Someone randomly reached out to me the other day to get my perspective on the next step to take in their career. My first thought was that this was definitely a question that deserved an in-depth response or a consultation session. However, given my time constraints I decided on the quickest option. I’m not a philosopher but I’ve read a lot and sometimes it’s great to be able to recall information and share some of the things I’ve learned after over a decade in my field. My advice to the individual was to consider the values of freedom, flexibility, and peace and determine which one deserved the driver’s seat for their current moment. Are you willing to make less money in order to travel extensively and be less tied down? Do you need a schedule where you have the flexibility to start work and end work when you want? Or, do you want to feel peaceful at the end of the day? So much of society today glorifies the grind culture but there’s also the problematic inverse of not doing anything because all jobs have a certain level of stress. The majority of people depends on jobs to make money and fulfill their financial obligations. Deciding what deserves your time work-wise is an important choice and it shouldn’t be taken lightly. It’s worth it to consider your options and look for ways to leverage your education and experience. Know your worth but increase your competence at the same time.
Tag Archives: personality
Door slamming
One thing that I’ve had a chance to do is to read up on my personality type. It’s been very eye opening to understand more about how I think and my perspective of the world around me. My personality type is known for bending over backwards for people until a limit is reached and then the relationship is severed. It’s typically called a door slam and isn’t something that happens often. But every once in a while you meet people who take but never provide anything in return. Recently I had to door slam a guy who wasn’t for me. Now to be honest, I should have cut him off earlier but I needed to make sure there wasn’t any redeemable quality. There are a lot of women out there who see themselves as a savior of sorts sent to rescue a man from himself and his bad decisions. I’m not one of them. There were several things that influenced my decision to sever all ties. He lived at least a thousand miles away and we had never met in person AND didn’t have any mutual friends. First, within days of initial dialogue he tried to convince me to fly up to meet him on my own dime. Keep in mind that he’s almost 40 with a job that pays the bills and a side hustle in the entertainment business as a promotor. Strike one. Second, he NEVER called and text messages consisted of small talk or his (self-proclaimed) abilities in a certain department. I wasn’t amused. Thirdly, in addition to wanting me to fly in, he also wanted me to “invest” a “small amount” of $3,500 into his promoter business. The purpose of this was to prove my loyalty and that I truly was down for him. And last but not least, he didn’t provide a lot of information about himself but a google search indicated that he was arrested fairly frequently on bail bond violations. I don’t know why, but I have this weird sixth sense thing that goes off when people lie to me or don’t tell me the full story. Huge red flag and ultimate deal breaker. Needless to say, he earned his exit pass out my life. Definitely not for me.
What an introvert wants
Vince PerraudWe crave your time. We crave you in the quiet of a Sunday afternoon, in the thunder of a Thursday storm. We don’t need much, just bring us your heart, pinned to your sleeve. Just bring us your mind, cupped within your palms. Bring us your closeness, your unhinged ribcage, your dreams and your…
via This Is What Every Introvert Craves In A Relationship — Thought Catalog
I almost shed a tear reading this particular article. The author hits the nail on the head with this one. I think that introverts are often misunderstood because they don’t always let others into their inner world. I don’t know if I’ve ever read my wants written so eloquently and clearly. Great piece.
INFJ stuff
II
I don’t typically post about INFJ stuff but I really liked this because it’s my personality type and it really resonates with me. I’m always so excited to meet a fellow INFJ because it can get lonely feeling like a walking contradiction all the time. Good stuff.
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29.
via 29 ‘INFJ Problems’ That Make This Rare Personality Type Truly Special — Thought Catalog
What an Introvert Won’t Admit
I don’t typically post or write about introverts but this particular article was such a dead on representation of myself and other introverts I know, I had to comment/blog about it. You can read it here. Now, the list of things listed in the article makes so much sense to me. It also explains why I haven’t had a public birthday celebration in years. Now that doesn’t mean that I didn’t celebrate, it just means that I went on a trip instead. I remember trying to like everyone when I was younger and it didn’t really work out. I believe that all people deserve respect, kindness and fairness but I’m a firm believer that all people can’t be liked. I’ve worked with too many parents whose parenting choices I didn’t agree with. Or people so full of themselves that they refused to acknowledge the truth or anyone that spoke anything contrary to their own personal reality. The reality is that some people are hard to like. But back to the article. Getting stuff done is something that I have the ability to do. Granted, it doesn’t always happen because I’m easily bored but when push comes to shove I can focus and be productive. Of course it always helps when I’m facing an impending deadline. The article mentions small talk and I’m so glad that it does. Small talk has got to be one of the most annoying things created. I really don’t care for it and that’s why I put such an emphasis on building rapport and having conversations with actual depth with others. However, small talk is the way to more meaningful interactions and I’ll be buying a book in the near future and forcing myself to learn how to do it effectively despite my aversion to it. While I don’t know the exact split between introverts and their counterparts, I think that this article scarily accurate in describing what most introverts would never actually admit out loud. Interesting stuff.
True Colors
I think that as humans, many of us are naturally drawn to positions of prominence. Many of us know someone who has literally schemed their way to the top. They have manipulated and lied in order to advance their own agenda and get ahead in life without regard for the feelings or emotions of others. They show false attention and fake their way through relationships because they have ulterior motives. They don’t allow anyone to get close but keep up a facade of being easily accessible. As I mentioned in my last post, I’ve been on this whole INFJ tip the past few days where I’ve been reading more about my personality type. One of the characteristics of this personality type is that we are naturally intuitive about the motives of others and many times find it easy to separate the real from the fake when it comes to human interactions and communication. A while ago I was presented with the opportunity for a position of prominence. It was something that was a goal of mine and had been for the past several years. However, after I quickly accepted I almost immediately had a change of heart and rejected it. I just got a gut feeling that it wasn’t “right” and that there were hidden motives on the part of the person who offered it. It wasn’t like I was being paranoid, but I had such a strong sense that I would have to pay in some way for accepting it. I strongly believe that the right thing at the wrong time is the wrong thing. While I believe in being at least cordial to everyone, I also take great pains to distance myself from people who use others to advance their own personal agenda. Those are the type of people who will turn on you as quickly as they became your “friend.” I say all that to say that it pays to recognize and identify these types of people before they suck you into their webs of deceit and manipulation.
Reflections
Lately I’ve been doing some self reflection as I often advise others to do. As someone who enjoys the study of psychology, I recently found myself revisiting personality tests that I did in college for an assignment. So according to the test I have a Choleric/Melancholy personality. While both of these types have some good qualities, the bad ones were really bad. “Unemotional, “overbearing,” “rigid,” and “stubborn” were among some of the terms used. I immediately did some self inventory and realized that I definitely had some of those personality traits. I partly blame it on being an oldest child and a parentified child at that. I’ve always said that one of the good things about being a therapist is that sometimes you can use your own tricks on yourself. As a result, I’m constantly assessing myself in some fashion. However, it’s easy to self sabotage when you are constantly nit-picking your life. Nothing is good enough. You’re never satisfied and your standards are impossible. This mindset leaves little time to celebrate small and almost meaningless accomplishments. That’s my self reflection.
The social media truth
This week I’ve taken a break from two of the most popular social media sites. It’s not been super easy but good in the long run to gather my thoughts together. I’ve never fully understood the point of posting about every single mundane detail that happens in your life. But I admit that it’s interesting to browse and see what’s going on. The thing about social media is that it can have you convinced that you are close to someone when you’re not. Liking their activity or commenting does not mean they are obligated to let you in their real life lives. Social media allows you to be whoever you want to be. You can create an image or a perception of a person that is the complete opposite of your personality. There’s also sometimes even a false perception on anonymity,so in contrast, other individuals might be more honest on social media than they ever are in person. The fact that is ignored by millions is the fact that time spent on social media sites you don’t get back. There are people who make money but the vast majority isn’t paid to do anything on social media. It’s like a black hole of time that you’ll never get back–or even compensated for. I’m not debating the rightness or wrongness excessive social media time but the truth is that too much of a good thing is a bad thing.
Introverts Unite!
I love this humorous yet somewhat true description of introverts. Granted it’s not all encompassing, we all know someone who fits at least one of the descriptors. I’m pretty introverted for the most part. Surprisingly, I actually like speaking in front of people and doing presentations. I’m a behind-the-scenes sort of person and I don’t seek out the spotlight. However, if the spotlight shines on me, I’m usually prepared and ready. I honestly can’t stand meaningless conversations. I feel as if they’re a waste of my time and energy but I have them on a regular basis because despite the fact that I find them mundane, many times they are necessary in order to bridge the gap into more meaningful conversations. I think that the world needs a mixture of both extroverts and introverts because while those personality types can clash they can also complement each other. A quiet person with a loud person can be a great combination because they won’t try to out-talk each other.
Silent observers
I think that there are two types of observers in the world. The silent observers and the doer observers. It doesn’t take rocket science to figure out which one I am. Silent observers hate being the center of attention while doer are more about actions and don’t care about being the center of attention as long as they are doing something. Being a silent observer, I like observing from a distance but I’m not chomping at the bit to act unless I’m fairly competent in coming to a solution. I’ve never seen the logic in going to help a situation that I know nothing about. Doer observers are more spontaneous because they see and then act. This can happen regardless of whether or not they are qualified or competent. They want to help so they jump in. It’s always interesting seeing this particular character trait in action. It lends itself to the dramatic as opposed to the silent observer. Both of these personalities are observers but they function differently and they see things in a different light. Paying attention to detail and being observant manifests in different ways to different people. And that’s a good thing.
Alisha's Angle 