Hey there!
I'm an extroverted, social, creative, and a driven idealist who thrives in communicative roles with the intention of empowering others and at the end of the day, I REALLY hope they like me.
I always have 46908209 things on my to do list. My personal favorite is my "dream list/this is what I want to achieve" list and rarely does everything come off the board. Because, dream big (and often), right?
Supes condensed version: I love people and I love life... I love the possibilities and opportunities that exist in our life. Oh, and I reallllly want to be your friend, know your story and know what makes you tick.
I never really got in trouble in school. I think the only times I ever got into trouble was for talking too much or out of turn. I grew up dancing and as much as I loved it, I hated ballet. It was too quiet for me and yes, I always got in trouble for talking. I'll take Hip Hop and Tap, please! So lets fast forward to adulthood, because I equate it to Yoga. I can't sit still for that long and simply put... I don't want to? I can't give people high fives, listen to loud music nor is it competitive and group friendly. Sooooo get me to circuit training, instead. Nothing has changed.
I guess for those of you who know me, again, this is unsurprising to you. For those of you who don't know me, I hope you're still reading...
I'm not going to continue to talk about ME, but I want to ecnourage you to learn about YOU. I really had this euphoric 2 year epihphany, if you will, simply taking the time to study, well myself. You see, there were so many times I wish I had other qualities I envy in others' personality traits.
Examples: I really wish the left side of my brain worked, but it just doesn't. Science? Nope. Math? Pass. Actually that isn't true, I'd give my left side of the brain a hard 27% and only because I'm left handed. But I really do wish I was more analytical and had the patience to process detailed information before making a decision.
I literally remember being 10 years old when I knew I wanted to do broadcasting. I was never shy performing in front of people and never backed down or got nervous when I auditioned for any role, no matter my age. I felt empowered and proud when I received affirmations for performance. Thus, I've always been performance driven with a high responsibility gear.
My highest emotional need is approval and acceptance.
My weaknesses? I have never wanted to let people down and I want everyone to like me. Rejection and disappointment by peers or family leave me devastated, so I'm driven to perform in hopes to avoid said fears. Another weakness is that I can come off as fickle and forgetful, because my mind is always spinning, dreaming, creating and thinking.
It's just who I am.
Did you read that? It's just who I am.
I've been suckered into and obsessed with taking personality tests after I took my first one. And test after test, they say the same thing.
Creative. Intuitive. Communicator. Influencer. Social. Independent. My favorite? "sincere at heart and always a child"
So how do I get over the fact people may perceive me as simply "a talker" or "free spirit" or "that Niki... I can't keep up with her. Her brain is like a squirrel!" All of those said statements are true, but here is the cool part I've been praying over and leaning into...
God made me this way.
God wired me in a way and directed my heart towards a profession and jobs where my creativity, enthusiasm and a place where my emotional and demonstrative tendencies thrive. He has uniquely circuited my brain and my body to say and do things only I can do. No one else. So how cool is that? I mean at 10 years old I didn't stop talking. I hated sitting still. I still do. The genuine curiosity I have about people made me want to be friends with everyone. And I always followed my heart. In sum, none of that has changed.
The personality tests time after time are incredibly affirming to the statements written above.
I really wanted the purpose of this post to encourage you to seek a few tests out, so you can see on paper what you probably already knew about yourself. However, hopefully it'll give you insight on how to improve your "weakness" or empower your strengths. And from there, hopefully it'll guide your next step personally or professionally might look like.
I love studying my weaknesses. In fact, the cool part is I'm drawn to so many people that are flat out opposite of me. The majority of my best friends aren't like me and I'm married to one.
My husband jokes that anytime I take a new test, he doesn't have to, because he's literally the opposite of me... in everything. He's the number cruncher who uses man logic in everything in life (how boring, right??? Ha!) and can comprehend data way faster than I can shut up talking. He needs space and silence to process. I mean if we ever have an argument, by the time he's ready to talk about it, I'm already over it and asking him what he wants for dinner.
I know it sounds SO cheesy, but embrace who you are.
Embrace how you're wired and don't be scared to own it.
My humility has grown so much deeper thanks to self awareness.
Here's a link to the "16 personalities" test (The Campaigner!) It's a condensed (and free!) version of Myers Briggs.
I took the official Enneagram test (Type 7!) with my small group and 35 pages, plus a PDF later, it was not only in depth but surprise, accurate. I took the $12, 144 question RHETI version and I promise you it's worth the money!
Be safe out there.
Signed,
Niki
aka an ENFP, The Campaigner, who is a Type 7 with a (high) Yellow temperament