Have you ever met someone and spoken effortlessly for hours as if you’d known them all of your life? The conversation was easy and endless and the commonalities obvious.
Have you ever been in a situation where it was difficult to find a common ground no matter how hard you tried?
Did you strain to find topics to discuss while trying to get through a dinner party or outing?
Why do you hit it off so well with certain people and struggle with others?
How about reaching varying depths with different people? The conversation and/or the friendship reach a certain depth and then stagnate. Or maybe, it is forever growing and flowing.
What creates a lifelong friendship or possibly a toxic friendship/ relationship that one may be unable to extricate oneself?
I believe that a person’s preferences help us to understand where others’ behaviors and perspectives are stemming from. It aids us and colors our interactions in every facet of our lives.
Swiss psychologist, Carl Jung suggested that human behaviors are not random and because of this, are predictable. He said that differences in behavior are the results of our inborn preferences which form our personalities. Our attractions and repulsions are a result of these preferences, which impact our motivations, decisions and approach to life.
A knowledge of the preferences and the personality types serve as a foundation to engender understanding oneself and others and help us to communicate, reach our goals, and also identify the blocks in attaining goals for relationships, friendships, collegial interactions, careers, passions, and personal growth.
Understanding our inborn preferences and the 16 personality types, creates self-awareness and gives us all clues on how we can grow and contribute in all aspects of life and living. It guides us when it is time to pivot and alter our course in life, focus on our strengths and be truly appreciated for whom we are meant to be.
As Carl Jung stated, “The shoe that fits one person pinches another; there is no recipe for living that suits all cases.“
We all have to discover our authentic selves, follow our own paths and live the lives we were meant to lead. That is where true happiness and contentment is engendered…
Susan Epstein Certified Life Coach/MBTI Personality Types Consultant 
This one was short and sweet but always enlightening and leaves me wanting more! Thank you Susan!
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Thank you so much Lois!! It was a blog to stimulate thinking about some basic question about the importance of understanding the preferences and how they influence our thinking and our actions. I always appreciate your thoughtful comments!!!
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Understanding my preferences and those of the people i encounter provides me with insights into relationships both personally and professionally! Fascinating stuff!
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It completely does Lois!
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Thank you for writing. I so agree!!!
That is why personality talk is part of my daily life and my family’s lives. It is both a powerful and useful tool in understanding all facets of our crazy lives. Discovering who you are and who the people are that surround us and then applying it daily is the key to a more fulfilling life. Thank you again for this blog!!!
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I am so glad you use it in your daily life!! Thank you so much for your lovely and thoughtful comment!!!
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Love this Sue! Exploring personality types helps me to understand myself and others. This allows me to avoid judgements and keeps me from taking differing perspectives personally. Allowing another to be his or her authentic self extends to myself as well. This ongoing process of knowing and acceptance can be very freeing. Thanks so much for sharing!
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I am so glad you enjoyed this blog and it resonated with you! It is an ongoing process and is an essential part of my life! Thank you so much for your thoughtful comments. It is much appreciated !
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