The car theory - tuning yourself

[Thomas Taschler]

I take online personal tests from time to time because I think it's a nice indicator for me if I am on the right track to my goal of being the self I want to be.

I just took the 16 Personalities Test (MBTI) by Myers-Briggs. While reading through the "where I am" and "where I want to go" personalities summaries, there was a statement saying that the personality is like a hidden program which is Read-Only and cannot be changed.

Well, I disagree.

I am thinking more of me being a car and my mechanic.

A car has been assembled in a factory, which means it can be disassembled and parts can be changed. You can also build Toyota parts into your Chevrolet, if you are willing to invest the time and resources to do a custom job.

But we are in a running car, some of us are even on the fast lane of the highway.

We can tune the radio, the air conditioning, windows, etc. during the drive. But these are temporary things.

To change some (semi-) permanent parts, we have to stop the car for a moment. You can't change tires while going 90 on the highway.

Then again, when you stop to make some changes on your car, some changes are only semi-permanent.

You don't need your winter tires in the summer, but you will need them to climb a hill in winter.
It's still the same car, but sometimes you need to temporary swap a part of it for something more adequate for the situation.

And then, there is the big stuff. You can fit a Lamborghini engine in a Fiat 500.
But that needs some more time than changing tires.

And because you are just one mechanic, you can't do all the stuff at the same time.
You even will have to change one tire at a time.

But when I reach the destination, I want to have the best car ever built

This is my idea about personal development.

Edited February 7, 2016 by Thomas Taschler

[Guest]

i like where you're going with this analogy.

most people forget the routine maintenance of their stock lease. 

[Thomas Taschler]

This, and even if your car runs great, you still have to stop now and then to refill fuel/oil (holidays) or you will be stuck in the middle of nowhere or break something.

[Guest]

and then have no fucking clue why things arnt working

[Thomas Taschler]

And also don't blindly follow some crappy GPS, because it could lead you to somewhere completely different then you wanted to go.

And keep your eyes on the road, not on that tiny screen

[Guest]

could probably keep this going all night haha

[JeffR1]

I agree Thomas. I took the MBTI test for the first time about 20 years ago. It was interesting and I found the resultant type assessment resonated what I thought about myself. Since then, I've taken test two more times, and interestingly, I found each time my score on introversion/extroversion scale had moved up more towards extroversion. I would like to think that my personal development and life experiences has influenced this. 

PS: If you like tests, the University of Pennsylvania has good website called 'Authentic Happiness'. Their VIA Survey of Character Strengths one is really worthwhile. Cheers. 

[Leo Gura]

There is such a thing as a core personality that you have. It's what makes you feel most at ease and comes most naturally to you, without struggle. It's was remains after you remove all the ego blocks, limiting beliefs, childhood traumas, external moral standards, social norms, etc.

But this is NOT what most personality tests test.

And the most important thing that these tests don't tell you is that you are NOT your personality!!!

WTF?

You'd think that would be an important little caveat to mention!

Here's how I see it:

Entry-level personal development: trying to improve your personality or change it entirely because you wish it were different and better. Ironically, this gives you a weak and shallow personality.

Advanced level personal development: fully accepting your personality and dis-identifying from it. Ironically, this gives you the strongest, most attractive, and satisfying personalty.

What I find deliciously paradoxical about this whole thing is that you have a strong personality that cannot be changed, and yet almost everything about how you think and live can be changed to such an extent that people close to you will not even be able to recognize you any more.

Humans are both rigid and malleable at the same time. I guess sorta like a car whose chassis you cannot change.

[Thomas Taschler]

And many companies do personality tests at the beginning to see if they hire you.

But then, you will develop yourself and the company still has the old personality test taken years ago.
The personal department doesn't see them as snapshot, but as set in stone.

This is where I think many companies make a big mistake.
They force people into roles they do not fit into anymore.
And this is where people get unhappy and start active personal development or surrender.

Edited February 7, 2016 by Thomas Taschler

[Extreme Z7]

9 hours ago, Thomas Taschler said:

I take online personal tests from time to time because I think it's a nice indicator for me if I am on the right track to my goal of being the self I want to be.

I just took the 16 Personalities Test (MBTI) by Myers-Briggs. While reading through the "where I am" and "where I want to go" personalities summaries, there was a statement saying that the personality is like a hidden program which is Read-Only and cannot be changed.

Well, I disagree.

I am thinking more of me being a car and my mechanic.

A car has been assembled in a factory, which means it can be disassembled and parts can be changed. You can also build Toyota parts into your Chevrolet, if you are willing to invest the time and resources to do a custom job.

But we are in a running car, some of us are even on the fast lane of the highway.

We can tune the radio, the air conditioning, windows, etc. during the drive. But these are temporary things.

To change some (semi-) permanent parts, we have to stop the car for a moment. You can't change tires while going 90 on the highway.

Then again, when you stop to make some changes on your car, some changes are only semi-permanent.

You don't need your winter tires in the summer, but you will need them to climb a hill in winter.
It's still the same car, but sometimes you need to temporary swap a part of it for something more adequate for the situation.

And then, there is the big stuff. You can fit a Lamborghini engine in a Fiat 500.
But that needs some more time than changing tires.

And because you are just one mechanic, you can't do all the stuff at the same time.
You even will have to change one tire at a time.

But when I reach the destination, I want to have the best car ever built

This is my idea about personal development.

Pretty great analogy, I would like to add that on this highway, you're actually driving away from a hurricane. You really have no choice but to keep going, only stopping to do maintenance or replace some parts with better parts. The faster you can drive, the farther away from the hurricane you will be. And maybe you eventually reach a point where the hurricane is so far away that you basically forget that you were even driving away from it and the remaining trip to the destination is just one long relaxing breeze.

[Keyblade Viking]

Have you listened to Twenty One Pilots? They sing about Cars constantly but they really talk about exactly this all the time.

Another really funny music video is "Avril Lavigne - What The Hell" and I'm not if this is at all intentional by the creators as mind control or the subconscious working this all in there but it's the most hilarious shit ever. (spoiler below the video, watch it yourself first)

 

Spoiler: She steal a 'taxi' car, she break the mirror and she smash it in to the ass of another car at the left side of the bridge and the way it's portrayed it represent the pillars of reality, positive & negative, ego & spirit etc so she crash in to the red pillar to the left, the left brain hemisphere, it's the same as that other pop song - "I crashed my car in to the bridge and watched it burn, I don't care, I love it", that one is pure mind control.

Edited February 8, 2016 by Keyblade Viking - Tobias

[7dayworker]

Just be aware that you may not have the skill or your mechanic boss may have better ideas while you change tires or more so if you change the engine.

make the most of your rest stops

[vizual]

Typing yourself as a certain personality while you are still a victim of circumstance(which most people are) is just throwing oil on the fire. Most people are bounced around by their fears and their false desires and call it life. People lead their lives dancing around the fire in stead of going through it, fixing your personality or whatever you think you are is useless.

Overcome your fears, stop chasing ghosts, become your authentic self. Then you can see what personality type fits.