How Personality Tests can Help you Reach Your Goals | Plus Recommendations for Which Tests to Take
You all know I’m all about personality tests (and if you didn’t, now you do!) There’s something reassuring learning about why you are the way you are and, more importantly, how you can use it to your advantage. So why do I think personality tests can be helpful when it comes to reaching your goals? It’s all about self-awareness! It’s something that I think is so key when it comes to not just developing but actually making plans that you’ll be able to stick to.
Understanding what your strengths are.. what your weaknesses are and how you work best — these are all key when it comes to mapping out how you’re actually going to accomplish your goals. For example:
If you’re someone who tends to procrastinate, then you’ll want to make sure you have specific deadlines in your action plan.
If you’re someone who gets overwhelmed at the bigger picture and tends to give up on things, having an accountability plan or partner may be something you want to consider.
Or, if you’re more of a trial and error type of person then it may be better for you to set short-term plans for how you’ll accomplish smaller pieces to your goals instead of wasting time planning the big picture.
We all approach life differently, and when you take the time to identify key things about how you live your life, it will only benefit you when it comes to your goals. So today I’m sharing 3 of the tests I recommend you take a look (or second look at) to increase your self-awareness and come up with plans that will set you up for success.
Four Tendencies
When it comes to a deep dive on learning about your personality and how you can improve your own life and relationships, the Four Tendencies should be your go-to! Gretchen Rubin wrote a whole book on the topic, but you can also just take the test on her website. Essentially this framework is based on the question, “How do I respond to expectations?” which then categorizes people into four different categories: Upholders, Questioners, Obligers, and Rebels. I am an Obliger, by the way.
Finding out my tendency was a GAME CHANGER (all caps worthy) for me when it came to my goals because I discovered as an Obliger I do better when I have outside accountability sources. For example, I’m really great at meeting deadlines, and other people’s expectations but can struggle when I’m the only one I have to answer to. Learning this was HUGE for me because it was so true. It’s actually one of the biggest reasons I started doing my monthly goal check-ins publicly on Instagram too, which I also talk about in this IGTV. By knowing this, I was able to add an accountability tactic that I may not have done otherwise which has really helped me propel forward on a lot of things.
Enneagram
The enneagram is another really popular test that has gained more notoriety in the last few years — especially on Instagram. There are thousands of accounts dedicated specifically to it, and I for one am here for it! The exact history on its origins are a little debatable but it’s focused on defining 9 different personality types.
Each type is represented by a number and includes: 1 the Reformer (that’s me!), 2 the Helper, 3 the Achiever, 4 the Individualist, 5 the Investigator, 6 the Loyalist, 7 the Enthusiast, 8 the Challenger, and 9 the Peacemaker. For me, the enneagram has provided a lot of insight into realizing I’m a perfectionist and how strong my inner critic can be. Sure, I may have known that before but diving in deeper has helped me give myself more grace when I trip up or things don’t go perfectly. Which has been very helpful when it comes to checking-in on goals and adjusting my plans when needed. There are several different versions of the enneagram test that you can take, but below I have linked one that I’ve used that’s free.
Myers–Briggs Type Indicator
Another very popular personality test especially for the workplace is the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. Essentially it is a questionnaire that focuses on identifying your psychological preference. The test breaks you into 4 main categories: Analysts, Diplomats, Sentinels, and Explorers, which are then broken down into 4 options under each. Each type in each category is represented by a letter so your full type has 4 letters, hence there being 16 different personality types. This website does a good job breaking things down.
I fall into the Advocate category and am right on the border of being an ENFJ-T and an INFJ-T — depending on if I’m feeling more extraverted or introverted. Which, on another note, there’s a name for people who have both introverted and extroverted tendencies — ambivert. I thought that was pretty cool when I found that out. Back to the personality test though, since there are 16 types, this test can get really specific on traits specific to you. A few of my takeaways from my type that I found were that sometimes I’m a little too optimistic about situations or what I can accomplish in one day and that I often put others needs before mine. From this, when I make plans, I try to stick to 3 main things each day for my business and 3 on the personal side so that I really have to prioritize things. I also started giving myself a day to myself each month specifically devoted to recharging and setting aside others’ expectations or needs.
I’ve had SO many amazing takeaways from these tests when it comes to my goals and I really hope they help you as well! Even if you’ve taken them before, I highly recommend going back and reading more about your types and really taking the time to do a personal audit. The time you spend learning more about yourself and on self-awareness will only help you build smarter and more effective plans when it comes to your goal action plans.
