Picture by Lauren Athalia

The New Year is coming. We are all reviewing 2008 and planning for 2009. Are you depressed because even though you have been working all year long, you don’t feel like you’ve accomplished anything worthwhile or meaningful?

I remember the day I decided to drop out of my Aerospace Engineering major nearly 16 years ago. I was talking to a friend who worked for Boeing as an Electrical Engineer. I told him that I just didn’t really like engineering like I had thought I would. His response, “Oh, I know. I hate engineering. But you’ve got to put bread on the table somehow.” That day, I decided I didn’t want to be married, have kids and hate my job but feel like I was trapped because I needed to pay bills.

I hope you’re not there. 

I hope you never get there.

However, if you are there, are heading there or just want to avoid there, let me tell you one of the number one keys to professional success and enjoyment. Find work that fits the way you’re made. Have you ever looked at people and wondered why they behave the way they do? Why do so many of them do things that you just never would? Do you realize, they look at you and wonder the same thing?

The reason is you have been specially made with a particular personality. You have a special make-up that guides you along the way. Obviously, each and everyone of us are completely unique individuals. Therefore, none of us can be placed in a complete box. However, there are some general groups we can see.

Different people use different terms but they usually come back to the same four major personality types.

The ancients talked about being Sanguine, Melancholy, Phlegmatic or Choleric. Florence Littauer has adopted these terms in her book Personality Plus: How to Understand Others by Understanding Yourself.

Gary Smalley used animals (Otter, Fluffy Puppy, Cat, Lion) to describe these personalities in his awesome marriage video series Keys to Loving Relationships DVD Set.

Others use the DISC system, such as Ron Braund and Ken Voges in Understanding How Others Misunderstand You. 

Understanding yourself and understanding others is the key to not only succeeding in your profession but also enjoying it.

Any of the above products can give you insight. However, you don’t have to wait for Amazon to ship these to you. You can take an online personality inventory right now at one of my favorite Springboards’ site. Dan Miller has three inventories you can use to help you make this time of review truly effective by figuring exactly where you fit in the personality structure and how that will help you find work that is fulfilling. Just click the picture to the left and then scroll down to the selection on Dan’s page for the personality profile (entitled “48 Days Profiles–3 Different Focal Points) and you can start finding work or just start working in a way that will fit more naturally with your personality so you can find more meaning and fulfillment in what you do.

Stop trying to fit in with your work. Start letting your work fit in with you. You’ll be happier. You’ll accomplish more. You’ll find fulfillment and meaning in what you do. Anything else is like swimming upstream.