Testing, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

Ever taken personality or intelligence tests? I've taken lots of them, my first being in college. I tell everyone I flunked the personality test. Sometimes people laugh. Sometimes, they stare at me and say, "You can't flunk a personality test."

Which is sort of a personality test in itself.

So, at 17, I learned the following things about myself:

1) I should never go into the army or be a police officer.

2) I should be a musician, librarian or minister, and my mother, who was a musician/piano teacher, should have been a writer/artist (which were my second highest scores, while my mother's second highest scores were musician/music teacher. I am my mother reversed!).

3) If you answer outside the boxes, which I did by constantly writing, "it depends," you are considered creative.

The student (and it was a student) who analyzed my test, which after a while I figured out was a career aptitude test, told me that I lacked discipline and wasn't good with authority. Hmm, even at the time that I was soaking in the "lack discipline" comment and making it my own, I wondered how you could be a writer, artist or musician without some kind of discipline.

Then there was the authority bit. Being born at the tail-end of the flower-children, "what-are- you-rebelling-against?-whaddya-got?" generation, iconoclasm is sort of a requirement, so that didn't surprise me. What I discovered much later is not only do I have some issues with others authority, I have issues with my own authority. Like, I don't think I have any ...

Personality, intelligence tests, Meyers-Briggs, work styles and so on are interesting and fun, and there have been times when I've been grateful that people take the time to learn what and who you are so they can understand how and why you work and vice-verse. They actually remind me of astrology ...

Astrology? Well, yes. Go have your chart done at www.astro.com and look at the analysis. Most people think astrology is about what's known as the Sun sign (the day/month/year you were born), but astrology, like human nature, is multi-layered with each component shading another component. Most astrology sites and sometimes astrologists just explain what it means if the moon is in Sagittarius or Venus is in the ninth house or whatever as individual things, but it's the the integration of all these things that may help reveal character or aptitudes or interests or, even, who you desire to be.

Actually, I often use astrology to create fictional characters. It's fun.

I've been asked how I can consider myself a Christian and study astrology? No one asks how you can consider yourself a Christian and study Meyers-Briggs.

Want to learn more about your learning styles. Take the VARK assessment. Wonder why tests make you feel stupid? Maybe your intelligence isn't based in verbal or math skills, which are most frequently the skills tested by educational institutions. Try the a Multiple Intelligence assessment. You can even take an IQ test on-line.

Or you can take, "Which Lord of the Ring character are you."

*All tests are for fun and not necessarily a recommendation.