Is this the hardest question we will ever be expected to answer?
We can give many answers, spiritual or otherwise about who we are and our place in the universe. Knowing our inner being, what we call our truth is very important.
However on a day to day basis we are human beings with a personality and certain behaviours, we are all a psychiatrists' dream, a bundle of feelings, thoughts and actions that define our personality type.
Even saying I do not fit into a personality type would mean that we do, the 'I don't fit' type.
Understanding personality is nothing new, the Greeks tried to define everyone by their health and illness and created four categories of person. Astrology is the study of how we behave based on our time and place of birth. Mediums and others can make predictions about our future. However the psychological research into this area began in the 20th century with the work of Carl Jung and his four personality types.
He said there are four types of personality and then a further number of behavioural styles that each personality type may adopt and this is fascinating work, well worth a read if you are interested.
For me (as I recently undertook a very comprehensive personality profile) it was interesting to know what type of personality type I said I was in my language to others; and what personality type I said I was in my actual behaviour. The old saying 'actions speak louder than words'. So for example if I say I am a caring person and like to help people, but you never actually witness me being caring and I am always saying disrespectful things about people, you are going to smell a rat.
My walk and my talk won't add up and you will be distrusting of me. And 'you' might be a family member, a friend, a lover or a work colleague. Someone who when they listen to you are looking to see if you are who you say you are, or just an illusion.
You may be able to recall people (famous and non famous) who you have respected and trusted and people who you have had no time for and been unable to trust, indeed you may have felt distrust and even resentment towards them.
This goes deeper still, because even if my talk and walk are the same, I say kind things and I undertake kind actions: my personality type may not be the same as yours and what I do may be alien to you. Here is an example. I decide to help 5,000 people by inviting them to take part in a group hug (silly example I know). Those people that are very team orientated and those with a sense of imagination may see this as great thing to do as it promotes harmony, oneness and a chance for world peace.
What about those people who are not those types? Those people busy producing things and analysing things, will they see 5,000 people in a group hug as something they may want to join in with? Probably not, not because they don't care about world peace, but because their belief system is geared towards more mechanical activities and may see a group hug as non productive, too intangible and frankly a waste of their time.
And still it goes deeper, because how we project our personality via our behaviour (our talk and walk) may change when we are relaxed and when we are under some kind of pressure. Again an example. I may say when I am relaxed that I don't mind how long it may take for something you have borrowed to be returned to me. Perhaps an important book I am not using at this moment in time. In a month I may need the book urgently for some purpose and I ring you saying 'where's my book? I need it straight away'.
You know me as relaxed Noel, calm and friendly, now you know me as stressy Noel, needing and demanding (again extreme examples). Which do you prefer, which one are you comfortable with? Will you avoid me as a result of seeing another side to me?
Of course we make these changes in behaviour all the time, some large and some small. But when someone meets you for the first time, first impressions count. How you behave through their lenses, is Who You Are.
Food for thought?
We can give many answers, spiritual or otherwise about who we are and our place in the universe. Knowing our inner being, what we call our truth is very important.
However on a day to day basis we are human beings with a personality and certain behaviours, we are all a psychiatrists' dream, a bundle of feelings, thoughts and actions that define our personality type.
Even saying I do not fit into a personality type would mean that we do, the 'I don't fit' type.
Understanding personality is nothing new, the Greeks tried to define everyone by their health and illness and created four categories of person. Astrology is the study of how we behave based on our time and place of birth. Mediums and others can make predictions about our future. However the psychological research into this area began in the 20th century with the work of Carl Jung and his four personality types.
He said there are four types of personality and then a further number of behavioural styles that each personality type may adopt and this is fascinating work, well worth a read if you are interested.
For me (as I recently undertook a very comprehensive personality profile) it was interesting to know what type of personality type I said I was in my language to others; and what personality type I said I was in my actual behaviour. The old saying 'actions speak louder than words'. So for example if I say I am a caring person and like to help people, but you never actually witness me being caring and I am always saying disrespectful things about people, you are going to smell a rat.
My walk and my talk won't add up and you will be distrusting of me. And 'you' might be a family member, a friend, a lover or a work colleague. Someone who when they listen to you are looking to see if you are who you say you are, or just an illusion.
You may be able to recall people (famous and non famous) who you have respected and trusted and people who you have had no time for and been unable to trust, indeed you may have felt distrust and even resentment towards them.
This goes deeper still, because even if my talk and walk are the same, I say kind things and I undertake kind actions: my personality type may not be the same as yours and what I do may be alien to you. Here is an example. I decide to help 5,000 people by inviting them to take part in a group hug (silly example I know). Those people that are very team orientated and those with a sense of imagination may see this as great thing to do as it promotes harmony, oneness and a chance for world peace.
What about those people who are not those types? Those people busy producing things and analysing things, will they see 5,000 people in a group hug as something they may want to join in with? Probably not, not because they don't care about world peace, but because their belief system is geared towards more mechanical activities and may see a group hug as non productive, too intangible and frankly a waste of their time.
And still it goes deeper, because how we project our personality via our behaviour (our talk and walk) may change when we are relaxed and when we are under some kind of pressure. Again an example. I may say when I am relaxed that I don't mind how long it may take for something you have borrowed to be returned to me. Perhaps an important book I am not using at this moment in time. In a month I may need the book urgently for some purpose and I ring you saying 'where's my book? I need it straight away'.
You know me as relaxed Noel, calm and friendly, now you know me as stressy Noel, needing and demanding (again extreme examples). Which do you prefer, which one are you comfortable with? Will you avoid me as a result of seeing another side to me?
Of course we make these changes in behaviour all the time, some large and some small. But when someone meets you for the first time, first impressions count. How you behave through their lenses, is Who You Are.
Food for thought?
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