I'm sure you've seen lots of personality quizzes online. While it's always fun to find out which Powerpuff Girl you are, the personality quiz I'm talking about is called MBTI.

I'm not big on psychological tests, but having used MBTI for 5 years now, I can give you 2 good reasons to take it.

What is MBTI?

It's a personality test that tells you where you stand on 4 dimensions. Based on your standing, you get a letter for each dimension, so you end up with a 4 letter personality type (such as "ESTJ").

As an example, the first letter can be E (Extraversion) or I (Introversion), which tells you whether you prefer to focus on the external world or your own inner world. I won't cover the rest now but you can read about them here.

Why take it?

Here are your promised 2 reasons to take the MBTI quiz:

  1. It will tell you your "default" behaviour, so that you can be more intentional about your daily life.

    For example, if MBTI tells me that I am introverted, it means that by default I might not put enough energy as I'd like into social situations. I can then decide if I'm OK with that, or if I'd like to have a huge social circle, in which case I will need to actively invest in doing so.

    (I've used extraversion/introversion as an easy-to-understand example, but I'd recommend reading more on MBTI to learn about the other dimensions).

  2. It will give you a common language when working with others who have taken the test.

    Relaying your personality traits to someone can usually be very difficult and often frustrating. MBTI can be a helpful tool for communicating your personality type to others, so they can know what to expect. In a way, it helps translate what people might have called "idiosyncrasies" into personality traits that you need to be aware of.

    For example, instead of saying "I prefer to make lists for every single thing I do", you can say "I'm a J."

Have you taken MBTI or a similar test? Let me know what you thought about it by replying to this email!