There are many personality tests out there!  When I took the Meyer’s Briggs test, I tested as a STRONG Introvert, only missing ONE indicator of that category.  Being an introvert doesn’t mean you are shy or don’t engage with life and people. It is a description of how you process.    The extrovert processes externally, developing ideas and concepts and working through concerns and problems through the act of engaging with others.  The introvert processes internally, thinking through the implications of what is being said, formulating a well thought out response, and then responding. The disconnect happens in the space between, in the HOW!!   The extrovert becomes frustrated, believing that the introvert is either (1) withholding, or (2) non-communicative.  In a relationship, the complaint usually is some version of “You never talk to me.”  The introvert, on the other hand, doesn’t have the opportunity to respond because they are still thinking about what was said. Although they may desire to make a contribution, the space to do so does not exist because there is not enough space, i.e., time, in between the statements made by the extrovert in order for the introvert to communicate a response! The Introvert eventually feels discounted, and if and when she does respond, the comment is not any longer relevant or she is seen as interrupting the extrovert.

What a disempowering dance!!!  Therein abides the beauty of the Color Code: White, Blue, Red, and Yellow.  Each designation reveals what the motivating drivers are of that person, thereby revealing how best to engage in conversation with them.  The result is not only increased effectiveness, but greater interpersonal satisfaction….the Happiness Factor.  Most personality tests are like blackboards filled with long equations comprised of symbols which have no meaning or usefulness to anyone but advanced astronomers, physicists, and chemists.  The Colors, on the other hand, are both simple and elegant, like Einstein’s Theory of Relativity, E = mc^2.   Simply stated, elegant, and profound. It is the starting point of infinite possibility, just like knowing how to communicate with the people whose lives you touch, whose lives touch yours.

Imagine being able to identify someone else’s primary mode of motivation and communication so that you are empowered to deeply connect with them. The implications are dazzling.  Turns out that I am a White.  According to the colors, this means that I process through the act of engaging with others, the exact opposite of the introvert revealed in the Myers-Briggs test.  Hmmmmmmmmmm.  Time to learn more.  Time to learn to see others and myself more clearly. Time to learn how to powerfully contribute to the world on a whole new level by studying and applying the elegant understanding of The Colors.  Stay tuned!  It’s going to be a wild ride as The Happiness Factor spreads across my world!