Knowing Your Personality Type Will Help You Unlock The Mysteries Of How Your Mind Works

Part of putting the jigsaw together is to work out your personality type and also undertake some personal introspection. You most probably already have a pretty good idea of the answer to what your natural abilities are. Start writing down a list of things you’re good at (abilities) and a separate list of things you like doing (likes). It doesn’t matter whether the lists are alike or not. Apart from what you already know about yourself there are some informal ways to gather this information such as asking friends and family. However you should be careful with what external feedback you take heed of, for instance if you can think of someone you know who is always criticising and/or putting you down then it’s probably not a good idea to incorporate their viewpoint of you into your list.

Now that you’ve gathered your lists of abilities and likes you’ll be pleased to know that these are not going to be the only analysis you will gather. Now you can supplement your informal research by undertaking some formal personality tests. Fortunately there are a vast array of such tests available. Which personality tests are most important? I don’t think there is a right or wrong answer here, the main criteria is that you feel you got some value out of a particular test. You’ll find many different schools of thought with each advocate insisting that their test is the definitive and final answer on the subject. Don’t worry about such bias, read what is claimed of the method of testing, do the test and draw your own conclusions. In the end it all comes down to personal opinion and after all there is only one true expert about yourself and that is you! Don’t let anyone tell you they know more about you than you know yourself.

How many personality tests should you do? Do as many as you like but preferably not less than 3 or you could be missing out on gathering some vital clues to the makeup of your inner self. Feel free to explore and find yet more tests to do. The set of suggested tests are merely a sample of ones that I have found useful.

What are you looking for? Ultimately you’re looking for a convergence of “thought patterns” and personal beliefs that are at the core of who you are as a person. If the answers you are getting from multiple personality tests are wildly different then you should do some more tests. If the answers continue to not provide any sort of consistency then it just may be that you should seek professional assistance or you should assess what sort of mental state you are in when you did each test. If you are going through an emotionally traumatic period in your life then perhaps it is not the best time to try and discover your true inner self and you should wait until you are in a better psychological state.

Once you have performed at least 3 personality tests you should have a reasonable idea what at least some of your intrinsic abilities are. To assist you with finding suitable careers you can look up your Myer/Briggs type at these sites:
Personality Type Career Quiz;
Grid of Type and Career;
Personality Type Profile;
Personality Type Portrait.

It may be a good time to revisit your “what do I like doing?” list and see if any of the things you listed actually match up with the list of things you found you are good at (with help from the personality tests). If you are really lucky you may even have an a “A-ha” moment, if not don’t despair. Rather than just looking for things you can do that match your abilities you should also be looking for abilities that match up with things you like. Try and think outside the box, be open to all possibilities. You may find that completely new thoughts about things you would like doing are popping into your head. It’s an area worth exploring, look into it and see if you can generate even more ideas about areas that match up your abilities to things you can really enjoy.

Now that you’ve begun this journey of self discovery it's probaby a good time to begin a career search and see what appeals now that you're hopefully a little more enlightened. Rather than looking at the different types of careers as merely ways of earning a living, you will get more value out of this exercise if you consider them from a wider perspective. Look at the careers as topic area that could interest you in any way, whether it be as something to read about, a part-time hobby or better still as something you could get passionate about.

The desire to love and be loved is one of the main things that makes us human so while you're reassessing your life why not also take a look at the way you approach your love relationships and how they impact on your life. Even if you already have a great relationship there's always room for improvement, remember to keep growing.