Photo by d35ign
About three years ago, I experienced a catalytic event that made me realize how unhappy I was in this life I had created. I just had no idea why. I attended a type workshop and my profile had so many positive things to say about my type that I actually started tearing up! It wasn’t until then that I realized my self-esteem had dropped so low. Eventually I realized my characteristics that were so different from my co-workers and family weren’t character flaws, but the flip side of my inherent strengths. As an ENFP (Extraverted, iNtuitive, Feeling, Perceiving preferences) raised by and married to people with opposite preferences, working as a database analyst and programmer (Introverted, Thinking, Judging prevail), with aspirations to join management (largely a Sensing, Thinking, Judging position) it’s no wonder that all I could see were my negative qualities reflected back at me through their eyes!
As I’ve discovered more about type, I’ve become fascinated not only by what I learn that makes my own relationships and career path easier but also by how I can now help others go through this same discovery process.
In my work as a systems engineer since then, I’ve shaped my role so that I can USE what sets me apart from the other types that prevail in this field as a strength instead of having those qualities isolate me. My job responsibilities are now directed toward meeting facilitation, organizational change management, and being a liaison between program management and project leads. Much better!
Though I am more fulfilled in my technical career, helping others gain insight into their lives and relationships through personality type has become the work of my heart. I have become Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) certified, given several talks about personality type through my Toastmasters affiliations and through work, and am now branching into doing MBTI workshops. My journey is far from over, but my life feels much more complete and authentic than it did those years ago.
If you can relate to the feelings I had and are trying to find your own path, give me a call or send an email today and let’s discuss how personality insights can help!