“No, no, no!”  I screamed as I leapt off the bed, grabbed my keys and practically slid down the banister as though the house were afire. 

The house wasn’t on fire, but my brain was.  Because my husband had approached me with—I still shudder with the horror of it–a SPREADSHEET.  Not just any spreadsheet, people, but a vacation spreadsheet. A detailed itinerary of every single thing we would do on our vacation—including what time we would get up every morning—six months before our date of departure.

So I did what any normal wife would do.  I bolted from the house, jumped into the car, and burned some serious rubber as I screeched out of the driveway.

That was two years ago.  He hasn’t changed—but I have.  He still wants to plan everything down to the nth degree, including what we’re going to have for dinner (while we’re still eating breakfast) and when we’ll be leaving a party we haven’t actually gone to yet.

What shifted things for me?  A nifty little tool called the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), based on the work of Swiss psychiatrist and all-around brilliant guy Carl Jung.  Jung believed we all have innate gifts, talents, motivations, and strengths.  And, most importantly, that we have a preferred way of getting energized, taking in information, making decisions, and dealing with the outer world.

When I took the MBTI, I learned a lot about myself—and about my husband.  Turns out he’s not a weird alien dude inexplicably taking up residence in my bedroom with the sole purpose of annoying me—he’s a guy who likes, and even needs, to plan ahead.  And it turns out he’s married to someone who likes to keep things as open-ended as possible, because who knows what cool thing might come up that I might miss? 

Your MBTI results aren’t about learned or adaptive behavior.  It’s how you were born, how you’re wired.  It doesn’t mean you can’t operate in someone else’s wheelhouse. (I could plan stuff if I had to.  Stop laughing.  I could.)  It just means life is easier if you go with your particular brand of flow.

A great analogy is whether you are right- or left-handed.  All of us can write with either one, but it just works better when you write with the one your brain wants you to use.  Try it yourself:

Take a moment and sign your name using your dominant hand.

It likely feels natural, easy, and effortless, doesn't it?  In fact, you probably didn't even have to think about it.  

Now, sign your name using your non-dominant hand.

Yuck, huh?  Unless you are among the few ambidextrous folk in the world, writing with the “wrong” hand probably felt clumsy, unnatural, awkward or even childlike.  You may have had to think about writing each letter.  

This is the MBTI point in a nutshell:  although you can operate outside your preferences, it may never feel natural and you may never feel truly competent doing so.  It’s just plain hard work.

We don’t just have preferences about how to plan our vacations; we have preferences about tons of stuff.  Maybe you prefer flats over heels, cats over dogs, your kitchen over your living room, women over men.  Me, if I were forced to live with cats while wearing stilettos and having sex with women in my dining room—well, let’s just say  I’d rather stick a plastic fork in my eye.  You may feel the same about dogs, ballet flats, and sleeping with men in your kitchen.  Neither one of us is right or wrong, or good or bad.  We’re just different—and that’s hunky dory. 

I also experienced a visceral wave of relief when I learned that working from my home office wasn’t conducive to my extravertedpersonality type.  I simply wasn't getting enough face-to-face human contact!  Since then, I’ve gotten enormously better about scheduling more in-person meetings, taking daily walks, eating out, and visitingplaces where human beings tend to congregate, like Starbucks and the grocery store.

It was liberating to stop comparing myself to my introverted coaching colleagues and entrepreneurs who simply don't experience this kind of isolation because they direct their energy inward, whereas I am energized by interacting with people.  Holy crap, was that ever a light bulb moment for me!  There’s nothing wrong with me!  There’s nothing wrong with them!  Everyone—everyone!—can be happy just as they are!

Because of these Oprah-style “aha” moments, I decided then and there to get trained and certified to administer and interpret the MBTI for others—clients, friends, family, readers and yes, even cat lovers.  I love people who love what they love and aren’t afraid to act on it.

Here’s what a couple of my clients said after they received their personality type results and interpretation: 

I have never had a description peg me so closely.  It was eye-opening and extremely helpful. I had a bunch of realizations that brought relief to me, a better understanding of myself, a new way to frame things, and some good challenges forward that will help me reach my goals. ~ L. Smith

Jackie, I’m so happy you had me take the Myers-Briggs assessment and worked with me to interpret the results.  I’ve found myself using what I learned as a lens though which I can better understand why I function in the world as I do, and how I can use my strengths to live a more powerful life.  This dynamic tool, plus your super-charged coaching?  GREAT STUFF! ~ L. Cooper

So if you:

• Love hearing fabulous things about yourself (duh!)
• Are tired of beating yourself up for who you genuinely are
• Want to gain a deeper understanding of yourself and what makes you tick
• Have no clue what you want to do next week, next year or for the rest of your life
• Are curious to know the 10 most popular occupations for YOUR type
• Are transitioning out of your job and into a new one
• Want to increase your job satisfaction
• Want to be aware of your blind spots so you can make better decisions
• Are curious how you can respond differently when you're under stress
• Want a better working relationship with your boss, employees or co-workers
• Want more harmony or intimacy with your partner, your kids, your parents, or the shoe repair man

THEN YOU SHOULD CONSIDER TAKING THIS ASSESSMENT (and if you know me at all, I don't throw "shoulds" around lightly).
   
Because I am so lit up about administering this assessment to everyone I know, I am offering a one-time only special for the month of April:

Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
APRIL SPECIAL
$190

Here's what you get:

• Internet access to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
• A two-page profile and summary of your reported personality type
• A one-hour validation and interpretation of your Personality Type with me
• A follow-up detailed description of your personality type including your strengths, areas for growth, and your type under stress

                                                   

YOU DO NOT NEED TO TAKE THE ASSESSMENT IN APRIL, BUT YOU DO NEED TO PURCHASE IT.

If you’re already a client of mine, and want to add this on to your package, you may do so for $25 instead of $50.

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