Sunday, September 12, 2010

All MBTI types to make a world

I have spent a lot of time and energy on MBTI this weekend.  This is a personality type indicator, if you are not familiar.  There are 16 different personality types (this is a huge generalization, but it works).  I won't go into the details because you can click the link and investigate for yourselves.  Anyway, long story short, I am an ISTJ.  To put it succinctly, I am faithful, dependable, and punctual.  I'm boring.  Evidently, the more feeling personality types think I'm kinda mean, too.  I'm pretty direct.  This is probably why I don't have a lot of pictures and flowers and buttons and "stuff" on my blog.  I want to be pretty and have all that stuff, but that doesn't get the job done.  The job is to work out who I am and how I can be authentically happy and put it out there in the world.  So, does being an ISTJ mean I can't be happy?  I know feelings aren't my strong suite.  I know I am comfortable in an organized, neat and focused world.  Is there anything wrong with that?  Can that be the extent of my happiness?  I love the fact that I am planning my vacation on a day by day basis.  I don't have every hour planned, but I have a pretty good idea of how the days should be used.  If I just let the day come as it does, I may not do anything worthwhile.  I want to hike, I want to visit the Grand Canyon, I want to do something special with my husband.

I'm struggling with the notion that my "type" is wrong.  That because my feelings and other people's feelings don't hit the top of my list in interaction, there is something "wrong" with me.  I'm working on this, but with reservation.  Is it my fault that the Fe's and Te's out there don't listen to what I say and read their own thoughts into what I say?  I don't think so.  I'll try to think about feelings while I interact with these types.  I know it will make my life a bit easier, albeit, use up a lot of my time and energy.  Oh yeah, it takes all kinds to make a world.  And, I guess, they make the world a nicer place. (maybe)

Happiness.  Boy, it's a winding and tricky road to get to it.

Saturday, September 11, 2010

Lessons on social networking

Learning new things is a good thing.  This week I'm learning about the etiquette for facebook and blogging.  Wow, Emily Post never wrote anything about this.  I guess when a new form of communication comes into the world, a whole new book of rules needs to come along.  I learned that one should ask permission to have a contrary opinion when commenting on a blog or fb post.  This is proper etiquette.  Even though this written material is out there for all the world to see.  Even though there are writers that put out inflammatory opinions and present them as fact.  The proper way to communicate a contrary comment or opinion is by asking permission and waiting for permission to be granted.  This lesson is applicable for fb statuses or blog topics alike.  Now, if you agree or think the writer is wonderful or want to heap praise on their pearls of wisdom, no permission asking is required.  Life is good.

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Happy to be seen

I think I mentioned that journaling was not my strong suite.  So, here I am quite a few months later and a bit wiser.  Still working on forgiveness... that works much better for me with people I love and like.  Not so good with folks I'm forced to be with (authority figures, etc.), but I know it's the right thing to do, so I'm forcing myself.  Taking a sick day from work now and that really helps.

Now, for something that has really made me happy.  I've been reading other blogs out there.  There are some really beautiful blogs with some very uplifting content.  I had been in a rut of reading dismal blogs from folks very unhappy with the places life was taking them.  Evidently cyberspcace can be a place to dump a lot of your personal garbage.  And, ironically enough, most of these blogs were about being eco-conscious, leaving a tiny carbon footprint and on and on.  Oh my goodness, being green can be so depressing.  Now, I'm not saying the blogs I've read that make me feel so happy are "slash and burn" advocating folks, no way.  They are women enjoying their lives.  Enjoying their children.  Hopeful.  I'm sure they care about the environment and the future for their children, but they don't write in a way that insinuates there is no hope unless you go off the grid and live in a cave.  And, their blogs are beautiful.  Covered with beautiful images.  I've got to get a camera and learn how to upload images.  I may have to learn how to take pictures.  I've never been very good at that, but, like I've said before, you don't stop living life to the fullest until you are ... you know.

I'll work on blogging more consistently and learn how to "beautify" my blog.  I am a bit inspired, but I'm also a bit lazy.  Let's see what comes through.