Discover your personality type to help you make better choices (Part 2)

As a continuation of my previous post on the MBTI personality test, there's one more commonly used personality profiling tool that I find rather interesting ie. the DISC profiling tool. The major characteristics of each of the four main patterns used in the DISC profiling are described below:

Dominance: To the point, decisive and bottom line oriented. These people tend to be independent and results driven. They are strong-willed people who enjoy challenges, taking action, and immediate results.

Influence: Optimistic and outgoing. They tend to be highly social and out going. They prefer participating on teams, sharing thoughts, and entertaining and energizing others.

Steadiness: Empathetic & Cooperative. These people tend to be team players and are supportive and helpful to others. They prefer being behind the scene, working in consistent and predictable ways. They are often good listeners and avoid change and conflict

Conscientiousness: Concerned, Cautious & Correct. These people are often focused on details and quality. They plan ahead, constantly check for accuracy, and what to know "how" and "why".

Of course, not every one will have a personality type as pure and distinct as above, but often most people are a mix. They can have one main personality type, with a mix of other types. For myself, I can be most accurately described as a primary D with C as the secondary characteristic, in other words, the profile of a Challenger, "One who Searches", as described below.

"Individuals who are Challengers exhibit an awareness of problems coupled with a creative character. Due to their strong resolve, they can complete significant tasks in very little time. Using a great deal of foresight, they examine all possible avenues when searching for a solution to a problem or focusing on a project. Equal striving for correctness counterbalances their drive for tangible results. They are perfectionistic and may vacillate in decision making. Challengers prefer working alone and resent restrictions. Searching for details and facts, especially about the unfamiliar, they sometimes ignore the emotional side of people. Their greatest fear is not being influential or of failing. They do not get personally involved, as they are very take oriented and driven mainly by results. Although they are emotionally restrained, a Challenger will speak the truth in any situation. They are willing and able to challenge the status quo when they perceive a better way. They are not typically afraid to confront even significant superiors with an issue. Challengers may be perceived as uncaring, since they focus on facts and outcomes more than feelings and relationships."

I find that knowing yourself well is an all important prerequisite to becoming successful. By discovering your personality profile and understanding its strengths and weaknesses, it opens up opportunities for you to exploit your strengths while at the same time making sure that you keep in mind the weaknesses you might inherently have. Its rather like driving a car, although you have to focus on the roads ahead, you still have to constantly check the rear and side mirrors to check your blind spots in order to reach your destination safely. Don't you agree with me?

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Are you truly wealthy or poor in reality?

After reading a post on the definition of wealth over at Productivity501, it sets me thinking on my own definition of wealth. What does true wealth really mean to me? What does it mean to you?

A textbook meaning would define wealth simply as a measure of personal net worth ie. your total assets minus your total liabilities. If your assets are worth more than liabilities, you have positive wealth, if not, you would have got to work harder to either increase your assets or decrease your liabilities.

According to the meaning of wealth in the Rich Dad series of books, a much better definition states that wealth is a measure of how long you can survive at your current standard of living if you quit your job today. The longer you can survive, the wealthier you are.

By the second definition, I am wealthy as I can by all means quit my job now and still get by a few months without much worries(which I am contemplating to do now). But through my own definition, I am not at all wealthy. After my cache of money dries up, I'll still have to look for a new job or source of income.

My definition of true wealth means having enough money to afford what I want, whenever I want it, worry free. Let me elaborate further. For example, I would be wealthy if I could go for dinner at a fancy restaurant every night if I want to, or simply take off for a holiday to the Maldives for weeks at a time, or buy a new tech gadget such as an Macbook Air at the spur of the moment. If I could do all of these with no worries of overspending or having my income stream dry up, then by my definition, I am truly wealthy. These examples however, does not necessary mean that I am a spendthrift or overindulgent, but just analogies to show what I mean by doing what I want, when I want it!

Of course, wealth can be created by lowering your costs or standards as well. For example, shopping at discount stores, buying house brand provisions at supermarkets, forgoing the comfort of your own vehicle for public transport etc. But to me, that would simply be lowering your standards and quality of life. Frugality is a virtue, but we should never be shortchanging ourselves by ever settling for less.

True wealth is created by expanding by living our life to the fullest by constantly expanding our means, setting ever higher standards, and never by compromised by living below our means, or setting lower standards. Are you building your success by creating true wealth today? Feel free to share your thoughts!

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Discover your personality type to help you make better choices

Have you ever wondered why people behave differently in the same situations? Is there someone whom you absolutely cannot click with no matter how hard you try and will most definitely get into an argument with if you are put into a project together? Why does some people seem more outgoing, likable and more social than others while some others simply hates socializing? How can some people go for a holiday spontaneously while some others needs months and months just to decide where to go, and then even more time to plan and organize their trips? The answers are all in your personality type!

A radio show I was listening over the radio discussing how differences in personality types affects the relationships between couples got me interested in the topic again. I'm sure many of you would have heard of the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and might have even taken it before. It is basically a test that you can take to determine your personality type, which will help you in understanding yourself and other people better, as well as serve as a helpful guide to help you decide career options or restructure your current job. Using the tool to help you make proper choices does play a big part to ensure your career success. However, one point to note is that it is a measure of your preferences and not strength nor ability.

Apparently I am an "INTP", and the following paragraph more or less describes me perfectly:

"Logical, original, creative thinkers. Can become very excited about theories and ideas. Exceptionally capable and driven to turn theories into clear understandings. Highly value knowledge, competence and logic. Quiet and reserved, hard to get to know well. Individualistic, having no interest in leading or following others."

I've also learnt that I'm part of a lonely bunch of people, sharing this profile with just 3.3% of the population and putting me under the likes of Albert Einstein, Rene Descartes, Charles Darwin, C. G. Jung, Isaac Newton, and Socrates amongst others. Here's a quick link to an online test if you have not taken it before, and you also can check out here to give you a brief description of the other personality types(there's a total of 16).

The following also best describes my likes:

• Love theory and abstract ideas
• Truth Seekers - they want to understand things by analyzing underlying principles and structures
• Value knowledge and competence above all else
• Have very high standards for performance, which they apply to themselves
• Independent and original, possibly eccentric
• Work best alone, and value autonomy
• Have no desire to lead or follow
• Dislike mundane detail
• Not particularly interested in the practical application of their work
• Creative and insightful
• Future-oriented
• Usually brilliant and ingenius
• Trust their own insights and opinions above others
• Live primarily inside their own minds, and may appear to be detached and uninvolved with other people

With the above in mind, some possible job fits would be:

• Scientists - especially Physics, Chemistry
• Photographers
• Strategic Planners
• Mathematicians
• University Professors
• Computer Programmers, Systems Analysts, Computer Animation and Computer Specialists
• Technical Writers
• Engineers
• Lawyers / Attorneys
• Judges
• Forensic Research
• Forestry and Park Rangers

Obviously, I'm not doing any of the above roles yet but it does gives me some food for thought(strategic planning or photography sounds interesting to me) and a better idea of my next career move. Often, people also get into conflicts because of the difference in personality types. If I apply the knowledge gained from this tool to potentially avoid tension by moderating my own thoughts and try to speak the other person's language in order to build rapport.

All in all, I find a MBTI a useful tool to understand myself and other people better. Now, why not give it a try, discover your own personality type and that of your friends, family and colleagues and I'm sure it'll put you on a good footing towards success! Here's the link again in case you've missed it!

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Need to recharge? Take a short trip!

Are you leading a very frantic pace of life such there there always seems to be too much to do but too little time? Do you find yourself always stuck at work with little time to spend with family and friends? Then its really time for you to take a break. There's much easier ways to kill yourself than overwork, even a robot requires rest for maintenance and repairs! What better way is there to relax than to take a short weekend getaway to another country?

Just returned from sunny Phuket Island, a paradise in the land of the smiles! It is simply amazing to see how the locals have bounced back in just three short years from the devastating effects of the tsunami. Other than prominent signs along the beach fronts to show the evacuation routes in case a tsunami ever occurs again, there is nary a trace that disaster had even struck before. It goes to show that any adversity can be conquered if people are resilient enough.

The best way to destress, as what I've found out from my trip, was to go for a thai massage, especially when it only costs a mere 200 baht(approx. USD 6.3) an hour. Of course if your pockets are deep enough, you could opt to check yourself into a spa resort for more expensive and indulgent treatments!

Another way I found quite relaxing on my trip too was to go exploring on a rented motorbike around the island. Nothing beats cruising along the country roads at a leisurely pace while also being able to make pit stops at pristine beaches and high viewpoints to enjoy the wonderful scenery!

Making a trip away overseas will rejuvenate and refresh you. The new sensory experiences from the trip will leave you more inspired and productive so do make it a point to plan a getaway every now and then. See it as a journey of self discovery and needful rest and you will return ready to take on any challenges!

P.S Or you can just be an armchair traveler and view photos from my trip at my Flickr page!

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Make use of GRATITUDE to attract what you want

For most of us, getting a full three meals a day is not a problem. Some of us can even afford to dine at expensive restaurants now and then! However, not everyone in this world can be just as lucky.

Apparently, in Haiti, people can be so desperately poor that they depend on baking and eating cookies made from mud(read "Poor Haitians Resort to Eating Dirt") in order to satisfy their hunger pangs! In contrast, shouldn't we all be grateful that all our needs are already fulfilled even beyond the basic needs of food, water and shelter?

We should make gratitude our attitude in order to attract more positivity into our life. By giving thanks, we set ourselves in an upbeat mood and can therefore become more constructive in our thoughts and actions. This helps to draw our dreams, goals and success closer to us.

At the other extreme, if all we ever do is to grumble and complain, we slowly poison our own minds with negative thoughts and all we will get are more bad experiences coming our way. If we focus on the bad stuff, that becomes our perspective of life and only unpleasant things will happen to us. However, if we choose to focus only on the good, our outlook of life changes, and we will start to only see and attract the lovely side of life. Learning to show gratitude is one way to help us focus on the good.

So how do we start making gratitude part of our attitude? This is relatively easy as there are many opportunities abound. Every little thing that happens to us can be an occasion to give thanks to eg. waking up after a good night's sleep, having a sumptuous breakfast , getting a gift from a friend, a little help from a colleague etc. I'm sure a show of appreciation is always welcome and who knows these acts of kindness may be returned multiple folds in the future!

“To different minds, the same world is a hell, and a heaven.”
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Let's show gratitude to make this world a heaven for ourselves and others!

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What can motivate a man to lose USD 7,000,000,000 in a year?

News of a single rogue trader, Jerome Kerviel defrauding the largest bank in France, Societe Generale of a massive US 7 billion dollars has been all over the newspaper headlines in recent weeks. I find it quite amazing how a single person, not even a star trader but just junior trader, can manage to chalk out such a massive loss in just a short span of over a year. Most surprisingly, is the fact that he had managed to evade all detection despite holding such humongous positions on the European equity derivatives! The sum of money vaporised by his acts are more than what many people can earn over multiple lifetimes! I'm more surprised at the revelations about the motivation behind his behavior than anything else. What sort of success or notoriety was he chasing after?

Was he trying to make lots of money and profit from his fraudulent deals? Yes, and maybe not too. Apparently, as compared to his peers, he was less well paid than them, earning only €100,000 including his bonus, which amount to peanuts in banking terms. By taking these huge bets, he was trying earn money for the bank in return for expectation of a fatter bonus! But then again, money was not his only form of motivation.

Having moved from the bank's back and middle office to the front office, he was a relative nobody with a pressing need to prove himself. The trades were part of his ambition to succeed in the business and impress his bosses, and to lead them to recognize his “financial genius”. In other words, he was chasing after success for his esteem needs of self respect, and recognition from other people. This comes to prove that money doesn't really make the world go round. Success can mean different things to different people.

This brings to us an important lesson to be learnt. In our search for success it is good to never stop trying and persevering, but however the means we utilize must be honest. Getting to success is important but reaching it the proper way is equally important. Only success gained through integrity can truly be yours!

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