Understanding ourselves and understanding others are two key components in improving relationships.
Do you have a friend who drives you crazy? She probably has a different personality style than you do. In our book Better Together, my daughter Anne and I talk quite a bit about mothering personality styles. Why does this make a difference in friendship? Well its very important for understanding ourselves and understanding each other. When we don’t understand, we often judge. Sometimes we judge ourselves and sometimes we judge others.
So I’m curious:
Are you an extrovert or an introvert? (Extroverts are refueled by being with people. Introverts are refueled by being alone.)
Are you an internal processor or an external processor? (Internal processors think about things for a long time before they make decisions. External Processors want to talk decisions through with other people.)
When it comes to organizing things, are you an innie or an outie? (Innies file. Outies pile.)
Are you structured or spontaneous? (Structured mamas love their lists and always have a plan. Spontaneous mamas often decide what to do based upon how they’re feeling that day.)
Are you medium high capacity or medium low capacity? (Medium High Capacity folks keep going and going and going and aren’t easily overwhelmed. Medium Low Capacity folks know their energy limits and become overwhelmed quicker.)
None of these are wrong. They just are. Each of us are wired uniquely by the God who created us. However, if we don’t understand ourselves and others, we’ll find some of these differences wrecking our friendships.
Wanna learn more? Hop over and take the FREE Mothering Personality Inventory. And while you’re at it, have a friend or two, or your whole moms group (if you have one) take it as well! You’ll learn so much about yourself and each other!
We desperately need to be true to ourselves, allow others to be different, and knock off the judgement that so creeps into our head and our heart so easily!
By the way, I’m an introvert, internal processing, outie, structured, medium-high capacity mama!
What about you? What were your results when you took the quiz?