I’ve often wondered why I chose all the various branches of The Picky Bookworm. On one hand, the 4 branches of my business can seem unrelated, but over time, I’ve learned about my personality and business.
The following 4 areas are the major drivers for The Picky Bookworm, and how I’ve leveraged my personality for business.
The Enneagram
The Enneagram is a personality type that I learned about through my therapist. She was curious, because of some things she noticed during our sessions, and asked that I take the test.
When I learned that I was a 2, “The Helper,” I’m telling you, I can’t explain in words how validated I felt! Suddenly, so many things in my life made sense!
What is The Helper?
The Helper is partly self-explanatory, in that we like to help people. What may not be obvious, is that helping is at the core of who we are.
We HAVE to help.
If our career, life, marriage, relationships, don’t center around this belief of “I have to help,” it can actually be detrimental to our mental wellbeing.
This has been my experience, at least. We have often been called “people pleasers,” because this desire to help is so very much at the core of our souls.
The Enneagram and my Day Job
A good example of this desire to help would be in my day job. Since the pandemic started in March of 2020, my job has had almost everyone working remotely.
For the first year or so, we weren’t allowed in the office at all. After about a year, things started opening back up, but we were still asked to stay home as much as possible.
Because of this, my job as Administrative ASSISTANT, became less about assisting, and more about “report this, do that, make everything you can electronic so you don’t have to see as many people in person so we can all avoid getting sick.”
While this made sense for MANY of the staff members at my job, for me personally, it was horrible.
For the first year or so, I was great. I understood why we needed to stay home, and I was in the middle of starting The Picky Bookworm, so I was able to concentrate on that during my down time.
After a while, though, the isolation really started to get to me, and my job was suffering. I no longer really understood the WHY of my job.
My supervisors even had a meeting with me to discuss my possible future with the company, because everything felt like it was falling apart.
The Solution?
3 days a week, I work in person in the office for 4 hours.
I’m able to assist people who have to come into the office for things, and feel like I’m actually helping and making a difference.
While my goal is to be able to quit my job and run The Picky Bookworm full-time, I still want my day job to have meaning.
What being an Enneagram 2 means for my business
I have built The Picky Bookworm from the beginning as a way to help people.
In the beginning, my book blog was a way to share my thoughts about the books that I read.
It quickly morphed, however, into a way for me to showcase indie and self-published books, and I was able to turn it into a business that helps and showcases those books in several different ways.
What This Means For You
If you know your Enneagram type, you can use it to find out your unique way of looking at the world, and even use it in your marketing efforts.
The more people understand and connect with you, the more successful you will feel in the long run. Many authors I know feel like imposters in their writing journey, so knowing your unique personality type can sometimes make you feel like you fit in somewhere.
This can ease that feeling of imposter syndrome. I know it did for me.
Click Here to Find Out Your Enneagram Number
Myers-Briggs INFP-T
The following description of the INFP-T personality is taken from 16personalities.com
Although they may seem quiet or unassuming, Mediators (INFPs) have vibrant, passionate inner lives. Creative and imaginative, they happily lose themselves in daydreams, inventing all sorts of stories and conversations in their minds. These personalities are known for their sensitivity – Mediators can have profound emotional responses to music, art, nature, and the people around them.
Idealistic and empathetic, Mediators long for deep, soulful relationships, and they feel called to help others. But because this personality type makes up such a small portion of the population, Mediators may sometimes feel lonely or invisible, adrift in a world that doesn’t seem to appreciate the traits that make them unique.
If you know anything about me, you know how absolutely fitting this is. I absolutely cannot STAND small talk.
I prefer to get into the deep conversations, which is indicated by my podcast. My podcast features various authors, talking about everything from diversity, to disabilities, to mental health representation.
That part of my business and getting to talk to all kinds of different creative people every week, is so fulfilling for me.
What INFP-T Means for My Business
For the longest time, I never really felt like I belonged anywhere. In high school, everyone knew who I was, but I never belonged to a specific clique.
I would have classified myself as a loner, because I didn’t have many close friends. I was the weirdo who became friends with my teachers, because most people my age bored me.
Having been homeschooled through my earlier years meant I was around adults more often than not, and I felt they understood me better than people my age.
Now that I’ve started The Picky Bookworm, I feel like my inability to “fit in” has helped me create a truly unique business.
I don’t have to just fit in with podcasters, because I have my blog.
I don’t have to just fit in with online shop owners, because I have my proofreading.
Being able to move from interest to interest has allowed me to fit in, but also stand out, in various situations.
What This Means For You
Myers-Briggs offers tons of insight into various personalities, and how they fit with each other. Knowing mine, and knowing that my dislike of small talk is actually ingrained in my personality, allows me to work with my personality, instead of trying to fight against it.
Letting people know your personality type, and engaging with learning more about others, helps us all connect, and feel like a tight-knit community, like we all know we are.
Extrovert vs. Introvert
I hear about these two personality types, and I’ve never identified with either one exclusively.
Imagine how validated I felt when someone came up with the term, “Ambivert.” Basically, Ambiverts are extroverted until they’re not. We love to be around people, but we hit our limit within a short period of time.
For example, I used to go out with friends to the bar, and we would be sitting there having a great time, when suddenly, I’m done with people. The switch from people person to homebody takes about 2.5 seconds, and I’m ready to leave.
It has nothing to do with being bored, or hating people, it just means that I’ve reached my limit, and I need to go recharge.
Extroverts typically recharge by being in social situations
Introverts typically recharge by being by themselves.
Ambiverts don’t have a preference for any specific time. For us, it depends on the situation.
What Being an Ambivert Means for My Business
Being an ambivert usually means I love to be social, and I need some social interaction in order to feel healthy.
I get this social interaction from my podcast, and from social media. Being an ambivert also means I need time alone, which I get from reading, and from blogging.
I absolutely love being both an extrovert and an introvert, because it means that my multi-passionate career is perfect for me, and for my many interests.
What This Means For You
Do you know which “vert” you identify with? Most authors are introverts, meaning they recharge by being alone.
Do you try to force yourself into social situations, only to find yourself exhausted and irritable?
Welcome to the club.
I think that’s why most authors gravitate toward online interactions, because when we’ve had enough “peopling” it’s easy to set the phone aside and go do other things. Once you know where you stand on the “vert” scale, it’s easy to know how to help yourself recharge.
Neurodivergence: My ADHD Brain
I was recently diagnosed with ADHD, and lemme tell ya, it was probably the best thing to ever happen to me. I’ve taken time over the past few weeks, waiting on my doctor’s appointment, to learn about ADHD, and what it would mean for me.
I’ve learned that having ADHD does not mean that something is wrong with me. I have tons of habits that some would see as a moral failing of some kind. It’s really hard for me to keep my house clean, and it’s hard for me to stay organized, even when I really want to.
My brain works differently from other people’s, so it’s hard to pay attention to things that don’t interest me. Even when something interests me, my brain has a hard time shutting off.
I get distracted by my own brain, and I can’t decide what’s more important. Literally all my thoughts run amok.
What this means for The Picky Bookworm
Running my business is difficult, in a lot of ways, because of ADHD. But so many good things have come out of it as well.
My creative brain comes up with tons of new ideas. Those impulsive thoughts have brought two awesome new things to The Picky Bookworm family.
Book Inspired Candles
Book inspired candles were born out of a creative, impulsive brain. I think you’ll agree that indie book inspired candles, and book gift sets were a really good idea.
If you’d like to see what I have available, check out my Shop. I add new items twice a month, so you’ll always find something to interest you.
The Picky Bookworm Indie Book Awards
Another gift born out of my impulsivity was The Picky Bookworm book awards.
I woke up one morning with the idea to host my own book awards. By the end of the day, I had posted on Twitter my idea.
I had no clue how I was going to work everything, but I was excited, so couldn’t wait to plan everything. That’s usually how impulsive behavior works: “Do it now, and figure out how, later.”
These aren’t necessarily bad things to come out of having ADHD, but they were definitely symptoms that my brain was working overtime.
I think differently than other people, and I’m looking forward to the silence for a little while. Using all these various aspects of how my personality drives my business makes everything super fun and allows me to indulge my interests.
What This Means For You
Having ADHD, or any other neurodivergency, is not a bad thing. It simply takes understanding on your part and on others’ parts, to figure out the best way to do things in certain situations.
It’s not just up to the person with the neurodivergency to “teach” others about it, but up to others to choose to learn. Being open to answering questions about your specific situation can help others connect with you as well.
I’ve met tons of other people with ADHD, and commiserating about our various struggles and helping each other find ways of coping has been amazing.
I work with tons of different authors, whether it’s organizing a book giveaway, proofreading, or designing a candle. Being able to focus on all the various aspects of my business is extremely enjoyable.
My absolute favorite thing is promoting the books I love. As I learn more about my personality, I understand why that is. My personality and business work together in ways that I never really thought of before.
As I learn more about myself, the more I realize that I’m exactly where I need to be.
What helps you drive your business? Do you work for yourself, or for others? Either way, what about your personality makes that choice the best one for you? I’d love to know, so leave me a comment below!
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Until next time, Friends!
