How Peculiar is Your Personality?

Peculiarities in people’s personalities should be respected and not treated with contempt. If you are the ‘always excited’ dude, eager to jump on the next project without finishing the previous or you are the ‘always quiet’ Bella, taking your time to think things through before you agree to any proposition, we say there is a place for each one in the world to make a difference. Contrary to popular opinion, introverts are not anti-social or shy but their preference is for environments that are not overly stimulating while extroverts, the life and soul of the party, need such environments to recharge their energies. There is also the ambiverted. They fall between the extrovert and the introvert. They can be gregarious one minute and in the other, be silent for no apparent reason. Wherever you might fall in the extrovert/ introvert range may be the most important aspect of determining personality and can serve as a major predictor of the choices we make regarding friends and partners, resolving differences and showing love. It can also affect career choices on a high level too and has the ability to determine how successful we are in our choices. Are you an introvert, extrovert or ambiverted? If you find yourself in these situations, which would you do? Choose one which is applicable. 1. In work meetings a. Are you always having suggestions, ideas… always ready to share the next big thing that comes to mind? b. Do you stare at people’s faces, smile sometimes but most times have nothing to share, not because you are dumb but thousands of thoughts are running through your mind and they don’t wait for you to pick one? c. Are you – not overly throwing ideas out there and not also quiet? You say a few words and your mind wanders the rest of the time. 2. On a free day a. Do you stay at home? For what? Doing what when there are places to hang out and fun people to meet? b. Do you stay the day at home, turning from your bed to a book to the kitchen and back to your bed to take a nap? When you wake, you watch as the sun sets and the darkness takes its place, feeling awesome. c. Do you can stay at home or hang out with friends? It depends on how you want your day to be. 3. Meeting new people? a. Yeah! You are the bomb! b. For what?… But I already have more than enough friends! c. You appreciate meeting new people but they don’t become your friends instantly. Friendship means really deep commitment. 4. In a party, you… a. Feel you are in your element. You talk with strangers and make them friends. b. Like the world is out of control. You can barely breathe. Air becomes stodgy. You look for a loop to exit fast. c. Engage one or two people in conversations. You can easily hold your own among people but when its time to leave, it is also something you can easily do. 5. Your headphones are on and… a. They can go off at any time for any new gist coming. You really don’t mind. b. They should stay where they are until you are ready to take them off yourself. See? Headphones on; the writing on the wall says “Please don’t speak to me!” c. You take them on and off as long as there is something important to be said. You’ll appreciate it though if you don’t take them off too often. You  wouldn’t have put it on if you did not want it on. 6. What does fun mean to you? a. A concert or a club where you can party all night long or talk and gist all day with your pals and peeps. b. Calm and quiet. Being close to nature. Getting back the connection with mother Earth. Away from the craziness with a book or with music or with pure sheer silence – Bliss! c. Both really; it is just when I am tired of one, I can switch to the other. c. Sometimes calm and quiet will do; sometimes a concert and club will do. I just don’t spend much time in either.

7. When you are to meet a deadline (if you are not lazy)… a. You mostly meet it but with lots of distractions and diversions. b. You mostly meet it early with spare time to while away for silence and to recuperate. c. You mostly meet it 8. The joy of doing nothing… a. Huh! What does that even mean? b. One word – Bliss! c. There are times I find I do nothing and it is OK. I’ll just prefer doing something purposeful than doing nothing. 9. Your phone is ringing off the hook… a. You pick each one, talking excitedly and call friends you have not heard from in the day b. It keeps ringing off the hook. c. You pick those whose calls you prefer to respond to and try to call back those whose calls you missed. 10. How easy is it to get to know the real you? a. Very easy. I am an open book in terms of who I am and my character. Come read me! b. Difficult. The real me is in layers. You’ll need to peel off non-stop once I am willing to stand you peeling my layers off. c. Why? 11. Which appeals to you most of all? a. Writing, Researching, Programming, Accounting, b. Acting, Therapist, Teaching, Marketing, Publicist/Public Relations, Human Resources c. Both. As long as I find it interesting. If not, then it is time for a career change. Responses in option a are for the extroverted. You love hanging out with friends and are always willing to meet new people. Responses in option b are for the introverted. You prefer silence, might love solitude and have a few people you call friends. Cs are the ambiverted. They sometimes balance out their introvert/extrovert personalities. The ambiverted can determine their level on the introvert/extrovert spectrum by taking the test again and choosing between the ‘a’  and ‘b’ choices that which you would most prefer if there were no ‘c’ choices. Anyway, personality differences makes the world an interesting place and the workplace a stimulating place where newness can always be found when different personalities are encouraged to thrive. Samuel Adeyemi, Daystar Pastor says, “If five people in a team are known never to have disagreements, do things the same way, arrive at the same answers, eat the same food, and never question each other because they are always satisfied with their results, then, four people on that team are utterly useless.” Let us celebrate our diversity in personalities by finding resonance   

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This article was first published on 4th March 2014

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