It’s week three and time for another Guest Post on this Tell All Tuesday. This week’s post comes to us from Cindy M. Her story is about personality traits and how they determine the dreams we pursue, who we perceive we are, and who we want to become. Cindy’s breaking out of her shell (and personality type) by becoming an OK Guest Blogger this week. Here’s her story…

She’s Got Personality
Last year, I took one of those professional personality tests. The results, based on only 28 questions, were surprisingly accurate. My ‘profile pattern’ (there are 15) categorized me as a “perfectionist”. What’s wrong with that you might say? While it may work well when the task calls for accuracy and precision, it doesn’t always translate well on a more personal level.

Doing Things Right Isn’t Always Doing the Right Thing
The test results reveal that I “follow clear procedures and rules in [my] personal and professional life” but have a tendency to “judge others by [my] own precise standards.” This is probably the thing that I need to work on the most, especially when it comes to work and my home life where I can get so caught up in the what that I forget about the who. I can think of one clear exception to this. I have this friend who has a habit that would have been intolerable to me in the past. But I made a conscious decision to look past this habit and appreciate all the other wonderful qualities that this person has. It would reduce a lot of stress in my life if I could learn to apply it in other situations in my life

Be a Dog, Not a Cat
My personality profile identified me as “an individualist who prefers to do things my way without interference from others.”  I also tend to “hold back [my] emotions” with an “aura of cautious deliberation.” It is probably no coincidence that my ex-husband nicknamed me “cat” given my tendency to be a bit aloof. Indeed, when it comes to relationships, we can learn a lot from man’s best friend, the dog. While Cats tend to be more independent and finicky, Dogs offer unconditional love and forgiveness.

Wag More, Bark Less
The key things I need to work on are spending more time doing, and less time analyzing. I need to stop over-analyzing what I think a person wants and spend more time listening to what each person says they want. I need to accept what other people bring to the table even though it may not coincide with some lofty standard I have set for myself. I need to hone into that kind and considerate aspect of my personality that gets buried beneath my innate need for certainty and self-defeating cynicism. I need to wag more and bark less (or is that meow less?)

About Cindy
Cindy joined the military when she was 19 years old, which set the stage for her rather disciplined life. After her short stint in the Navy, she attended a community college before getting double Master degrees at UC Berkeley. Currently, she works in government and enjoys biking, kayaking, and all things outdoors. She is looking forward to owning her first home, spending time with her new puppy, and working on ‘perfecting’ her purrrfecting skills.

Share Your Story
As Katherine Center so eloquently puts it, “you have to be brave with your life, so that others can be brave with theirs.” Have you reinvented yourself in some way or are you owning your life and rediscovering what makes your heart sing? If yes, share your story and inspire others! Shoot me an email at owningkristina@gmail.com.