Oprah's magazine takes a little longer to get over here to the UK, but I am already excited about November's issue. The indie biz chicks posted about an online quiz from the new issue, so I rushed on over to check it out. I love quizzes. Of course, I realise that they never give you the full picture and it is pretty easy to tweak the results in a direction that you want them to go (we've all done that with the "Is he the one?" type quizzes, right?). However I do still think that they are a useful tool for a bit of self-reflection. Even if you are tweaking the answers, it tells you something about the sort of person you want to be, even if that isn't where you are yet.
That is exactly the focus of the quiz: who are you striving toward being? Who am I meant to be? It was written by Anne Dranitsaris (link kindly provided by Heather). Many people are reporting very accurate results for this too, which is intriguing. I did it twice, on two different days, because that's the kind of thing I do! I've decided, not surprisingly, that the first results are more honest.
So what did I learn?
I came up most strongly in the areas of striving to be knowledgeable, striving to be creative and striving to be spontaneous. What this means for me is that I learn about myself through being in learning situations. I need to be creative in some way, in order to feel authentic. Stimulation and movement feed me and give life meaning.
I was very interested to see the warnings in the results too. I should watch out for withdrawing from situations where I feel less knowledgeable, isolating myself through my creative practice, and feeling trapped (and lashing out) when in a stable situation. These areas are all ways in which I am already seeking balance, to maintain beginner's mind, to connect with other creative people and to embrace a degree of routine to anchor me. If you know me, you will be laughing a little by now at the truthfulness of what I strive for, and the pitfalls that occasionally befall me!
If you take this quiz, do share your results, I find it just fascinating! Either chat in the comments, or feel free to link to your own blog.