Following on from the previous post about freedom, security, and risk, I once had a discussion about the possibility that our leanings toward one or the other has to do with our personalities and preferences.
The 2 traits discussed were, referencing the Big Five, that of Openness to Experience and Neuroticism.
The thought goes that:
High Openness and Low Neuroticism may favour leaning towards freedom (and higher risk).
Low Openness and High Neuroticism may favour the opposite - leaning instead towards security and stability.
If Openness and Neuroticism are both high or both low, then they may be somewhere in the middle, depending on their other personality traits.
Perhaps they enjoy freedom, but within a certain umbrella of security, possibly determined by themselves.
Obviously, not being psychologists, these are only speculations. Nevertheless, it was an interesting discussion.
If you happen to know your Big Five traits, and you've figured out your tendency towards freedom / security, I'd like to hear your thoughts on this.
Your Personality Based on Your Gaming Behaviours
How you play a game predicts how you handle real life.
Resources, exploration, formulating a plan, meeting objectives, identifying goals / milestones, keeping score, etc.
They have their parallels in real life and it's difficult to override your tendencies to do things a certain way.
For example, if you tend to think before you leap, you are less likely to do YOLO things in-game.
If you are an explorer type, you are more likely to go off the beaten path and look for side quests and interesting locations in a game.
If you like to keep updated and current when it comes to consumer goods and electronics, you are more likely to spend your in-game currency as soon as you get enough to acquire that shiny new weapon / armor.
This isn't to say that watching you play a game will allow me to have a complete picture of who you are.
Because context, companions, and frame of mind have to be taken into consideration as well.
But it can give a rough idea of your likes, dislikes, and tendencies. And that's always useful if we have to face off or interact in the virtual world.
How to Stop Having Shiny Object Syndrome
I used to listen to many Internet 'gurus' and personalities.
And, as you might expect, I got confused by their conflicting messages on what to do and how to do it.
I tried one thing, then another, and then another, and so on.
Shiny Object Syndrome, they call it.
As it turns out, there is more than one way to skin a cat.
*Disclaimer: I love cats. I also love old phrases.*
It's not that they were wrong or intentionally misleading (though some of them definitely are).
It's that their method works for them. And it doesn't necessarily work for everyone else.
So, the only way to figure out what works for you is to take their advice with a generous handful of salt, and try ONE thing that resonates with you.
Then, shut everyone else off. And focus on that ONE thing.
Only after you've given it a good, long shot do you try another.
Processes work. Methods work. But they all take time. And energy.
If you don't put in the work, they won't work for you.
I Had My Identi3 Profile Analysed and Got Some Interesting Insights!
If you’ve read my book - The Introvert Teacher - you’ll know that I’m intensely curious about human behaviours and psychology. Actually, come to think of it, if you’ve had a long enough conversation with me, you’ll find that out too.
I’ve done a number of psychometric tests and my results have been fairly constant.
They tell a consistent narrative of what I understand about myself.
So, when I heard about the Identi3 profiling tool, I was curious, though I did wonder if I would learn anything new about myself.
But, for science, I decided to do it. With the help of a certified profiler, of course.
It consisted of an test taken through their website, and a meetup to explain the results.
It turns out that, apart from being an Investigator, someone who enjoys challenging ideas and concepts, I am also an Expositor, someone who is good at expressing myself - in my case, through verbal and written means, and an Artist, someone who enjoys artistic expression and creative freedom.
So, in a nutshell, I live mainly in my head, come up with unusual, out-of-the-box ideas that I easily explain to others in ways that they can understand.
Sounds about right.
In fact, it sounds like what a consultant does.
Perhaps that is the line of work I should be pursuing.
I’ve recently been re-evaluating my plans for becoming a speaker. Though I feel that my message is one that others will benefit from hearing, I wonder if it’s truly as important as I think it is - important enough, that is, to make a career out of talking about it.
I’m not entirely convinced that it is, though I have constantly received feedback that it is an interesting and thought-provoking subject.
And yet, interesting and thought-provoking are not strong enough traits for me to base everything on. Above that, I need to know that it is important to do.
So, this is the clarity that I seek.
With it, I can make a better decision.
In the meantime, as I seek it, I will continue to do work that I know is important.
