I was writing another blog post and I made a parenthetical dig at myself, all in good fun. But the joke made zero sense without a little more context, so this one is here to elaborate, provide context, and add a little fun to the blog!

As a brand photographer + business coach who loves helping others understand themselves and their goals, I’m really terrible about doing these things for myself. (Side note: if you’re reading this thinking “GIRL SAME” then we need to talk about how I can help you.) I don’t do well with journal prompts and self-exploration. I heavily rely on the observations of others.

And personality tests.

Yep, I’m that person. I’m the INFJ, Enneagram 6w5, etc. person. And I LOVE it.

I take the quizzes and tests so regularly that I get alerts like “Are you sure?” and “You just took this test!” and “Results are unlikely to change.”

At least 75% of the screenshots in my camera roll are results from the various personality tests I’ve taken.

I absolutely love having this type of insight for myself. It’s not always 100% accurate and I don’t treat it as gospel, but I do remind myself of the results regularly.

Why?

Because it refocuses me. It revitalizes me. It reminds me that even when I feel like I’m the only one who has a mind that works this way, that is inherently wrong. There are people out there like me, and they are the people I am here to serve.

But it didn’t always feel this way. When I was in college, we did the “True Colors” personality test. I got Green-Gold and everyone instantly gave me the side-eye. As I started to sink lower into my chair as the descriptors were read, I became furious. Why did they put me in this box? Surely these people know me better than to think I’m just an emotionless, rule-following, organization freak with the logical tendencies of the Vulcans (yea, I’m nerdy, just roll with it).

I became resistant to these tests because I didn’t want to be labeled without the nuance of who I was in real-life, not just on paper…or phone…or computer screen…

When I was in my first supervisory role, I found myself pushing back against my hatred of these tests. I had a dozen young adults under my care and I had no idea how I could best support them. So when our larger organization did some personality tests, I paid attention.

I looked for ways to help my staff not feel like they were locked into the description, but rather, that they had been handed a manual on how to set themselves up for success and lean into their strengths. I did for them what I needed to do for myself when I felt ashamed of the labels I was being given.

When I started to look at the description of that Green-Gold personality type a little deeper, I felt seen. Understood. Validated. I wasn’t a rule-follower because I hated fun, but because I wanted to understand societal norms. I wasn’t relying on logic because I have no emotions, but because I wanted to feel safe.

My eyes were opened to a whole new way of looking at myself and how I take on the world.

So now on any given day you can catch me taking a personality test on my phone. Every few years I’ll do the Clifton Strengths assessment (it’s more pricey and lengthy, so I try to limit taking that one even though it is my favorite). Every month or so I’ll be taking the Ennegram or MBTI.

Because it helps me see where I’m at as a human, business owner, mom, spouse, and more. It gives me clarity when I’m bogged down in the overwhelm of it all.

What’s your favorite personality assessment? Send me an email or DM because I’d love to geek out about it with you!