Many questions in our life are unanswered, some to which we don’t even try finding the answers. ‘Who are you?’ is one such question. If we are to ask 10 random people this question- “who are you?”, I believe only 2 of them will be able to answer this question. I mean a definitive answer and not a vague answer. I was one of those people who didn’t know a definitive answer to the question ‘who are you?’. When someone was to ask this question, I would say I am that and this, but never know who I was. I didn’t even try to find the answer to this question.
There came a point in my life when I realized something that lead me to find the answer to the unanswered question of my life. As I found myself battling against the evil forces at work against my life, I realized that 70-75% of the battles I fought against the enemy was because I didn’t know who I was and this ignorance was the entry point for the devil to my life. After this, I realized that I was wasting my time fighting unwanted battles. I decided at that moment that I am going to know who I am, the truth, and focus my time towards important things.
I believe this applies to everyone’s life. Everyone must know who they are and get rid of the ignorance of themselves. Knowing who we are:
1. Gives us clarity
2. Helps us find where the problem is(if there is any)
3. Gives us an idea of what calling God has kept over our lives.
AN IDEA OF YOUR CALLING
‘Who are you?’ is a very important question we are to ask ourselves when it comes to calling. If you remember correctly, I told that God has kept the calling over our lives before we are born. This means that the answer to ‘who are you?’ will give you an idea of what calling God has kept over your life.
Let me give you a clear understanding of how knowing who you are helps you get an idea of the calling over your life. Let’s take a very simple example. Say, God has called a person to be a woodcutter. Then, God would have given him all the tools like hammer, axe, saw etc…God wouldn’t give him a scissor or a towel or a screwdriver. God would have also surrounded him with trees to cut them. In this example, the tools that are with this person is the personality that God has given you or the answer to the question ‘who are you’. Although this answer cannot tell you exactly what you are called as, because the same tools can also be used by a carpenter or a sculptor, it can be the first step towards finding what God has called you to become.
The next question that is to be answered is- how do I find the answer to ‘who are you?’? Knowing your personality is the first step towards finding the answer to ‘who are you?’. There are many methods devised by various scientists and psychologists. Among all the methods available, the big five personality test is the most scientifically validated and psychologically reliable model to measure personality. Therefore, we are going to follow this model to find the personality. This model is also called the OCEAN model, which is an abbreviation of the five factors of this model,
1. Openness
2. Conscientiousness
3. Extraversion
4. Agreeableness
5. Neuroticism
The five factors mentioned above have 6 subcategories or facets. Before you get into grading your personality, I will tell you what each of these mean. This is to ensure you give the right response while grading your personality.
OPENNESS
‘Acceptance of or receptiveness to change or new ideas’
Imagination - the faculty or action of forming new ideas, or images or concepts of external objects not present to the senses.
Artistic interests – having an interest in different forms of art.
Emotionality - Emotionality is the observable behavioural and physiological component of emotion. It is a measure of a person's emotional reactivity to a stimulus.
Adventurousness - inclined or willing to engage in adventures; enjoying adventures.
Intellect - the power or faculty of the mind by which one knows or understands, as distinguished from that by which one feels and that by which one wills; the understanding; the faculty of thinking and acquiring knowledge.
Liberalism – Willingness to respect or accept behaviour or opinions different from one's own; openness to new ideas.
CONSCIENTIOUSNESS
‘The quality of wishing to do one's work or duty well and thoroughly’
Sense of competence - the ability to do something successfully or efficiently
Orderliness - the quality or state of being orderly
Sense of responsibility - an awareness of your obligations. It is a general conscious awareness
Achievement striving - striving to accomplish goals and improve performance.
Self-discipline - the ability to control one's feelings and overcome one's weaknesses.
Deliberateness - the trait of thoughtfulness in action or decision
EXTRAVERSION
‘the state of being concerned primarily with things outside the self, with the external environment rather than with one's own thoughts and feelings’
Warmth - liveliness of feelings, emotions, or sympathies; ardour or fervour; enthusiasm or zeal
Gregariousness - fond of the company of others; sociable.
Assertiveness - confidently aggressive or self-assured; positive: aggressive; dogmatic
Activity level – the measure of how active one is
Excitement seeking – tendency to seek for excitement
Positive emotions – the willingness to experience positive emotions
AGREEABLENESS
‘willing or ready to agree or consent’
Trust in others - reliance on the integrity, strength, ability, surety, etc., on others
Sincerity - The absence of pretence, deceit, or hypocrisy.
Altruism - selfless concern for the well-being of others.
Compliance - the act of conforming, acquiescing, or yielding.
Modesty - having or showing a moderate or humble estimate of one's merits, importance, etc.; free from vanity, egotism, boastfulness, or great pretensions.
Sympathy - feelings of pity and sorrow for someone else's misfortune.
NEUROTICISM
‘The ability to remain emotionally stable and balanced’
Anxiety - distress or uneasiness of mind caused by fear of danger or misfortune
Angry hostility – state of showing anger and unfriendliness or opposition.
Moodiness/Contentment - given to unpredictable changes of mood, especially sudden bouts of gloominess or sullenness.
Self-consciousness - excessively aware of being observed by others.
Self-indulgence - indulging one's own desires, especially without restraint
Sensitivity to stress - The quality or condition of being sensitive to stress
Under each category of the big five factors, you are to grade yourself in a range of 1 -10. After you have done this, take the average of the scores of the subcategories. In the end, you will find the adjectives of a person with a high score and low score for each of the factors. With that information, you can know what kind of a person you are. Not a precise answer, but adjectives that can help you find the precise answer. After you are done grading, in the space given write done in brief the answer to ‘WHO ARE YOU?’.
While writing the answer to ‘who are you?’, be as straightforward as you can be. Don’t write what you want to be or what is better. Just write the truthful answer to ’who are you?’ even if there are some things in your personality that you don’t like or you think is not good. When you do this you will see the truth. Sometimes, it is not what you expected or not what you want to see. But let me tell you that there is freedom in the truth. You have to realize and admit your problems. Remember that no one is perfect. Everyone has their shortcomings. Writing this down will give you clarity and allow you to overcome all the lies that the enemy says about you, as it is one of his most used weapons.
THIS IS THE LINK TO THE TEST THAT YOU NEED TO FILL YOURSELF:
HOPE YOU GET TO KNOW YOURSELF :)
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