The Jungian Myers Briggs 16-Types Test (JMB16) is designed to measure how you like to look at the world and how you like to make decisions. This test will also give you the leg-up on figuring out what it is that others want in their lives, too.
Think of it as a mega-MBTI personality test that you can do in the comfort of your own home (and keep the $175 that the certified MBTI administrators charge!).
I haven’t been making a big stink about it… but my next book is REAL close to coming to life.
Okay that’s not entirely true. Every time I finish a major milestone I tweet an update and link an awesome dancing video. You have to celebrate the wins, you know?
Oh what the heck… let’s celebrate together!
Okay, thanks. I wanted that.
As I was saying, before the sudden urge to dance to Tom Jones, I’m getting real close to pushing the “publish” button on Self-Help to Live By, the next book from RichardStep.com Publishing. By real close I’m talking about late summer 2012, but still!
I really, really believe this book will help people out. I’ve been working on it for over a year now and it’s got some real nuggets of awesomeness, if you’ll allow me to toot my own horn for a bit. Toot-toot!
I read Brian Tracy’s fun book “Eat That Frog!” not too long ago and I got a ton of great tips out of it. You know how I love to share these things. So here goes! This is a quick run-through of the main things I learned from this book. Check it out.
Notes on: Eat That Frog by Brian Tracy
This book is about a set of ideas to help you stop procrastinating and get more done in less time. The book is rather short, but I decided to do a real number on it and give you the nitty-gritty. By all means capable, do what works for you – and you might just be surprised with the results you begin to see soon… or who knows – you might not be surprised at all! Oh, and always remember:
Setting the Table:
Here is a great rule for success: THINK ON PAPER
Only ~3% of adults have clear, written goals. These folks accomplish 5 to 10 times as much as people of equal or better education and ability who do not take time to write out what they want.
Rule: One of the worst uses of time is to do something very well that need not be done at all.
I’m not an outwardly super-duper religious person, but I have a military grade fortress when we’re talking internal strength. I’m more of an “ask and you shall receive” than a “let me tell you all about it even though we’re talking about baseball” kind of guy.
But man oh man are there those days where I just want a quick boost to help lift me up.
Below are some quick blurbs and scripture quotes I’ve come across that have been especially useful in calming a shaky soul.
Check them out and see if they help you.
“Yes, You are my Rock and my Fortress; therefore for Your name’s sake lead me and guide me.”
“”Out of my distress I called upon the Lord; the Lord answered me and set me free.”
“”Lord, guide my stride.”
“”Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” -1 Peter 5:7
“”When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the lord thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice: (for the Lord thy God is a merciful God) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget thee.” -Deut 4:30-31
“”For thou hast been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is a storm against the wall.” -Isaiah 25:4
“”Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.” -Joshua 1:9
Have any more quick and powerful foundation settling quotes?
A few years back, I sat in a training course that started off with something interesting. No, it wasn’t a bunch of bad jokes or annoying safety tips, it was a personality test.
“Oh now this is interesting. Not sure how this could possibly help me out, but hey I’ll give it a shot.”
It was the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and was facilitated by a certified MBTI administrator. Huh?! It was quite a mouth-full to say the least but I was still interested.
I picked up my pencil, open the packet, and starting going to town on the questions.
Nothing too terribly surprising or hard here – it was just a bunch of “how do you like this” or “which would you prefer that.” Easy, simple, and quick. That’s talking my language!
I anxiously waited for the administrator to run us through the results and scoring process so I could figure out what this was all about. And here it came.
Brand new fresh, engineering degree me got a big: INTJ type (I’m not INTJ anymore, by the way). Cool! Now what do I do?
I still have that original results packet and it’s useful to look at to see how much I’ve grown over the years. It did provide me some great tips on how to super-charge my next steps to growth.
How to Share this Powerful Personality Test with Others?
Here’s a little secret of the new body language field of study. Your eyebrows can make people talk! Watch this video to see how this little tip can help you help others be a little less introverted.
I’m no body language expert, but I love to read and try this stuff! Check it out.
I just got back from Home Depot with 1,200 pounds of concrete blocks. Tired, a lot-bit sweaty, and looking to save my car from the death of over half a ton of junk (okay, 2 loads of 600 lbs), I started toward the front door.
Oh what’s this? I have a letter.
Overnight.
From Gallup.
The folks who made the StrengthsFinder test.
You know, that test that I made a free version of to help folks discovery themselves.
…crudola…
I want to make it clear to ya’ll, I want to help folks out, but I don’t want to get in the way of the work the Gallup people are doing. Of course, getting to #5 on page 1 of Google for the “strengthsfinder” term probably didn’t help my cause at all.
But anyway, since a lawyer is probably saving this for evidenece, let me cut to the chase.
I gotta’ take the test down. At least in the form that it’s in.
It’s 2 o’clock and you’re beginning to doze off at your computer. Typing away at yet another email isn’t exactly your idea of a good time. Interest wanes. Breathing slows. Eyelids get heavier. Ruh-roh… here it comes. The big yawn.
Yup, your day is pretty much toast. A little too full for another cup of coffee? Reconsidering staying up so late at night? Or maybe you’re thinking it’s time to switch to an all lettuce and no dressing diet. Ahem. Maybe not. But there is something so easy you can do right now.
Stand up! No seriously. Get off your butt and reach for the ceiling. This is not s stick up – this is a wake up. Put your mouse down, move your chair back, and get them smooshed cheeks breathing.
This is a Science Stand-Up!
Research by Max Vercruyssen, Ph.D at the University of Southern California showed that subjects asked to stand had an increased heart rate of about 10 beats-per-minute (BPM) on average. Standing up also increases your ability to pay attention, speeds up your ability to process information by 5% to 20%, and increases blood flow (and oxygen) to the brain by 10% to 15%.
The next time you’re feeling funky, your audience is dozing off, or you’re in a mini-rut, just stand up. Take a 5-minute stretch or walk-to-the-breakroom trip and notice the difference it makes. All the sleepy people in the house please stand up, please stand up!
Wake up and share this stand-up tip with your friends!
Want a quick way to get a better understanding of your personality? This “DOPE Bird Personality Test” (the dove, owl, peacock, eagle test – a personality test and not a drug-test) is a very useful tool for gaining some quick insight into your inner workings.
However you use it, the key is to find the positive points of this self-discovery exercise. It’s like having a good friend help you experience your life from the outside. It’s hard to notice that pimple on your nose without someone mentioning something (or a mirror). This test is the mirror.
Know that you are the unique you and you’re loved for that. Use the results of this test as a starting point for your next “self-improvement” step. It is not a judgment and is not a psychological evaluation.
Have you ever got a Dorito stuck in your throat? No, not just a little piece, I mean a big honkin’ chunk of a sharp Dorito chip. Extra spicy and extra pointy.
It seems like no matter how hard you swallow, no matter how much water you drink, and no matter how much you try you just can’t get it out. And it fargin’ hurts every bit of the way down. Ouch!
Now picture this on a slightly smaller scale in an area 800,000 times more sensitive to pain. Kidney. Stones. I’m saying this is not a fun time.
But, after I stopped rolling around the floor, groaning like an injured cougar, it did give me the chance to learn some valuable lessons.
Yup. I learned something from the meanest little urethral-ninja-star I’ve ever encountered.
Here are 10 lessons passing a kidney stone can teach you about life:
My wife and I recently took my four year old son to tour his new school. He was so excited the day before, I didn’t know if he’d be able to make the threee mile trip down the road.
We pulled up to the rather drab looking building, it was a bit rainy outside, and there was no sun in sight. Did it dampen his spirits any? No way.
We hopped out of the car and made our way over to the main entrance to start our tour of this new educational adventure. We stepped inside and all the little man could let out were gasps and sounds of awe. It was truly awesome to him.
The entire time, I couldn’t get my mind off of how much he really enjoyed every bit of this little taste of the many years to come. It was now, clean slated, that he could really take it all in without any type of bias. He was making his own judgements in light of pure optmism and joy. He was ready to learn. He was ready to take it all in. He was ready to get down to business!
I usually tack a useful links or source down in my fancy journal and check up on it later that same day. But I’ve been in the bad habit of not sharing some of the real winners with you guys and gals. Sorry!
I’ve put together a Links page and published it. Please check it out when you get a chance or are looking for some great resources.
I’ll keep adding the “winner sites” to it as I come across them. There’s so much out there, and I’m trying to capture the best of the best. I’ve listed the blogs and sites I check with regularly to keep fresh on the pulse of several subjects.
Oh and I will accept suggestions if you’ll send them my way via the “Contact Me” page. I’ll have to check them over, of course, but I’m sure I missed some real gems!
I’m a huge fan of Half Priced Books. I still say hi to the employees when I come through the door, but let me tell you I look immediately for just one thing. Those lovely purple background, yellow lettered signs that say CLEARANCE. My cheap old discount tree-book Heaven!
You know why I love it so much? I read a whole friggin’ lot! I hate to see what kind of bill I’d have if I bought everything I read retail. That’s scary to imagine. But slap a $1 sticker on it? Yes, please!
Well I decided to challenge myself for 2011. I committed to reading at least 200 books throughout the entire year. 200!!! Was I nuts or what?
I did it! And I did it right. I read 213 books in 2011 and it has proved to be the year of self-growth. I think I can actually feel the extra weight all of the new brain-wrinkles added to my head. I don’t mind at all.
Maybe this doesn’t sound like much of an accomplishment to you, maybe it sounds completely and unbelievably wacko. Either way, it was a huge goal and I knocked it out of the park. This post is part celebration and part sharing.
How this Can Help You
I’ll have a post in the near future sharing some hints and tips on how to read more quickly, find what you’re looking for, and save some money doing it. All in the name of self-improvement, of course!
Below is a list of all 213 books. I’ve separated them into categories as best I could. I also added my rating in parenthesis after the author’s name (on a scale of 1 to 5, 1 being sucky and 5 being awesome) I am VERY conservative with my 5′s – they have to be real, life-changing winners.
For now, I recommend finding the topic you are most interested in and looking for the 5′s. Those will be the winners and a great place to start on your journey into that topic. Some of these are a little specific to my interests and others are books everyone should read.
When you’re done with the 5′s, come back and check out the 4′s. They’ll also make a big impact in your life. And I wanted to give a lot of them 4.5 for being so dang-near awesome, but I just didn’t want to muddy the ’5′ waters. Tough calls on some of these.
I know I’ve talked about exercises being important, but I neglected to mention moving your butt, too. Sometimes it’s easy to think things are just fine as we’re changing our minds and passions.
But how much more could you do if you changed a little on the outside, too? What kind of benefits would trading 15 minutes of Facebook time over to physical exercise time do for you?
I recently started hopping back on the Gazelle for a little over 20 minutes a day. I was feeling pretty sluggish before. Sure, the doctor checkups all look good, but I was missing something. Missing a certain bounce in my step.
I was beginning to think I had to rely a bit too much on my morning cup of coffee. Oooh how I love thee.
It’s 2 o’clock and you’re beginning to doze off at your computer. Typing away at yet another email isn’t exactly your idea of a good time. Interest wanes. Breathing slows. Eyelids get heavier. Ruh-roh… here it comes. The big yawn.
Have you ever got a Dorito stuck in your throat? No, not just a little piece, I mean a big honkin’ chunk of a sharp Dorito chip. Extra spicy and extra pointy.
