People and personalities are kinda a newish hobby of mine. I am becoming more and more fascinated with how people react in various situations, and what makes someone different than everyone else. It is soooooooo incredible to see how people can have similar traits, but still be completely different!
I don't know how, or why, or when it started, but before I went off to college, I took a short version of the Meyers-Briggs personality test. You answer a bunch of questions and then it gives you four letters that describe your personality traits. I am an ISFJ. It stands for Introverted, Sensing, Feeling, and Judging. I read this description about who I am on this website... http://www.personalitypage.com/ISFJ.html... and I was surprised at how accurately it described me! I put words to some things that I did without even realizing I was doing it. For example, the website says that an ISFJ takes in information about people and stores it away. They are super good at reading people's emotions, and remembering specific details of people or conversations that interested them. I love to people watch, and figuring out what makes people do what they do is super interesting, but I never really knew I was doing it until I read this description!
All this to say... this was actually a really great break through for me. I was able to better understand my strengths and weaknesses. I had never been very confident in myself until I could better understand who I am, and why I do the things I do. And remembering that God made me this way for a reason helped to :) I've always struggled with being an introvert. I hated how nervous I felt in big groups of people, how I could rarely start a conversation with anyone because I was so shy, and because I was a very a quiet person. I felt super inferior. But learning about me helped me to see that I wasn't inferior, just different.
Then I could see that God made everyone different. He gave different people different strengths, so that everyone could have a part in bringing Him glory. I may never feel comfortable with large groups of people, and being social for long periods of time will always wear me out. But I can be sensitive to the needs of those God has placed in my life that might get overlooked by others. I like to think of myself as the second one in charge- I may not be the leader of the group, but I can be there to see to all the details that get left behind.
It is so wonderful to accept who you are. I am so much more confident now, and even more extroverted than I once was. Socializing isn't quite as hard! :) I still have much to learn, and many weaknesses to work on and overcome. I easily get down on my self, and am overly critical of who I am, but I work through these negative emotions much faster than I did before. I still have trouble keeping up with my extroverted friends, and sometimes do feel like a boring person (because they often think things are fun, and I don't share the opinion), and I need my down time, but I am in a better place!
Taking the quiz helped me, and for fun had some friends take it too. It actually opened some doors for conversation in some strained relationships! It was so cool to see how learning about each other and gaining understanding of one another help provide more forgiveness and acceptance.
So yeah... I think people are cool! Try walking in someone elses shoes for a bit, and learn why they do what they do!
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