Personality Test – MBTI (2/2)

ESFJ: The care giver

In my process to discover myself, I’ve decided to use the MBTI test which is a very popular test to discover your personality in 15 minutes.
I’ve taken the tests a long time ago in 2008 and then again last August 2014. My results was ESFJ but I didn’t feel comfortable with this type.
ESFJ like to cater and take care of others. Monica from the TV show Friends is a good example of ESFJ. I’m not anything like her. I don’t like to look after my guests; my husband is always the one cooking when we have friends over 😛

Let’s analyze my results :

Extravert 48%

I’m sure I’m an extravert. I express things without thinking first. My words are just coming out of my mouth. I’m quite comfortable anywhere as long as people are not too negative.

Sensing 3%

Funnily I have a very low score for sensing type. So it is advised to check the opposite type (intuition) in case if the score if lower than 5%.

Feeling 58%

I’m sure I am a feeling type of personality. Everything goes through emotions with me. The emotional aspect of my life is very important. I have troubles to rationalize situations.

Judging 15%

I doubted that I am a Judging type, I’m always late for meeting…. 😛 and I don’t have such an organized life. In the test, they ask if you respect deadline. I said yes because this is what I do at work but it doesn’t feel natural and I don’t feel comfortable with deadlines.

So I’m not an ESFJ. Which type am I then?

What do these 4 letters mean?

To understand further the acronyms, here are the rough description for each letter:

How you energize and interact with people

– Extravert: you energize and focus on the outer world, prefer group activities, are energized by social interaction.
– Introvert: you energize and focus in the inner world, prefer solitary activity, are drained by social interactions.

How you collect and process information

– Sensing: you take information from the facts and the real world, rely on sense, focus on what has happened.
– Intuition: you see the possibilities, you are imaginative and intuitive.

How you take decisions

– Feeling: you take decisions based on inner values, follow your heart, are sensitive, focus on harmony and cooperation.
– Thinking: you are rational and logical, focus on objectivity.

How you approach the work, planning etc

– Judging: you have an organized life, prefer clear rules and guidelines.
– Perception: you have a flexible life, you are improvising, prefer freedom and open options.

ESFP : the entertainer

I understood that I was answering how I should be in everyday life and not how I were. For example, at work, I am expected to be on time and respect deadlines but this is not how I behave naturally. I’m never on time, deadlines stress me. I respect them because I have to.
So after analyzing more, I took the test again on another website. I finally I found that I was an ESFP, a Perception type. ESFP is the entertainer/performer type who loves to have fun in life, put on a show and be the center of the attention. During a sessions with a life coach, I understood that I am a creative and an artistic person. It was something that I couldn’t accept before. So finding out that ESFP types like arts and are creative. It was perfect !!
I was reading and reading the description over and over. I felt I was not there yet though. Sorry for all the ESFP, I couldn’t relate to that type because beyond having fun I am looking for some meaning in life.

ENFP : the inspirer

Usually MBTI test gives results in percentages. If the results are lower than 5% they advise to check the opposite type. I often get a very low (5%) Sensing trait. So I might be an Intuition type.

I’ve decided to check out the ENFP personality type. When I read through the description my head was nodding all the way through it. I am SO ENFP. OMG I was jumping and yelling I’m ENFP!! Youhou ENFP!!! Oh, finally I’ve found myself and how I was. That was an amazing feeling. It took me so long. It was amazing to have such a clear view. This was me. I didn’t want to continue to look anymore and retake the MBTI test over and over.

Everything felt so true when I read it. I’ve even discovered some traits that I didn’t value as strength or skills. I think I’ve considered them common. I was looking for some other strengths I wouldn’t have known. I just saw my own skills in a new perspective.

Here are some highlights of the ENFP description that ring the most true to me:

Strength

Creative, Communicator, Energetic, Enthusiastic, Spontaneous, Compassionate, Curious, Understanding, Warm, Genuinely like people, True free spirit, Independent

Weakness

Not pay attention enough on details, difficulties to focus, get stressed easily, highly emotional, poor time/organization management skill, procrastination, too sensitive to people criticism

Skills

ENFP type likes to interact with people: listening, motivating and understanding their perspectives. They enjoy the social and emotional connections. Highly empathic, ENFPs can find something to identify with almost every person they meet, and enjoys encouraging other people to develop, grow, pursue their dreams, be creative and find their own voice. They will discover, nurture and support talent in others, seeing the good in people and genuinely wanting to see others succeed. ENFPs love to talk about people: not just the facts, but what motivates them, what inspires them, and what they envision achieving in life.

They tend to choose careers that allow them to pursue ideals of personal growth and artistic expression. The pursuit of happiness is their highest priority in life. ENFPs want to be at the heart of things, and want to make a difference and they need an outlet for their incredible energy and creativity and not be constrained by traditions.

Blind spot

ENFPs can be so involved in meeting the needs of others that they may lose sight of their own needs and suffer from loss of personal identity and a sense of their own presence. (OMG this is why I didn’t know my passion and my dreams…)

Finally found myself

Before discovering the ENFP personality, I undervalued my own strengths. I thought it was normal to be empathic, curious, to care about people. Now I know why I love inspiring people and talking to them, why I procrastinate, why I think so fast, I’m so energetic and why I switch from topic to topic etc.

Discovering my personality put a whole different light on myself. I was so scared to discover myself. To be a lazy person, totally lost person who didn’t know what I wanted and having no passion but just a very curious mind that make me feel so empty. But actually it’s in my personality to be like this.

It’s amazing to understand why I am looking for a more meaningful life and why I’m so people oriented and that I am so energized by people. It’s who I am. Everything makes sense. The personality described was a very interesting and presented a very unique type of person. I’m not afraid to be empty, selfish or lost. I’m an ENFP and I’m not the only one :).

I found my perfect job and it is totally fitting my ENFP type!
– People oriented,
– Empathic relationship,
– Like meaningful conversation,
– Like to discover and nurture, support talent in others.
and so on !!

Here are few tips:
– If you are curious or if you want to find out about your personality with an easy method, MBTI can be a good start.
– My results were getting more and more accurate when I knew myself better along my self development.
– If you feel the result is not close enough, you might check the opposite type (Extravert if Introvert, Intuition if Sensing…).

Here’s is the description of the ENFP!!

http://www.truity.com/personality-type/ENFP
http://www.16personalities.com/enfp-personality

ENFP

http://www.personalitypage.com/html/ENFP.html
http://www.preludecharacteranalysis.com/types/enfp

In French

http://www.dividendes.ch/enfp-le-charismatique/
http://www.proavenirs.fr/2013/06/23/le-profil-enfp-enthousiaste-creatif/
http://www.16-types.fr/types/ENFP/enfp.html