Who will you be in 2023?
For the last five days, I’ve had laryngitis. It’s been a bit of a silent retreat not being able to talk. A whisper was even challenging for me. I had to cancel some clients but was able to do healing sessions and a sound healing meditation. So, while I was silent, I spent a lot of time with myself. This weekend was spent cleaning and organizing my office. It seems that with every move, my business office is always the place where the junk gets accumulated. It’s behind closed doors and customers never go in there so it’s reasonable to use it as a storage space. It drives me crazy, but I had to tackle it.
While I was cleaning out old files, I came across a Myers-Briggs report from 1988. I was working at the Middletown YMCA back then and we had a Board member who was a Myers-Briggs facilitator. The entire management team went through a six month long assessment and teamwork training. It is an experience that has always stuck with me and helps me when working with other people.
I love how it applies to me today, 34 years later. Here are some of the key points.
Leadership Style:
- Lead with energy and enthusiasm
- Like to be in charge of the start-up phase
- Communicate and often become the spokesperson for values relating to people
- Work to include and support others
- Pay attention to what motivates others
Preferred Work Environment:
- Contains imaginative people focused on human possibilities
- Colorful
- Participative atmosphere
- Offers variety and challenge
- Idea-oriented
- Unconstrained
- Lively
Potential Pitfalls:
- May move onto new ideas or projects without completing those already started
- May overextend and try to do too much
- May procrastinate
This is a great reminder for me of who I am. With Myers-Briggs reports, you typically do not change. These are core qualities within you. When you are having challenges or resisting what is, it’s best to come back to these qualities as you are most likely out of alignment with who you are. The times that life works best for you are the times that you are aligned with your core qualities.
You don’t need a Myers-Briggs test to tell you who you are. You can simply look at your life, and especially at the times of your highest achievements. What was right about that situation? Who were you as a being? What was your behavior? What kind of people where around you at that time? You will find many themes within your life if you just stop and take a look.
As we head into 2023, write down a few ideas of who you want to be. What qualities and characteristics do you wish to include in the new version of you, and which current ones do you wish to exclude?
While I don’t wish laryngitis upon anyone, I do highly recommend a few days of not engaging with the world. You never know what you will find.
Make today a great day!