Hey there everyone!!

While there are numerous personality models, I was fortunate enough to be exposed to the D-I-S-C personality model early in life, which had me better understand myself and why I liked or didn't like to do certain things.

I was a classic introvert who was socially isolated. So rather than focusing on interpersonal relationships (emotions), I would go deep into my own thoughts to make sense of my world (intellectual). Technology became a natural refuge because it relied exclusively on logic. Identified as a “High-C” (refer to diagram) personality, I was critical, calculating, concise, contemplative, and cautious.

My Big Problem

I started a band called 999 Megabytes. We haven't gotten a gig yet.

As I got involved in various forms of personal development, none of it would appeal to my natural, technical, way of being. Some of it was ra-ra hype motivation (emotional), and much of it was about my childhood, family, and past traumas (relational). I wanted an algorithm to success, and people just wanted to share personal stories believing that that would empower me.

I couldn't let these obstacles stop me from transforming my life. I had even more leverage than that, because I also wanted to be a successful entrepreneur, and uncovered that the typical successful entrepreneurial (or any sales capacity) personality type (extrovert) was the exact opposite of my natural personality.

Now both my personal life, and my business life were on the line. The self-growth challenge would be much bigger than I had anticipated, because I would need to shift my personality first.

Where There's No Path—Bushwhack!

How does an introvert become an extravert? Decide. Force it. Practice. It wasn't easy. It was actually the scariest thing I have ever done in my life (over skydiving and hand-gliding).

The qualities I consciously worked on creating within myself were that of a High-I (refer to diagram). I needed to have influence over people, so I became interested in people. I would think of ways to inspire people and would act more on my impulses. Instincts and intuition started to manifest.

Paying It Forward to You

It took many years, but it was all worth it. Now people think I'm a natural people-person. The good news is that you don't have to do all the years of work that I did shifting my personality. You can stay a techie, and be empowered by personal development articles written for technical people.

We'll start with the big picture. How are we going to architect our lives? I wrote this article called “A Geeky Life” which will guide you through a quick journey from the Big Bang, right down to your everyday life.

Now let's become a power user. In life, we've got to know our default settings. How do we operate? How do we drive? Changing the defaults can dramatically affect the quality of our lives.

Play A Bigger Game

Play in the sandbox and dance in the light. There is nothing to fear. -- Sophie Losinski

What techie doesn't like a good video-game? Life is like a video-game, and when we understand the gameplay, the rules, the controls, and the various levels, that's when we can have the most fun!

Some games (and lives) can be much tougher than others. There's only so much hacking we can do to the source code in order to make playing easier. Ultimately, we've got to learn how to be a good loser, because we're going to lose a whole bunch more than we're going to win. That's just the way it works. So play full-out, even if you know you'll never win. That's the biggest lesson in personal development.

Children will play with anyone... Until a parent tells them not to.

It's natural to want to play a new game, or upgrade our gaming console. But life's not like that. Instead, we've got to enjoy our current game at a deeper level. What sort of secret moves, weapons or passages can we discover? Can we play a game within a game? Don't just look at the challenges in the game, but the challenges with the challenges... What can that meta understanding do for us in life?

Hold Your Shoes - Go Inside this Lego House!

Hold Your Shoes - Go Inside this Lego House!

Be here now. That's the biggest lesson in spiritual growth. What level are you on? Enjoy that level. How do you play an amazing game? One level at a time. Make your life epic, level by level, scene by scene.

It's a numbers game. And here you will find countless articles with specific numbers of wise nuggets that you can digest at your own pace.

Transcend Logic

Don't get caught up in your own perfect logic. It seems perfect to you, but the next level of growth is about letting go of your logic. Understand that ultimately, people don't make logical decisions—they make emotional decisions and then they use logic to justify them.

Now's the time to start strengthening your emotional muscles. Remember a good accountant will tell you that 2+2=4, but a great accountant will tell you two plus two can be anything you want it to be. Some say the only creativity left in Hollywood is in the accounting department. :)

Creative people get bored...