I is for #INTJ... yes, I really AM a Mastermind #AtoZChallenge

Warning: This post may very well sound egotistical - sorry about that.

Have you taken a personality test? If not, I recommend it. Why? Because it will very likely help you understand yourself a little better. Don't believe me? Try it for yourself - here's a link to the Keirsey.com test, which I have found to be very accurate. No worries, it's free.

I took this test, and a few others, during a Communications class a few years ago. (I blogged about it here, in case you are either interested or stalking me).

It turns out that my personality type is INTJ aka a "Mastermind". The letters stand for Introverted, Intuitive, Thinking, Judging. Some famous INTJ's include Stephen Hawking, Bill Gates and Ayn Rand.

INTJ's are very analytical, they have a contingency plan for just about everything, they are mentally quick, prefer to keep to themselves and dislike chaos. We are often misinterpreted and/or misunderstood because we do not enjoy small talk or social rituals that make no sense; so we tend to come off as cold or aloof.

One thing really struck me when I first learned my personality type:

Though they are highly capable leaders, Masterminds are not at all eager to take command, preferring to stay in the background until others demonstrate their inability to lead.

 Woah... that helped me understand so much about myself and how I act in certain situations! It was a real "Holy Shit" moment for me.

Since then I have done a lot of research on INTJs, and it has really helped me to understand myself better. This personality type is very rare, somewhere between 1 and 4% of the population - which only fosters the idea that maybe you're an oddball (which I am LOL).

I found a great INTJ group on Linked In, and another on Facebook, where I found the pictures above and this little gem:

Q: What are the pet peeves of INTJs?

A: Thanks for asking. Our pet peeves are:

* We dislike surprises.

* We hate having decisions made for us. We’re INTJs; nobody is more qualified to make decisions than us.

* We dislike getting gifts, as it burdens us with the need to reciprocate.

* We hate small talk, gossip, and relationship/people talk. Really anything mundane is beneath us.

* We get particularly annoyed by attacks on our intelligence, competence, and integrity.

* We hate it when people try to manipulate us.

* Insincerity and lying.

* People interfering with our alone time.

* People who are chronically late.

* People who talk incessantly. We will just engage our “nod and smile” autopilot and mentally go somewhere else.

* People who are stupid, arrogant, opinionated, and/or closed minded.

* Crooked/badly placed pictures.

* Superficiality (body piercings, pimped out cars, brightly colored anything).

* Salespeople. INTJs are immune to emotional manipulation and have zero tolerance for lines of bullshit.

* Incorrect grammar and word usage.

* People who waste our time (see Salespeople, people interfering with our alone time, etc.).

So, again, I recommend you find out what your own personality is. It might even help you find like-minded individuals and other resources to help you become a better you. I know I have.
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Today's photo prompt is "clean". Hmmm... well, I could go clean something and take a picture of it - but frankly I am not quite that dedicated to this photo challenge. The kid just took a bath, but she's in bed now (ahhhh) and there is no way I'm going in there (again). Clean... clean... clean...

Oh, I know! This is an old picture, but I was very pleased to have caught the water droplets in the air :)

Splish, splash I was takin a bath!