Kayla 101

Today's post is a mini course on getting to know me.

Getting to know me via on-line personality tests. Strange little things, but crazily accurate, in my opinion.

They have been a fun time waster between my real life activities, but, honestly, they have also taught me a few things about myself.

This might have been part of their whole plan, but, I always ended up feeling pretty good about myself when I saw the results....even the weaknesses, didn't seem that "weak". And, I always recognized myself in the results.

I realize this may sound a bit too deep, but, these personality tests also helped me to realize that I was fearfully and wonderfully made by God....just this way....and that is totally, 100% okay.

Okay.......Want to know my results?

This first one was about my name....but it was really more than that.

The Hidden Meaning of my Name:  The Peculiar One (Now that doesn't sound super flattering at first, does it?)

Here is what it said about me....

You are misunderstood by the feeble-minded and mysterious to the faint of heart. To those who can see below the surface however, you are highly fascinating and truly lovable. It might take a second for you to warm up, but once you do, you're leagues ahead of everyone else. You are authentic and extremely versatile!

The part that I think was strangely accurate.....I am often misunderstood.  For awhile, I thought it was just because I was a northerner living in Georgia, but when I really thought about it,  I wasn't easily understood in Minnesota either (except by my sisters)!  The people that have dug a little deeper and gotten to know me, find me....if not "lovable", then certainly pleasant!  

Oh, and one more thing that was right on the money?  I will admit that it totally takes me awhile to warm up to people.  I do not encourage friendship right away with anyone.  I am very cautious about who I decide to let in.  I used to feel sort of bad about that, like there was something wrong with me.....but, I don't anymore.

My next test was a mini-Myer's Briggs type assessment through this site.

I ended up as an INFJ....which is the most rare personality type (only 1.5% of the general population, apparently) 

Here is the description (It is a little long, so if you are bored already, no worries.....go check the other blogs you follow and check back another time  ):


INFJs are kind, mindful, complex and highly intuitive people. This is the most rare personality type of all, only 1 percent of the population has it.

They like to organize their outer world in categories and priorities they never stop redefining. However, they have a great intuition and deal with their inner life very spontaneously. They perceive and understand things very intuitively and are very rarely wrong about their intuitions. This dichotomy between their inner and outer life may result in INFJs being less organized than other Judging types.

Because of their great instincts, INFJs understand people and situations very easily. They often feel when something has happened to some of their friends of family members even if they cannot really explain to themselves how they perceived it. Those strong intuitive capabilities may lead them sometimes to stubbornness and ignoring other people's opinions since they trust their instincts above everything else. This attitude should not be perceived as arrogance as INFJs are perfectionists and think they should always improve themselves and the world around.

INFJs set up a strong value system for themselves and always care about living in accordance with their values and ideals. They are warm and easy going as long as they do not have to compromise their values.

Warm and caring, they hate conflicts and will avoid hurting people. They will generally internalize their anger which can be a source of stress and health problems for them.

In the work place, most INFJs show up in creative and independent positions. They are good at art and sciences where they can use their intuition at best. They are generally bad at dealing with details and prefer working on the big picture.

INFJs are natural nurturers, protective and devoted. They make loving parents and build strong bonds with their children.

I feel like I could comment on each paragraph with how I agree/how accurate they are and give examples from my life to prove it is true.  For instance......

I do feel like I understand people and situations very easily.  I can't explain it.  I get a "feel" for a person or a situation and I am almost always right.  Seriously, ask Rainman.  I cannot tell you how many times we have been at a party or something and I have told him that a couple were fighting, or that someone was lying, and have been right.  He always wants me to explain in great detail why I think I am right about people or situations.....and I can't.  I just know.

Here is another one where my result was the same, INFJ, but this one lists strengths and weaknesses:

INFJ Strengths

• Creative - Combining a vivid imagination with a strong sense of compassion, INFJs use their creativity to resolve not technical challenges, but human ones. People with the INFJ personality type enjoy finding the perfect solution for someone they care about, and this strength makes them excellent counselors and advisors.
• Insightful - Seeing through dishonesty and disingenuous motives, INFJs step past manipulation and sales tactics and into a more honest discussion. INFJs see how people and events are connected, and are able to use that insight to get to the heart of the matter.
• Inspiring and Convincing - Speaking in human terms, not technical, INFJs have a fluid, inspirational writing style that appeals to the inner idealist in their audience. INFJs can even be astonishingly good orators, speaking with warmth and passion, if they are proud of what they are speaking for.
• Decisive - Their creativity, insight and inspiration are able to have a real impact on the world, as INFJs are able to follow through on their ideas with conviction, willpower, and the planning necessary to see complex projects through to the end. INFJs don’t just see the way things ought to be, they act on those insights.
• Determined and Passionate - When INFJs come to believe that something is important, they pursue that goal with a conviction and energy that can catch even their friends and loved ones off guard. INFJs will rock the boat if they have to, something not everyone likes to see, but their passion for their chosen cause is an inseparable part of their personality.
• Altruistic - These strengths are used for good. INFJs have strong beliefs and take the actions that they do not because they are trying to advance themselves, but because they are trying to advance an idea that they truly believe will make the world a better place.

INFJ Weaknesses

• Sensitive - When someone challenges or criticizes INFJs’ principles or values, they are likely to receive an alarmingly strong response. People with the INFJ personality type are highly vulnerable to criticism and conflict, and questioning their motives is the quickest way to their bad side.
• Extremely Private - INFJs tend to present themselves as the culmination of an idea. This is partly because they believe in this idea, but also because INFJs are extremely private when it comes to their personal lives, using this image to keep themselves from having to truly open up, even to close friends. Trusting a new friend can be even more challenging for INFJs.
• Perfectionistic - INFJs are all but defined by their pursuit of ideals. While this is a wonderful quality in many ways, an ideal situation is not always possible – in politics, in business, in romance – and INFJs too often drop or ignore healthy and productive situations and relationships, always believing there might be a better option down the road.
• Always Need to Have a Cause - INFJs get so caught up in the passion of their pursuits that any of the cumbersome administrative or maintenance work that comes between them and the ideal they see on the horizon is deeply unwelcome. INFJs like to know that they are taking concrete steps towards their goals, and if routine tasks feel like they are getting in the way, or worse yet, there is no goal at all, they will feel restless and disappointed.
• Can Burn Out Easily - Their passion, poor patience for routine maintenance, tendency to present themselves as an ideal, and extreme privacy tend to leave INFJs with few options for letting off steam. People with this personality type are likely to exhaust themselves in short order if they don’t find a way to balance their ideals with the realities of day-to-day living.

 Like I said, most of the weaknesses didn't really seem quite like actual weaknesses, but just another facet of what makes me....me.

Ask Rainman if the "Sensitive" part is true.  Hahahahahaha......  I am extremely sensitive and I don't like to be questioned about whether I am right or not.  Because, of course, I am!  Ha!  Questioning my motives will definitely earn you the cold shoulder from me. Once again, just ask Rainman. 

The whole "extremely private" part is totally true.....which is also why moving to Georgia 5 years ago and having to actually make friends was a sort of horrific episode in my life. I assume it is also why I don't feel like I need a lot of friends, just a select few.....and my sisters, who understand me.

Like I said, these have been really fun to do, but I sort of feel like now, in my mid-40's, I am finally really figuring out who I am.  And, that who I am is okay and doesn't need to really change all that much.  I feel a bit empowered....like I am an INFJ, hear me roar. 

Or, as Popeye would say, "I yam what I yam."

Now you sort of know who I "yam" too.

Take some of these tests for yourself and see what you are.  Let me know what you are, especially if you are another rare INFJ like me!