WOMEN IN DESIGN: Snow! (And Personalities)
Happy Tuesday, everybody! After all the terrible weather we’ve gotten (I’m pretty sure I saw a couple of snowflakes, so it’s definitely time to freak out), it’s a great idea to cuddle up under a warm blanket, or in an awesome pillow and blanket fort, and take a nice break.
I will say that this bad weather meant I had to abandon my usual hideouts and spend the whole day in my apartment. I’m used to working in an entirely different environment, so this was definitely an – admittedly small – step outside of my comfort zone. And, if you’re anything like me, you’ve spent quite a bit of time outside of your comfort zone over the course of your life. Maybe you had to start a new school and meet new people, give a presentation, or even stay out of the limelight for more than fifteen seconds. The things that you perceive as somewhat uncomfortable are typically the things that do not fit well with your personality.
But what is your personality? Sometimes certain traits are more obvious, like an aversion to being the center of attention, or a strong craving to be in the spotlight. Other aspects might be less obvious. Maybe you’re the kind of person who hovers on the border between introversion and extroversion, unsure of which one is more applicable to you. You can certainly look at yourself honestly, or ask others what they think, but there is typically an unintentional but inherent bias in this system. Your best bet is to take a personality test and see what happens. Seriously, take three and a half minutes to try it out. I particularly like this Myers Briggs test: http://www.16personalities.com/free-personality-test
(I saw you pass that link up. Trust me, it’s worth the time, especially because you get an incredible amount of information about your personality type. So go ahead and try it.)
I’m not going to predict what results you get, but I bet they’re pretty accurate. Even if they’re not perfect, there are certainly moments where the results seem to speak directly to you. The best part of this is that the website tells you all about your strengths and weaknesses, shedding light on why you feel more outside of your comfort zone in some situations than other ones. It also gives you advice on how to adapt to your situations when you have overextended yourself.
This is especially helpful because there will always be times where you are deposited outside of your comfort zone, and then expected to survive. Maybe you have to talk to strangers at a friend’s dinner party, take a painting class even though you know that you + acrylics = disastrous messes, or spend a night at home because the weather ruined your plans. At these times, you’ll get a chance to learn how to thrive outside of your comfort zone. Life will never cater exactly to your strengths, and now you know how to transform your weaknesses into strengths, or at least reduce their effect.
Perhaps you’ll talk to your friends and see what their personalities are. It’s fun to compare dominant traits, and to see why people act the way they do. And, in case you’re wondering, I’m an INTJ. Maybe we have a few letters in common.
Enjoy your snowy day!
In case you didn’t catch it the first time, here’s the personality test: http://www.16personalities.com/free-personality-test
If you want answers to the big questions in life, like an overview of personalities, head over here: http://www.16personalities.com/articles/your-personality-type-warts-and-all
If you haven’t tired of information yet, this is also worth a read: http://www.16personalities.com/articles/is-it-possible-to-change-your-personality-type