Many of us set a few New Year’s resolutions this month, and let’s be honest that the majority of them probably fall under a few standard buckets: Workout more, eat better, sleep more, cut back on alcohol and spending, etc. Of course none of these intentions are bad and I definitely have a few of them on my personal list. That being said, this year I thought it would be interesting to dive deeper into understanding my motivations, strengths, and weaknesses by trying out a few different personality tests I’ve been hearing a lot about lately.
My mission? Gain a better understanding of what will actually help me thrive in 2020 based on what makes me, me.
Here’s a little information on each free test I took and links so that you can try them out, too. I’m not a professional, but I do believe that spending time working to understand yourself better usually reveals something helpful and can even be at times, powerful. Remember that there’s variation in these tests sometimes just depending on your mood and how you answer the questions so feel free to take each test more than once. Enjoy!
The Enneagram Test. Essentially the creators of The Enneagram personality test believe that there are nine types of personalities. Each personality is driven by a unique set of motivations, fears, beliefs and emotions. Understanding more about who you are is critical when it comes to making changes in your life big and small. This test made what I already knew about myself crystal clear and really motivated me to make some serious changes.
Six Human Needs. The theory here is that there are six core human needs. On some level we all need certainty, variety, significance, love and connection, growth and contribution. Through this test you discover your top four which are defined as needs of your personality and your bottom two are simply needs of your spirit. I think a lot of the time we are focused on improving one area or need in our lives because we feel we are lacking, but the truth is that we can’t be everything all the time. Understanding what’s important to us individually and focusing on finding ways to create space for more of that in our lives is truly life changing and liberating.
5 Love Languages. Whether you’re in a relationship or single, understanding how you receive love, in my opinion, is essential when it comes to truly connecting and experiencing a deep level of happiness with your current or future partner. In The 5 Love Languages Test you discover whether your love language is Words of Affirmation, Acts of Service, Receiving Gifts, Quality Time, and Physical Touch. By learning which language best represents myself I’ve been able to communicate what I need out of my marriage and how I feel most loved. And by learning my husband’s, I’ve been able to love him in the way he needs and to see his acts of love toward me in his own language (we often try to give love the way we want to receive it). Might seem cheesy, but I promise you it’s worth it!
16 Personalities. This test is based primarily on situational behavior and is intended to inspire personal growth and create a better understanding of you and your relationships. While it is titled 16 Personalities, it is clear that they also understand that there are a wide range of folks that fall into each personality. I’ve taken this test at two different points in my life and got dramatically different results. What was revealed to me the second time around was how much my behavior had changed and it was not necessarily for the better. Take these results with a grain of salt and feel free to take the test more than once if you feel like it’s off. Sometimes your answers just really depend on your mood, especially with this one!
DISC Assessment. The DISC assessment measures Dominance, Influence, Steadiness and Compliance to predict your behavior towards others and the everyday things you do. This test focuses a bit more on how you behave in the work environment and is super helpful for employers so that they can better understand how to lead their team members. And, this is of course helpful as an individual so that you know yourself better in the workplace too! I’ve found having a deeper understanding for these four personality types in the workplace also helps me engage with coworkers in the most beneficial way.
What are some of your favorite personality tests? Would love to explore more!
