Personality

“Know this: GOD is God and God, GOD. He made us; we didn’t make Him. We’re His people, His well-tended sheep.” Psalm 100:3

Real quick, NIV says, “Know that the Lord is God.” That makes more sense to me! I just couldn’t get past this translation, so you may also want to look it up if you have a version you are more comfortable with.

But we are talking about personality. I have been told that I have a strong personality…whatever that means. I do tend to put myself out there which can lead to quick friends or not so much when people make snap judgments instead of getting to know me. I think I am also guilty of that. I often have patients who come in with multiple aches and pains, lots of diagnoses, and a pain scale of 10 out of 10 at all times. I often dismiss them as someone who doesn’t really want to work hard in therapy and get better. Unfortunately, I have been right and that is what fuels my stereotyping. But I have also been wrong. I wish I could just refrain from making those judgments anyway. It is true that different personalities will respond to circumstances differently. But you can help to shape that response.

I think the author is simply encouraging us to spend some time working with the personalities of our family members instead of against them. For example, Parker has a lot of energy. He is loud and already likes to make people laugh. My urge is always to quiet him down as he entertains the couple next to us, but I don’t need to necessarily squelch his act. He finds joy in entertaining others. My challenge is to find ways to focus that energy into fun that is less annoying for those around us. I am definitely going to start working on that.

As for getting the personalities of your family to work together, I also have some work to do there. I am having a lot of difficulty following the author’s advice to pick a food, spice, or cooking ingredient that describes each person. But I do want us all to cook up well in one pot. Over the next few days I will try to see how we tend to react toward each other’s personalities and find ways for us to get along better. The author also made the comment that by the time you have switched gears for the personalities of your kids, you refuse to do so for your husband. This is a mistake I make too often. I really need to take some time to think about Daryl’s personality and how I can respond to him better…when he is frustrated over a dirty house, when he makes fun of me for something I messed up…I often overreact with anger toward him because of his tone or words. Maybe it is just part of his personality, not meant to hurt my feelings.

Okay, so not the most helpful info from me. I really haven’t spent much time on this subject, but maybe I should. Good luck on your quest to figure all of this out!