A few weeks ago I found one of those online "personality" tests that many DiaryLanders like. This one is called Your Life Colors. It is somewhat similar to one that Clarity25 mentions in a recent entry. I think those of you who read my diary would enjoy taking it (it is free).
My results are as follows. I make comments in brackets regarding the accuracy of each section of the test:
"You scored mainly in the Water-Sky quadrant. This 'Blue' quadrant highlights the water sign of your personality and your tendency to be cool and free-flowing in most circumstances." [MW comments: This is very true, but I am often too "free-flowing." Why? Because I hate the stereotypical serious adult personality. Life is too short to treat every moment like it is serious business (as for "depressing" business? Well, that's another matter :-). And yet, I even try to laugh when it is depressing).]
"Water from the sky provides the necessary resources for growth, and this is a feature of your approach to life. You will enjoy the freshness of new ideas and actively seek these out, either by talking to others or by reading." [MW comments: One hundred fifty-seven percent true, although it has suffered somewhat lately, due to the toppling of so many of life's dominoes, all in the wrong direction, and all at the same time.]
"People who map into this quadrant will enjoy examining problems or making discoveries. Consequently, you may sometimes tend to take your time in coming to decisions which affect your day-to-day life." [MW comments: This characteristic has shaped my destiny more than most.] "If there are any uncertainties, your natural reaction will be to postpone things until you are sure." [MW comments: I have been doing this for quite some time lately, as I take a detour around those fallen dominoes and try to figure out what to do with the rest of my life. What sort of job/career might I enter that will not make life feel like a meaningless chore forevermore?]
"You are unlikely to enjoy conflict situations which, more than likely, will create stress for you." [MW comments: Absolutely true again, unless the conflict involves politics, which I love to argue about. Aside from that, though, I cannot stand being anywhere near conflict, even if it doesn't involve me. I even hate watching it on TV (in those embarrassingly stupid "reality" shows) because it reveals the really low-rent, ugly side of life.] "In these circumstances you may well be a 'worrier' and this could affect your health." [MW comments: I'm not so sure about this. I definitely feel excessive amounts of stress during and after conflicts, but I seldom worry about the cause of the conflict; although I may occasionally worry about the results of the conflict.] "As a result, you will usually move to defuse any potential conflicts well before they occur." [MW comments: Absolutely true, which sometimes backfires. I'm sure most of you have seen shows like Tru Calling and Early Edition, where the main characters know what is going to happen before it happens. When said characters try to change the course of history so that certain events don't happen, they instead cause new conflicts to arise. That's me, at least when it comes to sensing approaching conflict. :-)]
"You will be a considerate person and choose your words carefully so that you don't upset others." [MW comments: This is another rule that I follow religiously, although, when I screw up, it is usually on a scale that cannot be measured by even the most sophisticated human technology. Read this entry to see what I mean.]
"Sometimes however, you may be so subtle that people don't realize what you are feeling about a particular issue. You may need to check that people fully understand your views and incorporate these into their decision making." [MW comments: This is true too, but it is the result of having been made fun of so much back in grade school (and again in high school) when I was "the new kid in town" (why do kids like to do that to "new kids," anyway?) I was a bit innocent (or naive) as a fourth grader, when my family moved to a small town (less that 400 people), where the kids swore (I couldn't believe my ears the first time I heard a kid my age use a swear word), were very obnoxious, "knew everything" about sex, and had great senses of humor. I was made fun of constantly for being so innocent, and for having a less-than-funny sense of humor. I eventually learned that it was wisest not to say anything without first determining if it was or was not something that would cause kids to make fun of me. By the time I had reached high school (and was definitely no longer naive), then college (where I worked very hard on improving my sense of humor), I had become a very subtle person in more than a few ways, but usually only when participating in conversations with large groups of people. I am sometimes so subtle, in fact, that I am not even heard. On more than a few occasions, I remember that I would say the same "funny" thing in several different gatherings, but no one would laugh or even react, even though I personally thought I had said something that was worth laughing at :-). Finally, in the fifth or sixth gathering (for example), I would repeat it again, if the conversation was relevant to my statement, and someone would finally hear me and begin laughing hysterically. Just the validation and ego boost I was looking for.]
"Being a sky person, you may well have a strong imagination which causes you to fantasize about the future." [MW comments: One of these days, I may publish portions of my unfinished novels and short stories here (but don't hold your breath). Then you can read my "fantasies" for yourselves. Where did my fantasizing come from? I used to theorize that my body was able to synthesize its own hallucinogenic drugs, which would then flow, in timed-release fashion, through my blood stream and into my brain. :-) It was at those times, thankfully, that my desire to write was the strongest. Regrettably, due to those recently toppled dominoes, I am very rarely able to fantasize about the future anymore. Needless to say, I am a bit annoyed by that.]
"Future possibilities interest you greatly whereas the past is something you can readily put behind you." [MW comments: Nope, just the opposite is true now. Even in the past (no pun intended), I was not able to put the past behind me (that may be one of the reasons that I have a degree in history, and it is also why I love well written time-travel stories). However, there once was a time when I had a completely equal passion for both the future and the past.]
"However, be careful that you don't live too much in the future. There are the realities of day-to-day living to think about." [MW comments: OK, when the survey says it this way, it may have a point. I certainly am "taking my time in coming to decisions which affect my day-to-day life," as it says above. I am well aware of the fine line between being patient and waiting too long. That is what has been bothering me the most lately, especially while waiting for a reply from the South Dakota State Historical Society, where I recently applied for an archivist's position. At the end of a forty-minute phone interview, the State Archivist said the person selected would hear the announcement within a week. It has now been three weeks, and I haven't heard a word. I'm pretty sure that means I didn't get the job. Oh well. At least I tried.]
