This Above All, To Thine Own Self Be True

I have always been someone who LOVES a good quiz. Back in middle school when I used to sneak read my friends' Seventeen magazines, I'd always flip to the quiz section first. (Which by the way, they still include in every issue. If you're dying to know which Prom Dress is Right for you, click HERE. Something Classy/Preppy is just perfect for me this year.)

Nowadays I prefer quizzes that tell me what kind of homeschooler I am (Classical Unschooler) or what my home decor style is (Eclectic Transitional). There's just something about discovering myself that I cannot get enough of.

So I guess it's no surprise that when I found Tsh Oxenrider's Upstream Field Guide included as part of the Ultimate Homemaking Bundle this year, I jumped into it. The Field Guide is an 8 part e-course designed to help you live holistically with your life's purpose. The beginning of the course is focused on defining who you are and what you're about.

This week, as a part of Session 2, I was directed to take the Myer's-Briggs personality assessment, the Strengths Finder test and an Enneagram test. I've done all of these multiple times except for the Enneagram test. I've seen a few bloggers I follow talk about it, so of course I took it as a part of this process. Surprise, surprise, I'm a Type Three. If you're an Enneagram junkie you know exactly what this means, but if not, it's "The Achiever" type.

Threes are self-assured, attractive, and charming. Ambitious, competent, and energetic, they can also be status-conscious and highly driven for advancement. They are diplomatic and poised, but can also be overly concerned with their image and what others think of them. They typically have problems with workaholism and competitiveness. At Their Best: self-accepting, authentic, everything they seem to be—role models who inspire others.

Threes want to make sure their lives are a success, however that is defined by their family, their culture and their social sphere. In some families, success means having a lot of money, a grand house, a new, expensive car, and other status symbols. Others value ideas, and success to them means distinguishing oneself in academic or scientific worlds. Success in other circles might mean becoming famous as an actor, or model, or writer, or as a public figure of some kind, perhaps as a politician. A religious family might encourage a child to become a minister, priest, or rabbi since these professions have status in their community and in the eyes of the family. No matter how success is defined, Threes will try to become somebody noteworthy in their family and their community. They will not be a “nobody.”

To this end, Threes learn to perform in ways that will garner them praise and positive attention. As children, they learned to recognize the activities that were valued by their parents or peers, and put their energies into excelling in those activities. Threes also learned how to cultivate and develop whatever about them is attractive or potentially impressive.

I've never heard myself described exactly that way before, but the downside to being a "Three" is spot on in my own life. I figured out early on in life which activities garnered me positive attention and praise and stuck to those things. Threes are terrified of failure. This whole assessment (particularly the downsides to this type) parallels precisely with the experience of feeling worthless and insignificant that I spoke about here.

Of course as I dive into all this self-reflection I want to know more about all of my people!

Are you an equally split ESTJ/ESFJ like me? Or are you an INFP? (If so I need more of you in my life.) Is Input or Communication one of your greatest Strengths? Have you ever taken the Enneagram test? Let me know what/who you are in the comments or in email! Because Input is one of my strengths, I get a ton of enjoyment out of knowing who the people around me are. :)