to thrive so America can benefit from their novel approach to life and not go the way of the Roman Empire!
For one, while doing a search on my personality type, I came across a website about ADD (attention deficit disorder) which stated that a majority (90%?) of the site visitors who believed they had ADD were of the xNxp personality types, which include INFp, INTp, ENFp, and ENTp. These are the Intuitive-Perceptive types (only about 10% of the population), the abstract, idea-oriented people. I am one of them. While I haven't put a finger on exactly which one of these I am (and it seems to vary), I am a strong N-P.
N-Ps are often the gifted students who can never seem to live up to their own standards within the school system. I believe that part of the problem is that primary and, to a lesser extent, secondary schools are dominated by xSxj (sensing-judging) personality types, who want things done a certain way and by a certain time. This doesn't bode well for the N-Ps who have an innate need to try new ideas and work at their own pace, often which is defined by bursts of creativity rather than a steady flow of productivity which the SJ teachers are used to and expect. But the student needs to understand what he's doing. To know the "why" more than the "how." Busy work is the bane of the intuitive-perceptive student's existence, yet he sees students around him getting good grades simply because they memorize their study guides without ever understanding!
Fortunately, I had a fairly positive experience in school. I had teachers throughout who took special notice of my talents (I wonder if my parents were more involved than I knew) and gave me a chance to use them, while giving me some leeway on my weaknesses so that I would still enjoy school. AP classes were an important part of that. And yes, there was about a year after I started college when I was convinced that I had ADD. I'm now in a place where I can use my ideas and creatively solve problems, and I've realized this is extremely important for N-Ps. Give them a chance to thrive outside of the bureaucracy of education, and they will!
The moral of the story is this: teachers ought to be sensitive to needs and differences of students. There is a small percentage of gifted students who need to be noticed and given a chance to develop their talents. These are the people who change society with their ideas. Einstein & socrates=intp, Shakespeare & homer=infp, Mark twain & Dr. Seuss=enfp (well, they make us laugh!), Walt Disney & Thomas Edison=entp.
Let's give these people the opportunity to thrive so America can benefit from their novel approach to life and not go the way of the Roman Empire!
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
Myers-Briggs
Might as well post this here too. If you're not familiar with Myers-Briggs personality typing, it's essentially a system used throughout the business world to "categorize" people by their cognitive style. It's actually proven to be fairly effective and accurate. After some wrestling with the results (I walk the fence in at least one category) I've decided that I'm most likely an ENTP. That's Extroverted, INtuitive, Thinking, and Perceiving. The alternatives are Introverted, Sensing, Feeling, and Judging.
I won't waste space here explaining the system, but it's described pretty well at www.personalitytype.com if you're curious.
So here it is (from bestfittype.com):
What’s it like to be you?
Life feels like a constant state of moving from one interesting thing to another, and I can get frustrated when there isn’t enough time to pursue all those interesting things.
I have a wide range of interests. I love to explore the world, how other people live, what they believe in, and what their lives are like. I have a deep need to understand the human condition and what brings people to life, even above difficult odds. I like it when the conversation goes wherever it wants to go—deep imaginative, intellectual, or philosophical conversation. Going off on one theory or another is fun, but long stories with nothing to learn frustrate me.
Ideas mean change. When I meet people who have interesting ideas, talents, or projects, I want to get to know them and help them make whatever they want to do possibly much bigger, more successful, or more impactful than they had intended. I start aligning with them and building trust because I want to get invited in—to probably change whatever they want to do because I tend to see more possibilities. Then we cook up the project. It’s fun to learn. I enjoy that in-the-moment experience of connecting things in my mind. Challenge and intellectual stimulation get me excited.
I just see a different world than the one in which I live, and I admire people who have genuine compassion and a commitment to serve others. I really respect people who have the ability to take the slings and arrows that come with leadership roles and working for change, who can cope with all the misunderstanding and resistance, who can say, “This is an idea whose time has come and we’re going to get it done.” It’s important to me to be in a setting where people are committed, where facts are respected, and where there is a space for people to tell the truth or at least look for the truth—and be open to listening.
Colleagues describe me as someone they can go to when they want an idea or help with an issue or problem they’re trying to solve. I often can condense or simplify a complex idea. I really often know the right words to use, not necessarily the right empathetic words but the right words. Coaching and giving ideas I do well. Just giving direction is boring. I don’t feel things have to be done my way, but they have to be done well.
I am very partner oriented, and being creative together is what makes a relationship alive.
I work a lot, always looking for new projects, something to sink my teeth into, and I am constantly challenging myself to make things better. Things I’ve already figured out I like to put together in a format or structure, so I don’t have to sit down and go through all the nitty-gritty details. I think in terms of the future—why am I here, what is this connected to, where are things going, where did they come from and wouldn’t it be better if…? When my intuition is working it produces a lot of excitement and ideas.
I tend to look at things from a very objective basis. Sometimes I don’t take the time to stop and thank people and let them know I’m trying to build on what they have already done. When I look at things, I am trying to figure out the system—looking beneath, behind, or above, somehow looking beyond the sensory data to figure out how it all works. I spend a lot of time trying to figure out in my head everything around me. Competence is a must, trying to perfect things, finding a new way. I am hardest on myself, with incredibly high standards, and I hold others to my standards even though sometimes I wish I hadn’t. And yet I often seem pretty easygoing.
Fairness and consistency are really important. I feel that people should be treated with respect at all times, and I don’t like behavior demeaning to others. When there is conflict I feel a compulsion to figure it out, to resolve it. When I’m personally involved, it can be difficult to initiate a discussion about the conflict. Sometimes I feel inadequate.
I think life is a puzzle and we keep playing with how to fit the pieces together. Something new and challenging is always more interesting to me than something I am already competent at.
I won't waste space here explaining the system, but it's described pretty well at www.personalitytype.com if you're curious.
So here it is (from bestfittype.com):
What’s it like to be you?
Life feels like a constant state of moving from one interesting thing to another, and I can get frustrated when there isn’t enough time to pursue all those interesting things.
I have a wide range of interests. I love to explore the world, how other people live, what they believe in, and what their lives are like. I have a deep need to understand the human condition and what brings people to life, even above difficult odds. I like it when the conversation goes wherever it wants to go—deep imaginative, intellectual, or philosophical conversation. Going off on one theory or another is fun, but long stories with nothing to learn frustrate me.
Ideas mean change. When I meet people who have interesting ideas, talents, or projects, I want to get to know them and help them make whatever they want to do possibly much bigger, more successful, or more impactful than they had intended. I start aligning with them and building trust because I want to get invited in—to probably change whatever they want to do because I tend to see more possibilities. Then we cook up the project. It’s fun to learn. I enjoy that in-the-moment experience of connecting things in my mind. Challenge and intellectual stimulation get me excited.
I just see a different world than the one in which I live, and I admire people who have genuine compassion and a commitment to serve others. I really respect people who have the ability to take the slings and arrows that come with leadership roles and working for change, who can cope with all the misunderstanding and resistance, who can say, “This is an idea whose time has come and we’re going to get it done.” It’s important to me to be in a setting where people are committed, where facts are respected, and where there is a space for people to tell the truth or at least look for the truth—and be open to listening.
Colleagues describe me as someone they can go to when they want an idea or help with an issue or problem they’re trying to solve. I often can condense or simplify a complex idea. I really often know the right words to use, not necessarily the right empathetic words but the right words. Coaching and giving ideas I do well. Just giving direction is boring. I don’t feel things have to be done my way, but they have to be done well.
I am very partner oriented, and being creative together is what makes a relationship alive.
I work a lot, always looking for new projects, something to sink my teeth into, and I am constantly challenging myself to make things better. Things I’ve already figured out I like to put together in a format or structure, so I don’t have to sit down and go through all the nitty-gritty details. I think in terms of the future—why am I here, what is this connected to, where are things going, where did they come from and wouldn’t it be better if…? When my intuition is working it produces a lot of excitement and ideas.
I tend to look at things from a very objective basis. Sometimes I don’t take the time to stop and thank people and let them know I’m trying to build on what they have already done. When I look at things, I am trying to figure out the system—looking beneath, behind, or above, somehow looking beyond the sensory data to figure out how it all works. I spend a lot of time trying to figure out in my head everything around me. Competence is a must, trying to perfect things, finding a new way. I am hardest on myself, with incredibly high standards, and I hold others to my standards even though sometimes I wish I hadn’t. And yet I often seem pretty easygoing.
Fairness and consistency are really important. I feel that people should be treated with respect at all times, and I don’t like behavior demeaning to others. When there is conflict I feel a compulsion to figure it out, to resolve it. When I’m personally involved, it can be difficult to initiate a discussion about the conflict. Sometimes I feel inadequate.
I think life is a puzzle and we keep playing with how to fit the pieces together. Something new and challenging is always more interesting to me than something I am already competent at.
Monday, April 24, 2006
A calling
As I walked along the railroad tracks this afternoon it struck me how amazing it is that God uses us in ways that we would never expect. As recently as last summer I had written off the idea of becoming a worship leader. I wanted to avoid the pride that I perceived as a commonplace error in worship pastors. But God had something in mind.
While I was at work making photocopies, Pastor Aaron called me and asked to meet with me. I agreed, and a couple days later we were sitting at a local coffeehouse. Aaron asked me to consider leading the "Tuesday Band," which is essentially a training band for our church's Sunday night Celebration services. I agreed to pray about it and soon clearly saw that it was God asking me to do this for his Church. He wasn't going to let me out of it. And funny, I had told God beforehand that I would only be a worship leader if I felt a clear calling.
Of course, Tuesday Band did not entail leading a congregation in worship. But God has been steadily pushing me into a more public use of my gifts to encourage the church, and this Sunday morning he put me on stage leading the entire congregation in worship of his glory. I can't say I wasn't scared. I made all sorts of goofball mistakes during the first service ("what am I supposed to do now?!") but the joy of using my musical gifts to serve my church family made it all worth it!
I encourage all of you who are in Christ to seek out ways to use your gifts! Pray about it. Talk to pastors and other leaders. We were designed to be used in our own unique way, and we are most satisfied when we can be ourselves and use our God-given gifts to serve his body! Whether it's musical talent, a knack with tools, or simply a warm heart, we all have something to offer others!
While I was at work making photocopies, Pastor Aaron called me and asked to meet with me. I agreed, and a couple days later we were sitting at a local coffeehouse. Aaron asked me to consider leading the "Tuesday Band," which is essentially a training band for our church's Sunday night Celebration services. I agreed to pray about it and soon clearly saw that it was God asking me to do this for his Church. He wasn't going to let me out of it. And funny, I had told God beforehand that I would only be a worship leader if I felt a clear calling.
Of course, Tuesday Band did not entail leading a congregation in worship. But God has been steadily pushing me into a more public use of my gifts to encourage the church, and this Sunday morning he put me on stage leading the entire congregation in worship of his glory. I can't say I wasn't scared. I made all sorts of goofball mistakes during the first service ("what am I supposed to do now?!") but the joy of using my musical gifts to serve my church family made it all worth it!
I encourage all of you who are in Christ to seek out ways to use your gifts! Pray about it. Talk to pastors and other leaders. We were designed to be used in our own unique way, and we are most satisfied when we can be ourselves and use our God-given gifts to serve his body! Whether it's musical talent, a knack with tools, or simply a warm heart, we all have something to offer others!
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