I've quickly tested a (free) personality test: my verdict? Good!

https://www.123test.com/personality-test/

Pricing: free for basic results, you can pay (apparently 18 - 30 USD) to see an "extended report".
I haven't rushed thru the 100+ questions you are expected to answer sequentially, but also I haven't thought too much about it either (not easy for a Thinker such as myself).

You will get results showing your "openness to experience", "conscientiousness", "extraversion", "agreeableness", "natural reactions".

It will not show a clear list of your talents but, at first glance, the behaviours mentioned can give you a first indication of "what makes you tick".

So, all in all for starters in personality / talent stuff, it's definitely good. For those with some experience under their belt (and a load of test results at hand) it's probably a waste of time.

I'll be on the lookout to test more tests. Stay positive! Johan

What to do with a High 5 test?

Not so long ago, someone asked me: "OK Johan, so we've identified some things I'm supposed to be good at. Now what, what are we going to do with this?".

One of my "things", is being a "thinker". When I find something an insightful question which I am able to answer only partially, chances are that I'm taking this with me until I am able to provide a satisfactory answer.

So, what are we going to do with this?

 I've started scribbling some thoughts, in the meantime I've stumbled upon a free test which claims to give some answers to the above question: https://high5test.com:

1. "Know your best self": I can agree to that, as long as you take also the context into consideration;
2. "Be happier": To some extent, possibly. I find this a tricky and somehow overrated one. Maybe "be more content" I can believe in; 
3. "Achieve your goals": no opinion;
4. "Increase your confidence": I can imagine that knowing what you're good at can help increase your confidence. I cannot help but think about "self-assurance" (Strengths Finder 2.0). It is perfectly possible to be self-assured and not have confidence in yourself. Being aware of self-assurance could, in my opinion, lead to increased self-confidence;
5.  "Build stronger relationships": totally agree. These frameworks can make it easier to "bond" with other human beings, not just in pairs but also in group settings;
6. "Progress your career": depends, I guess. I know that my own discovery of Strengths Finder 2.0 and my "Maximizer" realisation led to my decision that I wanted to do more with this. Which I have. So, I guess this could progress your career but I don't believe it "has" to. It all depends "what you want to do" on a daily basis, I guess. 

Linkdump December 2019

https://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/10-ways-identify-your-talents-and-utilize-them.html, a fine low-threshold article to inspire yourself. https://strengthslauncher.com/resources/, found this impressive list of resources from a gentleman who's a Gallup Certified coach. Was hoping to find a list of talent frameworks, it only refers to the (excellent) strengths finder 2.0 though. https://www.allbusiness.com/need-talent-builder-22575-1.html, something to refer to once I write about "now what to do with all of this?".

Two Mindsets that shape our lives

Just an interesting article from a website with many interesting essays. Fixed versus Growth: The Two Basic Mindsets That Shape Our Lives. https://www.brainpickings.org/2014/01/29/carol-dweck-mindset/

Harmony, order, unrest and the symphony of life

Do you score yourself as "restless" on a scale of 1 to 6? Or do you score yourself on that scale as "harmonious", in harmony? Either way, consider taking this test: http://www.personal.psu.edu/%7Ej5j/IPIP/ If you are by nature in harmony, will you seek what is restless? Will you look for the other thing if you're more restless? Is "harmony" the same as "order"? I've taken many of these tests during my (15+ years) professional life. Most important is to interpret this all with some common sense and especially realising the "Red Thread" throughout all of these tests. Then you can decide about the following: are you simply aware or will you act? Even awareness itself can bring along tremendous change.

Maximizing global creativity

There are those days when things are in front of your eyes that just make so much sense. You're driving the car while listening to a relaxing mantra and you see the logo of one of your favourite metal bands as a window sticker on another car (yin yang anyone?). Like those days when you come home and discover that your little buddha statue is sitting in the sink. It felt a little "cosmic". To be completely honest, any reason is good enough to start a new blog. Can't even remember the last time I wrote a blogpost. Writing brings me rest. I'm going to write again and I can only stimulate you to do the same. Thinking and writing are not the same. Handwriting and typing are not the same. Just. Write. Share. Dare. One World. The lives of your loved ones. Take good care of it. Let me be clear from the start: no religious pun intended. I've always felt the buddha has a special meaning to me, though I don't know what triggered that. Consider this the continuation of a lifelong quest. Seeing an enormous buddha statue in Nara, Japan, was part of that quest. To be clear again, it was not in any sink whatsoever.