Contrary to social norms, extrovert doesn't necessarily mean I'm extremely outgoing (though that's true) and introvert doesn't mean you hide in a corner at parties (though that is sometimes also true). Nor are the words "extrovert" and "social" interchangeable. It just means I get my energy from being around other people whereas introverts get their energy from internal sources. I would rather go to a party and be constantly surrounding by others, introverts tend to have to work up to that point. The first time I took the test, my team of 15 was pretty split down the middle on who identified with each of these traits. The second time I took the test, the three people I worked closely with all identified as introverts. Did we get along? Absolutely. We just had different ways of handling situations and social settings.
There's a lot of things I LOVE about being an extrovert but often I'm questioned about why I do certain things and often I'm asked something along the lines of "what part about that is fun?" I don't feel like I need to justify my need for excessive use of social media or my need to be near other living, breathing, talking humans at all times but more like explain some of my favorite qualities that have the ability to drive some people nuts.
Things About My Personality That Are Directly Related To My Off-The-Charts Extrovert Reading
- I will do what it takes to be around people. I have been known to neglect other "non-important" things if it means I'm hanging out with people I like. Some of these things may include: sleeping, eating, cleaning, gas, laundry, dishes, budgets, and anything else that can wait another day or be readjusted to fit an activity.
- I will get upset if I miss a social event. I've driven over night, spent money I don't have, taken time off of work and crashed on friends' couches to make sure I'm there when something is going on. If for whatever reason, I can't be there, I cut my losses and hope whatever I've decided to do instead is equally as fun and that I take much better pictures than I would have at the other event.
- I will make small talk with strangers. I can and will find something to talk to anyone about. And in all honesty, some of those conversations turn out to be some of my best stories.
- I will check my phone every five minutes. It makes all my friends and most of my coworkers just thrilled to hang out or go to lunch with me. I know half of this is related to my Generation-Y characteristics and the fact that information is readily available, but I'm also blaming the fact that I have this subconscious need to be connected to everyone all the time.
- I will Instagram, Tweet, and Facebook anything that's worthy of the thumb movement. The people in my life need to know what I'm doing it. That means using social media to its full potential.
- I will always be a people pleaser. I'm at my best when I'm around people and I'm even better when all of those people are getting along and having a good time. To do that, I go out of my way to make everyone happy, even when they're not in my immediate calendar. Need a ride somewhere? I'm not busy. Want me to do a freelance project pro-bono? Sure! I could use the experience. Want me to get there an hour early and get everything set up? Yeah, no problem. I only need 4 hours of sleep, anyways.
- I will take time out of my day to have a conversation with a coworker. I will also add that I won't work at a job where I am completely autonomous and will take a walk to talk to someone rather than send an email. Not only do I personally enjoy it, but it makes the day go faster and builds relationships. Yay networking!
- I will make phone calls on long road trips. Trips in the car are WAY too much time to myself. My head wanders, my thoughts go crazy, and a well-sculpted playlist is only good for about 2 hours. I will make phone calls and am grateful that my sister and a few random friends can usually be counted on for entertainment. Texting a driving is illegal, kids. Don't use that as a form of distraction while driving.
- I will never know the meaning of excessive alone time. This is only half true. I do enjoy the occasional hour by myself but during that time, I'm well connected via my phone, TV and lap top. Rarely do I shut the world out and spend time with literally just myself...and my cute dog.
- I will take my relationships very seriously. My relationships mean the world to me and sometimes, a little sacrifice on my end (if it means avoiding a fight or saving us both from a heated conversation) is well worth it. While this directly relates to the "people pleaser" thing, I do go out of my way to make sure my relationships are safe and for the most part, healthy. It takes me a lot less work emotionally to forgive and forget than it does for me to hold a grudge and drag something out. It takes a lot for me to actually phase someone out but catch me on a bad day and I'll probably just not talk to you for a while.
I know there's a lot of other elements to the Myers-Briggs personality types but in that 4 year gap of taking it two different times, my extrovert score didn't change. I was equally as extroverted as a First Year Graduate Assistant as I was as a Sophomore RA in Eagle Hall. When you take the test, you get matched up with a celebrity and my well-known person with a similar personality was...wait for it...Snoopy! That should come as no surprise to anyone who has been in my apartment or knows about my (not in the foreseeable) future tattoo plans. Snoopy and I have the same personality type and while I always loved him, this little revelation just sealed the deal.
To be honest, I'm not hiding behind the test to explain my social behavior nor am I completely discrediting the validity of being defined by a certain set of characteristics. But recently, since my life has belonged to everyone but me and I continue to move forward at a blistering speed, I felt it necessary to blame my extroverted-ness for something. I do embody almost all of the traits my one-page description outlined for me and while it just confirmed some things I already knew, it did give me some insight into how I deal with situations, conflicts and other people. If nothing else, it's an external look at how to maybe improve. For now, I'll just continue running around from event to event, planning activities with other people, and documenting it all on social media.
-------------------------
If you'd like to learn more about Myers-Briggs, you can click here. If you have never taken the test, I highly recommend you do if ever given the chance. If nothing else, you can learn what kinds of people to avoid.
