When I was in high school and college I took the MBTI or Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. ® After answering a series of questions it provides you with your personality profile. There are four divisions of your personality type. They are introversion versus extroversion, sensing versus intuition, thinking versus feeling, and judging versus perceiving. You can read more about each mental process and orientation here.

At first I was skeptical but when I read my profile I was in shock. The profile of my personality type was very accurate. Since then my friends and I have learned more about this test and about the different parts of our personalities. This information that I have about myself and about my friends has given me a clearer understanding about our relationships and communication. It is actually very fun to talk about.

I would highly recommend taking the test and at the very least reading your own profile. You will learn so much about yourself…it is amazing. There are many different ways to take the test. Here is a quick 72 question online version. It’s painless. One piece of advice, don’t think about the questions very long or hard. You know what your teachers used to say, "Your first answer is probably the right one." You can over-think the questions, which may make your results less accurate.

The main reason I’m thinking about the MBTI today is that it has identified a trait within myself that is directly connected to my Adultitis. My type is ISFJ. (Others who share my type are Jerry Seinfeld, Jimmy Stewart and Mother Teresa.) One thing about my personality type is that ISFJ’s have a very strong work ethic, so strong that we think we must earn rest and play. Once I read this a huge light-bulb went on for me. I cannot give myself permission to rest on the weekend until I have spent an equal amount of time doing something productive. If our schedule requires me to rest, if we have company over or are going someplace, I find myself thinking about what needs to be done (cleaning, bills, shopping, laundry, etc.). This is a problem. Knowing this about myself is key. I have a long way to go before I can claim victory over this, but I think the fact that I am aware of it should help me fight my ‘workaholic’ urges.

The day that Jason and I took off last Tuesday for the final challenge of The Escape Plan was awesome. It was difficult to get past the guilt at first, but I was able to fully enjoy myself. Sometimes I need to force myself to do this. I have a feeling I’m not alone.