ISTP Strengths

Hello, world.  This is my first blog post ever.  Ever, ever.  First post, first blog.  It's a difficult step for me because I'm a private person (even on the internet!) and, as my personality type indicates, I don't particularly like sharing with strangers. 

But, I'm also a geek with a lot of personality and my impulses tell me this is a go. So, it's time.

So yeah, ISTP. I'm an introverted sensor/thinker with a perceiving preference.  If you don't know what I'm talking about, check out my type on wikipedia (including a quick description of the mbti) or just read on.

One more quick link, to personality page.  This site details each type, gives typical strengths and weaknesses, and gives general career/improvement advice.

ProTip: skip the quiz and figure it out yourself.  You may bypass 5+ years of thinking you're a different type (thanks, internship MBTI and my own poor intuition...).

ISTP Strengths

• Good listeners
• Usually self-confident
• Generally optimistic and fun to be with
• Practical and realistic, they handle daily concerns
• Are not threatened by conflict or criticism
• Able to leave a relationship with relative ease once it is over
• Able to administer punishment, although they're not interested in doing so
• Likely to respect other's needs for space and privacy

All of these strengths describe me, especially the self-confidence, optimism, ability to listen, and respect for space/privacy.  The odd man out is "Are not threatened by conflict or criticism."  This is becoming more and more true as I've matured, but I was very concerned with what people thought of me while growing up. 

This had a lot to do with my family - I was an only child with two very logical and caring, yet emotionally insensitive parents.  I took everything they said as fact, listened to them without forming my own opinions, and only encountered their feelings when they were under duress (or when dad was excited about a sporting event).  When I encountered emotion in others, I didn't know how to handle it.

All in all, the world was loud and crazy and people just made it that much more random.  Making it worse, I realized I was different and felt that was a bad thing.  So, I hid inside my elaborate inner world and learned how to conform externally.  Spoiler: it got better.

That's all for now.  I refuse to commit to a schedule or even my next topic, but here are a few ideas I want to write about eventually: ISTP Weaknesses, self-confidence, formative entertainment experiences, What do you mean I'm not ISTJ?

Until next time,

Taz