Sometimes you go looking for answers.
Sometimes you accidentally walk into a room full of them.
LOL.
That day I learned something about identity, curiosity…
and knowing when too much information is TOO MUCH.
I WAS IN COLLEGE, AT LUNCHTIME WITH FREE TIME ON MY HANDS
When I was in college a few short years ago…
LOL.
I wandered into a big EMPTY room full of different computers and separate testing stations.
Each one had a program with a specific purpose.
Find your personality.
Find your calling.
Identify your SKILLS BANK.
Discover your talents.
Explore your potential.
Determine what kind of work might suit you.
Figure out what you should do for a living…
or perhaps what you should NOT do.
No one was around.
I had time to kill.
So naturally…
I took them ALL.
One after another.
HEY…WHAT’S ALL THESE COMPUTERS FOR?
In hindsight, I was not really supposed to be in that room.
It was designed to be monitored.
Specific tests were assigned to specific people by test givers or counselors.
But the room was sitting there…
quiet…
open…
inviting.
And I was curious.
I asked a few people down the hall what the room was for.
“Ask somebody else.”
That was enough guidance for me.
LOL.
So I decided to explore it myself.
READ THE INSTRUCTIONS…PROCEED WHEN TOLD
Each computer had different instructions.
Some made sense.
Some had long scientific names that looked impressive enough to deserve my attention.
I thought:
How much trouble can a personality test cause?
LOL.
Some of the tests were timed.
Well…
I was already in a hurry.
So I breezed through them.
At the end, each program told you something about YOURSELF.
Now THAT had my attention.
DO YOU LIKE FOOD?
DO YOU LIKE CHOCOLATE?
DARK OR LIGHT COCOA BEANS?
LOL.
These tests often begin broad.
Then your answers start narrowing the field.
Do you like working alone?
With people?
Numbers?
Words?
Outdoors?
Inside?
Do you enjoy leading?
Following?
Creating?
Analyzing?
Fixing?
Teaching?
Selling?
Little by little, the software builds a profile.
Eventually it begins offering conclusions.
Possible careers.
Personality types.
Strengths.
Weaknesses.
Interests.
Preferences.
Potential directions.
All very fascinating.
WHAT DO I WANT TO BE?
These programs were designed mainly for younger students trying to answer one of life’s hardest questions:
WHAT DO I WANT TO BE?
That question can be overwhelming.
Major?
Career?
Calling?
Purpose?
Direction?
Some people know early.
Others do not have a clue.
And that is okay.
The advantage I had was that I already knew quite a bit about myself.
So I was not sitting there waiting for the computer to introduce me to ME.
LOL.
I was comparing.
Testing the test.
Seeing what it noticed.
And some of it was surprisingly accurate.
THIS IS WHO YOU ARE…
THIS IS WHAT YOU SHOULD DO…
THIS IS THE WAY TO PROCEED…
CRASH.
Here is where I discovered something else.
Apparently you are not supposed to take ALL the tests.
LOL.
Each one was meant to answer a specific question.
Aptitude.
Personality.
Career preference.
Learning style.
Interest.
Strength.
I essentially walked into a medical clinic and said:
Since I am here…
CHECK EVERYTHING.
By the time I finished, I had several different computer programs all talking to me about ME at the same time.
Too much data.
Identity overload.
WHAT IS A TEST REALLY FOR?
This is worth adding.
A test is not supposed to DEFINE you.
It is supposed to REVEAL something for your consideration.
That is a major difference.
No computer program should be allowed to say:
THIS IS WHO YOU ARE.
Period.
No.
It can say:
Based on your answers…
here are some patterns.
Here are some possible strengths.
Here are some interests worth exploring.
Here are some areas that may fit you better than others.
Then YOU examine the information.
You test it in life.
You compare it with experience.
You see what holds.
That is where self-discovery becomes useful instead of controlling.
DECIDED TO PRINT IT ALL…
A MISTAKE.
Naturally, after taking every test in the room…
I decided I needed a copy of everything.
LOL.
Print.
Print.
Print.
Apparently those machines had generated quite a bit of material.
Before long, I had overtaxed the communal printer.
People started asking:
WHO IS PRINTING ALL THIS STUFF?
Uh-oh.
Then:
How did you get in there?
Who are you with?
Who is your testing proxy?
Now the assessment had changed.
LOL.
The computers were finished testing me.
The PEOPLE were testing me.
I LEARNED TO RUN WHILE TALKING
I answered as best I could while heading toward the door.
Fast.
LOL.
I learned several things that day.
Curiosity is powerful.
Self-testing can be revealing.
Too much information can confuse rather than clarify.
And when several people start asking who authorized you…
walking speed may suddenly improve.
RICHIE SPEAKS
Here is one Richie rule:
A test can point toward you…
but it cannot BE you.
Another:
Do not let a questionnaire make a final decision about a life it has never lived.
And one more:
Self-discovery is useful.
Self-definition by computer printout?
Easy there.
LOL.
PEARLS FROM THE BOOKS
From the spirit of Pearls for the Soul:
“Clues can point toward identity, but living reveals it.”
From the spirit of God I AM:
“What is within you is discovered by attention, experience, and truth…not merely by labels.”
From the spirit of It Is Finished:
“Information is useful when it frees you to see more clearly, not when it becomes another cage.”
PEARLS INSIGHT
Aptitude, personality, interest and career assessments can be valuable tools because they help people notice patterns that may otherwise remain hidden.
But they work best as guides, not verdicts.
Identity develops through experience, reflection, experimentation, feedback, values and the repeated discovery of what feels natural, meaningful and effective.
PEARLS CONNECTION
This connects directly with SKILLS BANKS ARE DIFFERENT — UNIQUE FOR EVERYONE.
The tests may help identify what is in the bank.
But life tells you whether the account is actually yours.
It also connects with WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT DO YOU DO?
Sometimes we discover ourselves by asking questions.
Sometimes by trying things.
Sometimes by noticing what comes naturally.
And sometimes…
by wandering into a room we probably should not have been in.
LOL.
FINAL SAY
There is value in finding out more about yourself.
Take the test.
Ask the question.
Explore.
Compare.
Experiment.
But do not hand your identity over to a machine, a label, a score or anybody else.
Use the information.
Then go LIVE.
Eventually the strongest evidence of who you are will not appear on a printout.
It will appear in what you repeatedly do well…
what gives you energy…
what helps others…
what produces results…
and what keeps calling you back.
That day I walked into a room full of computers trying to tell people who they were.
I walked out knowing something simpler.
The answers may help…
but YOU still have to live the question.
And yes…
I learned to run while talking.
LOL.
— Richie
Pearls for the Soul
when you feed the soul, you feed everything.
https://pearlsforthesoul.com
Been expecting you