Learning Who You Are 8-2-24

Socrates said “To know thyself is the beginning of wisdom”.  His intuition and observations about human nature and our uniqueness were true. Socrates lived from 469 to 399BC and more evidence of our uniqueness was discovered 2400 years later. 

The discovery of the structure of DNA in 1953 was made possible by Dr Rosalind Franklin's X-ray diffraction work. Her creation of the famous Photo 51 demonstrated the double-helix structure of deoxyribonucleic acid: the molecule containing the genetic instructions for the development of all living organisms. The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1962 was awarded to James Watson, Francis Crick and Maurice Wilkins for their discovery of the molecular structure of DNA, which helped solve one of the most important of all biological riddles. After 1962, scientists worked to identify each segment of the double helix and we were able to establish that DNA was unique to the individual and ancestry was traceable.

The uniqueness feature of DNA simplifies our questions about who we are. It can also help us understand our skills and personalities needed to select an occupation. All we need to do is to recognize what we are good at and love to do. We are free to plot our own course. This can be accomplished by trial and error, but this can be avoided if we give it some thought and identify what we are motivated to accomplish.

Early clues can be found by taking occupational and personality tests that are available on the internet. I recommend the occupational and personality tests offered on line.

Occupational Interest Tests are offered by Kudor and Strong Campbell.

Personality Tests are offered by Myers Briggs measures Extroversion v Introversion, Thinking v Feeling, Judging v Perceiving. The DISC measures Dominance, Inducement, Steadiness and Compliance. Inner v Outer Directedness. You will need to keep the copies of your tests and refer to them as needed.

SIMA is System for Identifying Motivated Abilities and was invented by Art Miller. I simply requires that you identify what you were good at and enjoyed doing from your childhood forward.

The APT test measures timed and untimed skills and includes the MMPI

https://www.jstor.org/stable/3626111

The Wonderlic test is a skills test and is time limited.

The Iowa Test is given in K-12 and a record of the results is important to keep.

I used all of the tests above to identify performance levels and help employees take control of the own development.

I also used these tests to identify my own motivated abilities to get an accurate picture of my own skills and interests. I am an Inner-Directed, Accomplishment Oriented, ‘Self-Acturalizer’. SIMA describes me as “high impress and high impact”. DISC describes me as a High Dominance, High Influencing Leader.

Myers Briggs describes me as Extroverted, Intuitive, Thinking and Judging. My occupational interest is Personnel Management. I have a history of turning down promotions that would take me off my path. I chose jobs that included projects that would expand my experience. My goal was to learn what I had to know in order to become a Sole Proprietor Personnel Consultant. I limited my travel and relocations to spend more time with my wife and kids.

Your profile and path is unique to you own motivated abilities, skills and interests. If you spend some time to determine your own path and do what you love, you will be happy and successful.

Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader