I didn’t think I would be in this phase so quickly, but two or three years ago my girls started taking those quizzes in the magazines. You know the ones – what kind of friend are you, what princess are you most like, what do your fashion choices say about you! Even as adults, I see way too many people (no judgment, just an observation) share on social media – which Hogwarts house you belong to, what Friends character would you be, and what foods you cook say about you! (In case you were wondering, Hufflepuff, Monica, and I have yet to take the last one but it’ll probably say I’m better off picking something up from a restaurant. :p ) They’re all for fun but the creators of these quizzes know people are interested in figuring themselves out. And since we are quite complicated (okay, I’m complicated anyway), having a quiz result give us some kind of answer is easier than deeper digger to find out. Or maybe sometimes we are scared of what we’ll discover. When I first saw the title of Anne Bogel’s book, I totally thought it was going to be a book about bookworms, you know, *Reading People, like People Who Read. That would be cool because I know very few people in real life who really enjoys reading like we do. Well, I was wrong, but I’m so glad I was wrong because the topic of this book is way better. The tagline of *Reading People says it all, “How seeing the world through the lens of personality changes everything.”
All the personality tests in the world won’t mean anything to you if you’re not honest with yourself about your own personality and the personalities of those around you. Aspirational answers won’t do you any good; only true ones will. And so, the first step is to take an unflinching look at who you truly are. What are you really like?
*Note: This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.
I’m usually one to read a book from beginning to end. But you don’t have to do that with this book. Besides the first chapter on Anne’s a-ha moment, each section can stand on its own. I’m almost certain you will want to go back and reference certain themes and take a look back to find answers. It’s that kind of book – a book you will keep in your stacks to refer back to once in awhile because you meet someone and they are a complete challenge to figure out (that person might be me :p ), a book that will become worn because life circumstances and world events will change us and you will need to see if just maybe your personality has changed along with experiences and wisdom.
Beauty in Understanding My Own Personality
Anne really brings more clarity to each one of the frameworks in her book. I do think I have to re-evaluate myself sometime soon because as she shared in the introduction, there were many times when she answered based on who she wanted to be instead of who she truly was, and those results are never quite as helpful to us in understanding ourselves and in reading people.
(Introverts + Extroverts) I’ve heard the words introverted and extroverted here and there growing up in school. And of course, people almost always used it to mean someone who is either shy or outgoing. I was definitely not outgoing, but I was also fairly certain joining every single club in school was not something a shy person would do. What in world was I? Oh man, middle school was and is a confusing time, huh? Oy vey. And also, how did I ever teach middle school Sunday school?
(The Five Love Languages) Speaking of which…the first time I encountered one of the frameworks Anne mentions in the book was when I was teaching middle school Sunday School. I read The 5 Love Languages of Teenagers, never mind that I just finishing my last year of being a teenager. I never did end up reading the other books in the series, but I for sure know that my love languages are NOT receiving gifts and physical touch.
(The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator) I learned about the MBTI both when I was getting my business degree and then again when I was completing my child development certification. All that brain and personality stuff was super intriguing to me. It is extremely helpful to understand what makes a person tick. I haven’t taken this assessment in a long time and I’m almost positive motherhood has changed me…a lot!
(The Clifton StrengthsFinder) I kept hearing about this from a few respected people so I decided to read the book at the beginning of last year. It was a quick but great read! I really liked how it explained our uniqueness through our strengths. I have yet to take the assessment because there’s a fee. (The Ramsey in me needs to budget for that. :p )
The other 4 that Anne discusses in Reading People are Highly Sensitive People (fairly certain I am one), Keirsey’s Temperaments, The MBTI Cognitive Functions, and The Enneagram (which is all the rage in recent months from what I’ve seen). I’ll let you read more about those in the book. 😉
Encouragement in Accepting Differences
Somehow, I think we all get it in our head that one type of personality is better than another, and I am learning more and more that it is definitely not true. It makes our world such a wonderful place to have all kinds of people. I may not always like when a small group discussion time is dominated by two outspoken extroverts (for a whole entire year), but I truly am thankful for the insights they share and how they make me ponder things I won’t have otherwise. Learning about personalities and strengths seems like it should be a priority to those in leadership roles, but I have found that people mostly want to do what’s cool, accepted, or easy.
Get your copy here and check out the fun things Anne has for you below! –> *amzn.to/2xpmR1f
A Few Fun Things!
- Take Anne’s quiz: What’s your reading personality?
- Reading People releases on September 19th. If you *pre-order your copy, Anne has some amazing goodies for you.
- These aren’t all full assessments, but you can get a quick look at some type: Love Languages, 16 personalities, How to Fascinate.
Your turn: Have you taken one of these assessments? What have you discovered?
Also, for fun, which Hogwarts house do you belong to? :p
Don’t forget to get your copy here or any location where books are sold! –> *amzn.to/2xpmR1f
*Note: This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a tiny percentage if you purchase through my link at no extra cost to you. Read my disclosure policy here.