There are over 7 billion people on this planet. Did you know there is not a single person like you? Every one of us is completely different from anyone else. Even identical twins are different in countless ways. You are the only one that has your thumbprint, voiceprint, handprint, footprint, heartbeat, DNA, personality, and personal experiences that are unique to you.
You are one-of-a-kind original. Why is this important to know? Because an original is worth far more than a copy. The truth is when you try to be somebody else or copy someone else, it only leads to frustration and disappointment in your life.
The power of knowing each other’s unique personality will help you better understand why you think differently from others, make decisions in different ways, are energized by different things, and respond to conflict in different ways.
At familyshift.com/personality-test, I have identified five basic personality avatars:
- Ninja – People may never see the NINJA, but they know you were there by the trail of completion left behind you!
- Mastermind – If you see a great team, you can bet there is a MASTERMIND behind it!
- Trailblazer – The TRAILBLAZER loves a challenge and will rise to it without fail every time!
- Guardian – The guardian is no wimp; just try to hurt those close to a GUARDIAN, and you’ll get your behind kicked!
- Social Genius – Every time with the SOCIAL GENIUS is like the first time!
You can take the FREE avatar quiz at familyshift.com. You can have your spouse and kids (12 and older) take the quiz as well. I think you will have a lot of fun with these within your family. In fact, you might even start referring to each member of the family by their unique “avatar.”
It’s important to keep in mind that none of the personality types is necessarily better than the other. They all have strengths, and they all have deficiencies. I have seen four specific benefits of using these type of personality assessments.
- You’ll understand why you relate to others easily or with difficulty.
One of the main benefits of these inventories is that we get to look in a mirror and see ourselves more objectively. These tools also give us plenty of opportunities to talk to our spouses, kids, co-workers, and friends about our interactions with them.
We need to be careful to avoid pigeonholing people with labels, but labels can help us see people through clearer lenses. For instance, if you’re an introvert and your spouse is an extrovert, how each of you feels at parties is very different, and how you feel when you’re alone is quite the opposite. Understanding opens doors to communication, patience, kindness, affection and deeper understanding.
2. You’ll understand why you respond to situations the way you do.
Some of us feel guilty that we need to take more time to make decisions than someone else. While others live spontaneously without guilt, others may regret decisions later. When both people understand their bent, they’ll realize one of them isn’t tragically flawed and the other supremely virtuous – they’re just different in the way they process information and make decisions.
3. You can position yourself to live out your passions and accomplish your purpose.
We don’t use a hammer when we need to drive a screw into the wall, and we don’t insist on using a car when we’re trying to cross the ocean to France. But some of us are square pegs trying desperately to fit into the round holes our parents or others have told us are our only option. As we discussed earlier, we are all different, and one of the adventures of life is discerning where we fit best.
4. You’ll be more understanding and patient when people can’t do what you can do.
Don’t expect your math-challenged husband to do complicated calculations in his head. Give him a break … and a calculator. And don’t demand that your wife make decisions with only half of the information. That’s not how she operates – and if you’re lucky, she won’t bring up all the times your quick decision turned out to be a bomb!
If you want to have a deeper understanding of yourself, your spouse, and children, learn how to harness the power of our personalities. Understanding our personalities can give us breakthroughs in our relationships and ignite our passions to be our best self.
Rodney Gage is a family coach, author, speaker, and the founding pastor of ReThink Life Church that meets at Lake Nona High School. His passion is to help families stop drifting and start living with greater intention. To learn more, check out familyshift.com and rethinklife.com.
