I was honored to be selected this summer to be a part of the book launch team for Anne Bogel’s book Reading People. I have been a reader of Anne’s blog, Modern Mrs. Darcy, and an avid listener of Anne’s podcast, What Should I Read Next, for a long time, so when I learned of her new book, I knew I would love it!
Well, I did and I know you will too!
The subtitle of Reading People is “how seeing the world through the lens of personality changes everything.” And it truly does!
Reading People is a book that gently explains what makes you uniquely YOU through an introduction and thorough description of seven different popular personality frameworks. Most of these I was already familiar with, but got a much more in depth understanding of them and how they contribute and make up my own personality through reading this book.
Throughout the book, Anne also shares life changing insights that can be gained from each of these personality frameworks.
I really appreciated the practical applications that were given in Reading People, covering all facets of life including marriage, friendships, productivity, parenting, and spirituality.
Understanding personality if a big, huge first step to understanding the unique and beautiful way that God created you to be YOU. It’s integral to accepting yourself and growing in your own strengths and relating to others.
I took my first personality test when I was a freshmen at Converse, the all women’s college that I attended that placed a heavy emphasis on women’s leadership. Delving into the results of that Myers-Briggs test gave me great insight into who I was an how I operated. It helped me to accept myself and understand that things that I had previously questioned and criticized about myself.
As I’ve learned about other aspects of my personality, many of which were touched on in Reading People, I’ve gained a deeper and deeper understanding and acceptance of my unique personality.
Not only does being familiar with these frameworks help me to understand my own personality, but it has helped tremendously in understanding and approaching with acceptance the personality of those around me, especially my husband.
One thing that was super interesting as I read was that my personality and Anne’s is very similar (we have the same Myers-Briggs type) and, so I could relate SO well to many of the personal examples that she gave.
And to give you an example of how understanding and accepting my own unique personality has had a profound affect on my life, I am writing this from a hotel room where I am spending the weekend alone.
This was a sweet birthday gift from my husband. Because we understand each other’s personality, we know how to build into one another. Quiet time to read, rest and reflect builds into my soul so much! After two stressful years and a year long separation with Keith serving in South Korea while I homeschooled our four children, this weekend has been a precious gift.
My husband was able to give this gift to me because he knows and understands my personality.
I was able to accept this gift from him because I have learned to understand and accept my unique personality. This is in part thanks to reading Reading People.
Here are some of the personality frameworks mentioned in Reading People and how my own personality fits within them…
Introverts/Extroverts…it would not be a surprise to many to know that I am a solid introvert!
Highly Sensitive People…yup, I am one of those, too! Understanding that and how it affects my personality has been HUGE!
The Five Love Languages…my top love language is time. (My husband’s is words of appreciation) Knowing this helps us to be intentional in the way we give and receive love and grow as a couple.
Keirsey’s Temperaments…I am an idealist, valuing harmony and hating conflict while loving to have deep, meaningful relationships with a small circle of people.
Myers-Briggs…I’m an INFP (introvert, intuition, feeling, perceiving), who is a creative dreamer whose inner imagination guides their values, beliefs, and actions.
The Clifton StrengthFinder…my top five strengths are empathy, achiever, learner, developer, and intellect. It’s so interesting to see how these strengths play out in my life.
The Enneagram…I’m clearly a Nine.
Now, are you wondering what all this means?
Do you want to know and understand your own personality and the unique way that God created you?
Do you desire to have a greater acceptance of yourself and others?
I cannot recommend Reading People highly enough for all of these desires!
Reading People will be released on September 19, but you can pre-order your copy now and receive some great pre-order bonuses, including a quiz to find out your reading personality, access to Anne’s “What’s Your Reading Personality?” class, and a free download of the audio version of the book!
I was provided a free copy of the book for my honest review. All opinions here are completely my own.