Talented at Being Emotional
When I was 5, I wanted to be an actress when asked the question “what do you want to be when you grow up?”. When I was 10, I was the music and dance teacher’s pet, often getting the starring role in our school’s annual shows. When I was 15, we reenacted the Crucible: Act III for English Literature, and I was applauded for sending chills during the courtroom scene. When I was 20, I went to my first Six Flag’s Frightfest and the zombie sitting in front of me on the Nitro rollercoaster told me that my screams scared him more than the ride itself. To say the least, people often told me how emotional and dramatic I was. Sometimes in good ways, others in bad.
The Good…
My friends always told me that my reactions to the first bite of whatever I was eating were a form of entertainment itself. It’s just hard for me to hold in my “mmmm’s” when my taste palette gets pleasantly shocked!
The Bad…
Despite my optometrist telling me how dry my eyes are, I always tend to be the first to get teary-eyed in any emotional setting.
The Fascinate Test
If you’ve ever taken a self-assessment test like the Enneagram or 16Personalities, you’ll understand the fascination of feeling a cohesive blend of emotions. Psychological science is one of the many rabbit holes that I would willingly fall into time and time again.
The How to Fascinate test is the first marketing-based communication assessment designed by Sally Hogshead. In just 28 questions, you are then categorized into one of the 49 different Archetypes, which explains how the world sees you. These archetypes are a cross-section of your primary and secondary advantages, which detail your highest and most effective modes of communication.
By the sounds of it, it truly seemed fascinating. Prior to taking it, I assumed it was like any other personality test with a super long and in-depth breakdown of who I was, leaving me feeling understood, proud, and humbled by my strengths and weaknesses. Understood because of how spot-on they were of my personal values. Proud because of all the strong suits that were repeated back to me. I am humbled because the areas of weaknesses always motivated me to do better. I was ready to fall headfirst into this one, rediscovering and grounding myself once more.
The Talent: Passion & Prestige
Of all the archetypes, mine was called “the Talent”. They are often known for being expressive, stylish, emotionally intelligent, energetic, and academic.
My primary and secondary advantages are Passion and Prestige. Leading with passion is described as expressive, intuitive, and engaging — developing colorful emotional connections everywhere I go. Leading with prestige is described as ambitious, results-oriented, and respected — always striving for the next level of accomplishments. At this point, I was basically described as Princess Diana and Oprah Winfrey’s child if conceived, completely and utterly flattered. (FYI: If you ever need an extra ego boost, this test may be handy).
Jokes aside, it was no wonder that throughout my life, I have always been called dramatic (af). While most times it felt attacking for being expressive, this time, it made me certain that having high emotional intelligence is just as important as any other form of intelligence out there. It validated that being intact with our emotions can help bridge our relationships, both personal and professional.
Leveraging the Talent
Regardless of what setting it is, I tend to build emotional connections with others first. I believe that sharing unique interactions can establish solid foundations because it can lead to trust, which is one of the greatest (if not the most vital) building blocks of any relationship.
More so, we are constantly feeling feelings, even when we sometimes feel emotionless. Empathy and sympathy are qualities that we all instinctively share. It is what makes us human. The levels of them are subjective, but that’s for another discussion.
When meeting someone new, we are oftentimes faced with cautious approaches to avoid crossing sensitive boundaries. However, there is also a fine balance between being too closed off and too open. Too distant and you’ll come off as secretive and standoffish. Too open and you might come off as overbearing and desperate. Either one will make others feel uncomfortable, which is the last thing we want when making a good impression. To find the sweet spot of these two contrasting areas, I usually like to feel the vibe and energy of a room. I find this skill to be super important and helpful because it indicates the appropriate tone in any setting.
Particularly, in the marketing industry, our job as marketers is to be that bridge between brands and consumers. Perhaps it is why my enthusiasm for marketing extends beyond just textbooks. It is a field that truly speaks to my soul as storytelling and connecting with others is my forte. My hunger to reach new limits, the prestige part of me, feeds into this passion all the more.
Take it with a Grain of Salt
“We are constantly invited to be who we are.” — Henry David Thoreau
Self-assessing once in a while is a crucial part of personal development. I think all of these kinds of self-assessment tests are a great indication of the person you are in the present-day, but can also be a projection of the person you have yet to become. Every day, we wake up with a choice of who we want to be. From the smallest choices of what to eat to more impactful decisions of how and who we devote our time to. We are inevitably and constantly evolving into another version of ourselves. I like to retake these tests every few months or years. It keeps me on track by seeing how I have evolved over time; whether or not I overcame my past weaknesses.
Like other self-assessment tests, the Fascinate test can serve as a guide and give us a sense of direction. Very much like reading about your horoscope. Your strengths are reminders of your character. Your weaknesses are gentle encouragements to inspire growth.
After all of this, the “prestige” in me yearns for an update — to be more pragmatic and less of a perfectionist. To fully accept that sometimes, perfection doesn’t always have to be perfect. Now, it’s your turn. Which version of you are you evolving to next?
@sallyhogshead @howtofascinate @joannetombrakos
