Ode to an ENFP

Anybody out there into the Myers-Briggs (or Keirsey-Bates) Temperament sorter, personality test thing? I was REALLY into it my senior year in high school. A friend of mine introduced me to the book "Please Understand Me" and I was hooked. Pretty soon I was administering the 80 question test to anyone that would sit and take it. It was a passing phase, though...I didn't give it much more thought...until I met my husband about 3 years later.

Cliff was just finishing up his English degree when we started dating, and he was taking a class that required him to use this personality test. He asked me if I had ever taken it, and as it turns out, we are BOTH the exact same type. We started our Bridal registry that very afternoon. OK, so we waited a few weeks, but seriously...it was so intriguing to date someone with the exact same type. I can imagine that SOME types would not lend themselves well to pairing up with your personality twin. It could be a disaster. Truth be told, I'm not sure we're NOT...but it has seemed, for the most part, to suit us well.

There is MUCH information on the WWW about these personality types. There are countless books (your type in the workplace, your type in the bedroom, etc.) where you can feast upon all kinds of wisdom to better understand what makes you tick. Maybe there are even pamphlets you can hand out to make it easier for people to put up with you...I don't know.

Anyway, from all that I've gleaned, ENFPs see possibilities. They look at the big picture and are focused on patterns and relationships and have a global perspective. They enjoy change, variety and creativity. That's all well, good and accurate. I'm sure they are getting paid to accentuate the positive. What I found interesting was this, more....realistic description:

"You are a scatterbrain. You have the attention span of a three-year-old who just sucked down a dozen Pixie Sticks. You have a tremendous amount of energy, most of which you waste chasing your tail. Which, being human, you don't have. We could say more, but you've already gotten bored with this and moved on."

OUCH! I guess the truth hurts. So remember now, this is supposed to describe BOTH Cliff and I. Scary! It makes me wonder how we get anything done. We sure do have fun staying up late, talking about all the possibilites and solving the world's problems, though. It's just the next day when the follow-through is supposed to happen that we run into trouble!

If you want to check out the rest of these fun nuggets of wisdom, and maybe even find your own, you can find them HERE.