Can personality tests worsen depression? Explore the popular 16 Personalities test and the lies many people believe about personality types, identity, and mental health.
Personality assessments like the 16 Personalities test can be a helpful self-awareness tool but can also lead to excuses, box-checking, and labeling. Additionally, identifying with personal traits too fixedly can prevent healing and personal growth available to anyone with faith who is willing to live “outside their box,” understanding that personality traits are not necessarily permanent, and can shift due to life experience and healing. If you’ve ever wondered whether your personality type explains your depression, your strained relationships, or your struggles with confidence, this episode will help you rethink those assumptions.
In this episode of the Overcome Depression Podcast, Jennifer breaks down the four key personality dimensions used in the 16 personalities framework—Introversion vs. Extroversion, Sensing vs. Intuition, Feeling vs. Thinking, and Judging vs. Perceiving—and explains how these traits influence the way we make decisions, process emotions, and interact with others.
Through honest conversation and real-life examples, Jennifer and John discuss how understanding personality differences can improve relationships, empathy, and self-compassion, especially for people who struggle with depression, identity, and self-worth. Instead of letting a personality label define you, this episode encourages you to see personality as a starting point for self-discovery—not a life sentence.
If you’ve ever felt depressed by labels, misunderstood by others, or unsure about who you really are, this conversation will help you gain a healthier perspective on life, personality, and personal growth.
This Episode of the Overcome Depression Podcast is for You If you Want to Learn:
- How personality tests like the 16 personalities can contribute to feelings of limitation and resulting depression
- Five depressing myths people believe about personality types and identity – and how to refute them
- How the four personality dimensions (Introversion/Extroversion, Sensing/Intuition, Feeling/Thinking, Judging/Perceiving) influence behavior and decision-making
- Why your personality is not fixed—and how personal growth, healing, and life experiences can change it
- How understanding personality differences can improve relationships, strengthen empathy, and allow for genuine self-compassion
Five Lies About the 16 Personalities Types
According to Dr. Benjamin Hardy, there are five lies society teaches us about the 16 Personalities types, so keep these in mind before putting yourself into a box!
- Personalities can be categorized into types (NOPE)
- Personality is innate and fixed (THEY AREN’T)
- Personality comes from your past (IT DOESN’T)
- Personality must be discovered (THIS IS MISLEADING)
- Your personality is your true and authentic self (THIS IS FALSE)
“The more labels you have for yourself the dumber they make you.” -Paul Graham
With That Said….
BEFORE READING AHEAD…tAKE THE 16 PERSONALITIES TEST FIRST!! CLICK HERE
The 16 Personalities test measures how you observe the world and how you make decisions. It’s to say, ‘As of right now in my life, this is what I do an don’t like.’
What Do the Four Letters Of The 16 Personality Types Stand For?
- I (i): Introversion – You get your energy and rejuvenate by spending time alone (50%)
- E: Extroversion – You get your energy and rejuvenate by being around other people (50%)
- S: Sensing – You observe the world through the lense of your five senses (sight, smell, taste, touch, thinking) (73%)
- N: Intuitive – You observe the world through the lense of paterns and high-level concepts, with the “big picture” and future in mind (27%)
- F: Feeling – You make decisions based on the value it brings to you and others and whether it is beneficial (likeable) or non-beneficial (not-likeable) (60%)
- T: Thinking – You make decisions based on whether it works, it is logical, and whether it is true or not true (40%)
- J: Judging – You make decisions after collecting a small sample of what everyone else is doing. After “chewing on” some choice observations, you organize them over and over in your mind, and then make your final decision. You have a mind to ‘think ahead’ more than your perceiving counterparts do (54%)
- P: Perceiving – You look inward to make decisions and want to aquire as much information as possible before making a choice. However, you don’t necessarily want to organize the information acquired, making you more spontaneous and disorganized, but also more relaxed and able to enjoy life more than the judging types. (46%)
16 Personalities Types and General Population Percentage of Each Type
The six most common types are all Sensing and nearly 1 in 4 people are Sensing, Feeling, and Judging. These types are orderly, practical, and making sure everyone is feeling good! The four LEAST common types are all Intuitive and Judging.
- ISFJ 14%
- ESFJ 12%
- ISTJ = 12% (not as common for women, though)
- ISFP = 9% These people march to beat of own drum!
- ESTJ = 9%
- ESFP = 8%
- ENFP = 8%
- ISTP = 5%
- INFP = 4%
- ESTP = 3%
- ENTP = 3%
- ENFJ = 2.5%
- INTJ = 2%
- ENTJ = 2%
- INFJ = 1.5%
Want to Heal Faster?? Get the Overcome Depression Workbook!
Get The Overcome Depression Workbook for each #Chapter of the Overcome Depression Podcast and maximize your healing power!
Full Transcript: Depression and Personality: These Myths May be Keeping You Stuck!
Jennifer Stirling-Campbell (00:00)
Here on the Overcome Depression podcast, we provide tools and other resources so that you can overcome depression. One of the tools that I have found particularly helpful is doing personality profiles and not necessarily for the reason you might think,
personalities can change over time, believe it or not. And I wanted to mostly focus on this as a tool for relationships, not just relationships.
for your family, your friends, but your relationship with God and with yourself. And understanding how you’re ticking right now and maybe how other people around you are functioning and thinking at that time give you kind of a baseline of where you want to go. What do you want to change? Because again, this is not a verdict of this is who you are if you take this test.
It’s more of where you are right now.
John (00:57)
an baseline a starting point Do further analysis, you know know thyself
Jennifer Stirling-Campbell (01:04)
so I think that the more personality tests you do, the more well-rounded you can start to see yourself because I think a lot of people who struggle with mental health, are putting themselves into boxes. like to label things. We just do. We like to put them into categories. That’s what humans do. to get out of that but at the same time, educate that baseline of where we are right now.
and doing it in a way. Because I know that me understanding the people around me really did help me to the way or thought of them So
of all, before you listen to this about the 16 personalities,
which is what we’re going to be focusing on would encourage you, if you haven’t taken this test before, or if you’ve taken it maybe even just a year ago, it would be good to take it again without learning about how the test works because you’re more likely to get an accurate result if you go into it without overthinking it. Just answer the questions honestly. The other thing to consider is that if you are of alignment or you’re
really not in a good place emotionally, there’s a good chance that you will get a result isn’t authentic to your developed self. So for example, the letters that are used in this personality profile
I E the extrovert or introvert, S or an N for sensing or intuition, F or T for feeling or thinking, and J or P for judging and perceiving. And this combination can make up to 16 of these personality profiles based on how you answer in the test. But you could be coming up with ENFP in your out of alignment, mentally ill,
state when after you develop and heal you could be more of an ISTJ like the polar opposite of what you think you are. So keep that in mind as well. is again this is just a baseline where are you today? It changes. You will be different in 10 years than you are right now.
John (03:00)
Right. And if you are having difficulties, you can use this to help other people see you And if you don’t feel that that is accurate, then maybe that’s where you need to make the change. Cause obviously it’s not matching up, especially when you have your own self view. When you see yourself one way, but you take a program like this,
Jennifer Stirling-Campbell (03:13)
Mm-hmm.
John (03:23)
Or if you talk to therapist it might just be that you are not seeing what other people see. So it can be very beneficial to have doing an analysis like this. And one of these tools is essentially that.
for instance, when I took this, it seems like it judged accurately, but there’s a few parts of this I disagree with, you know, and, ⁓
Jennifer Stirling-Campbell (03:51)
So which
one were you, John?
John (03:56)
see according to this I am introvert intuitive About 50 50 between thinking and feeling and What they call judging?
Jennifer Stirling-Campbell (04:05)
Hmm.
INFJ or INTJ.
John (04:08)
n t j with a dash a saying that I am assertive. And if you think about it, wait a minute, if I’m an introvert, how am I also assertive? Just going by the names alone, it makes you question a little.
Jennifer Stirling-Campbell (04:14)
That’s the same one I got yesterday.
Well, and I’m gonna explain that.
I’m gonna explain that one because that’s a very misunderstood concept, introversion versus extroversion. So I’m gonna teach you something today, John, I’m excited. that’s so cool, because my husband came out with INFJ, I came out with INFJ, and I took it yesterday and I got INTJ. But again, it can change based on the day. And those are some of the rarest. There’s like several that are like 2%, and that’s one of them.
And then INFJ is supposedly under 2%, funny. keep finding people category of INF or TJ. they aren’t that common. So there’s several things to be aware of. Hardy, isn’t permanent. I’m getting some of these ideas from him and his book.
John (05:00)
Yeah.
Jennifer Stirling-Campbell (05:08)
there are some lies currently believes as a whole and I think he’s right about them.
lie,
personalities can be categorized into types. He believes this cannot be done. And just like John was saying, like, I don’t necessarily agree with this, human beings, like to put things in boxes. And some employers will use this test weed applicants just based on their personality. And there’s % this particular test
Results in hiring employees that work better than someone who had a different personality they wouldn’t even consider it has been used for things that aren’t that great
lie,
number two is innate and fixed again is who you are You’re never gonna change accept it. deal with your lot or do the best you can we can change
third lie,
comes from your past
Personality must be discovered. I need to find out who I am. No, who you want to be. And personality is your true and authentic self.
lie,
So don’t take this test and then adopt a very narrow viewpoint of yourself.
That’s not the idea here. Again, it’s about finding empathy and compassion and understanding yourself of where you
are right now
and others around you. So you can go to 16personalities.com and take the test. If you haven’t already, again, stop this podcast, go take it and then come back so you can get a more accurate result. basically the 16 personalities measure how you observe the world and how you make decisions.
So it’s to say, as of right now in my life, this is what I’m leaning into as of what I do and I don’t like. it’s interesting because when I compared my personality to my mom’s, I’ve talked many times about my mom and how much butted heads we just didn’t get each other. We were constantly pissing each other off and we weren’t even trying to.
And I realized after 16 personalities test that we were literally the polar opposite. In other words, the things that mattered to me did not matter to her and vice versa. What drove me, what motivated me did not motivate her and vice versa. it was
to misunderstand each other because we were coming from completely different views of life and mindsets, despite the fact that we shared the same and we’re trying to be good people and all those things. There were just fundamental differences in our personalities that made it hard to click. And understanding that and having that compassion helps me to care about things that she cares about, because she cares about them, even if I don’t care about it. And not feeling like, what’s wrong with you? Why aren’t you more like me?
John (07:44)
Right.
Jennifer Stirling-Campbell (07:48)
Or why don’t you see things like I do?
John (07:52)
A different looking at the world, looking at a situation. one of favorite quotes is, it’s to to disagree.
when you recognize that you have opinions, you might have different personalities regards. But as long as you have respect for one another and you recognize those differences, and then you look for where you do agree, where can a bond? You know, looking for the
Jennifer Stirling-Campbell (08:15)
Yeah.
John (08:24)
that is the…
Jennifer Stirling-Campbell (08:24)
The whole Moccasins
analogy of walking somebody else’s shoes, you haven’t lived their life, you don’t understand, can’t. You can’t possibly understand another person fully because you’re not them. Only God can do comes down to compassion and respect.
John (08:28)
That’s his shoes.
Yeah.
compassion, respect, this morning when I was driving into work, I saw the sunrise I was blown away by it. And then it also got me thinking the car behind me and the car in front of me are still looking at that same sunrise.
but from totally different angles. And then there was someone on a hillside way off to the left. So it’s like we’re all looking at that same sunrise, but it’s different perspectives.
Jennifer Stirling-Campbell (09:11)
If you
painted a picture of it, they’d all different.
John (09:13)
Exactly and that’s know there was one art teacher on a regular basis would take their students out to a hillside and tell them paint a picture of one of the flowers and every was different because they were all coming from all the different angles
Jennifer Stirling-Campbell (09:27)
Mm-hmm.
John (09:31)
different events. You know, they modify which is why we say even though you might have a personality now it can and will change. And one of the things that changes that the most is just
Jennifer Stirling-Campbell (09:33)
Right.
John (09:43)
experience living life people interacting with people interacting with events change your in a favorable way an Unfavorable way it all boils down to What you do with that? It’s like another sometimes when people
Jennifer Stirling-Campbell (10:00)
what you
John (10:05)
look at these tests or they get judged based on their personality, they use that as an excuse for poor behavior poor decisions when it’s really not. again, don’t let
Jennifer Stirling-Campbell (10:13)
Mm-hmm.
Yeah. Poor mental
health is not an excuse behavior, and neither is a personality profile. I talk about that number the Overcome Depression podcast, if you want to go back and listen to that one. But yeah, the reason I love astrology so much is because there isn’t a single chart that’s the same. they’re all.
John (10:24)
Right.
Jennifer Stirling-Campbell (10:37)
different because we’re all different. no test out there can everyone who you are. But with that said, let’s dissect the 16 personalities profile. And the first one I’m excited to teach you, John, is about extroversion and introversion. So the first letter of the four is an I or an E. Both John and I, we have an I. Introverts.
John (10:47)
Okay, yeah.
Jennifer Stirling-Campbell (11:00)
And a lot of people think of introversion as shy and quiet and kind of unconfident, or they just like to read books or be alone. And some of them do do that. However, that’s not what I would call a healthy introvert. Introversion versus extroversion is not about being quiet or loud versus soft.
Ironically, it’s actually about how you charge. So if you feel energized going to party or a crowd and being around a lot people, you love places like New York City, probably extrovert. If you get charged up and rejuvenated from being alone, reading a having time,
even though you love being out and around people, but you need time to kind of go and be by yourself afterwards, kind of recharge, get your energy back. Where do you get your energy from? Being around people or not being around people? That’s introversion versus extroversion. And my dad, some people might be surprised if they knew my dad, they would think, ⁓ definite extrovert. If you knew my dad really well, you would know was definitely an introvert.
John (11:54)
Right.
Jennifer Stirling-Campbell (12:07)
Because while he was acting and very flamboyant and loud in class and he was a teacher and he was a great speaker, when he was done with he book was his happy place. Oh my goodness, loved just him and a book. fact, one of my sisters was talking about extraversion versus based on this test and she was like, yeah, dad was an extrovert and the rest of us were like, oh no.
He was not. Mom’s an extrovert. Mom New York City. She loves to be around people. so that’s difference. It’s not excited and loud versus soft Matthew Hussey actually put it this way. He said that being shy is not a sign of introversion. It’s a sign of a lack of confidence. And I completely agree.
John (12:51)
That’s true, yeah.
Jennifer Stirling-Campbell (12:51)
If you’re, if you
are shy, it’s not a trait. that you can, be proud of. It’s nothing to be proud of to be shy accept that you can be friendly, communicative, enjoy talking to other people and have confidence we don’t need more people who are shy. We need people speaking up.
and I used to be painfully shy.
John (13:11)
me too and I can actually to that definition by profession I a teacher lo and behold and I spend all day surrounded by teenagers in the public talking to parents and I don’t have a problem with I’m perfectly comfortable. I’m in my world there
Then when I come first thing I do is change sit down read a book or a show on TV And I just sit there with my own thoughts
Jennifer Stirling-Campbell (13:45)
And an extrovert might be like, okay, I’m gonna go out someone to hobnob at local restaurant. Because that’s how they rejuvenate.
John (13:50)
Well, yeah, cause I know a
couple of my coworkers and I can think of right now. That’s what he does after He always out to the restaurant or out to the bar. always inviting others to come with him,
So he’s at a fair, nobody coming to talk to him and he’s like utterly bored and miserable and he says, it’s so tiring. yeah, that does make
Jennifer Stirling-Campbell (14:12)
Ha ha.
Yeah, so if you
then as far as introversion and extroversion, we all have some of each. We’re a mix, right? It’s 70-30 or 40-60, 50-50. Extreme introverts and extreme extroverts are rather uncommon.
John (14:24)
Right.
Jennifer Stirling-Campbell (14:31)
just as a general rule. usually coming at combo. So S and N is the next letter. Sensing or and I have kind of a bias in favor of intuitives because we’re only 70 % of the the whole world is ruled and run by sensors. So it’s hard being an intuitive and sitting back and going,
people doing it this way? Why are the laws like this? And it’s because sensors run the show. intuitives are looking at patterns and higher level concepts and the big picture, futuristic, what is meaningful, how will my choices right now have the greatest all-around impact the future in mind?
really the best thing to do. Sensors. I think everyone in my family is a sensor except for me. have,
John (15:17)
Yeah
Jennifer Stirling-Campbell (15:17)
I found in a family that’s either heavy on the sensing or heavy on the a challenge when you’re with the dynamic because the person who’s the outlier really gets misunderstood. in immediate family, as far as
me, my husband, my kids. only sensor is my 16 year old son, which is kind you know, to have that many in one household. My growing was sensing and I was an intuitive. So it was almost like, what’s wrong with doesn’t she agree with all of us? Why is she always thinking this way when we all agree that this is the right thing to do? it can be to be in a family with this kind of dynamic. So keeping that in mind.
But want right now. They’re the five senses. How am I feeling, seeing, wanting to find comfort in the here and now and making choices based on what will provide that comfort in the here and now. seeking out entertainment or quick solutions. They’re the people who get really excited.
when big news comes out about something that was just terrible that just happened and they’re the ones going, need change now! We need to make these laws, we need to do this stuff and the the intuitive are going, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, can we wait till all the information comes out and then we can good decision that’s, rational instead of just these emotionally charged decisions that’s often where I’m sitting and going, ⁓ my gosh,
John (16:39)
Do you focus on the puzzle piece or do you focus on the puzzle?
Jennifer Stirling-Campbell (16:44)
Yeah, that’s kind of the difference.
And I hate to sound like I’m bagging on sensors. It’s just, it’s hard being the minority as an intuitive and watching the world go round. definitely needed, we definitely need fast solutions. you need a balance of for sure.
John (17:03)
everyone has their strengths and weaknesses and it’s a mix and a match a pool and a tug and that’s what makes the world go round
Jennifer Stirling-Campbell (17:10)
And if you’re listening
and you are an that’s the most common intuitive type.
John (17:15)
I’m definitely registered as an intuitive. Actually, 84% intuitive.
Jennifer Stirling-Campbell (17:20)
Wow. I can’t remember what mine
was. think it was 7030 or something like that,
Okay, the next one is an F or a T, feeling or thinking. this is where I think I had the closest to 50-50 It’s basically the two ways we make decisions, feeling or thinking. And feeling can be emotional, but it’s more like what value do I give to this thing?
good or bad? Is it beneficial or non-beneficial? Do I and others like it? Do we not like it? thinking is more logical. It’s more mathematical. It’s procedural. Does it make sense? How does it work? Does it work at all? Is it true? interestingly, 60 % of men the thinking.
% of women are feeling. So the other 40 % would be swapped. was the only one that was a, there definite
favor of women being more feeling, which makes a lot of sense because of how we tend to operate. I’m sure you would agree, John, that women can be a little more feelers, a little more emotional, bit slightly more connected to, and children and all that.
John (18:19)
⁓ yeah.
the test came back for me that I’m like 56 % on the thinking side well balanced between the There a point in my life When I would say I was probably almost 90 % thinking because that when I was Not well,
Jennifer Stirling-Campbell (18:42)
Mm-hmm.
John (18:45)
literally look I always say I would not like my former very much because I was very cold, very icy. And that point in my life, I is worthless. that’s how far I had dropped, later, I’m
Jennifer Stirling-Campbell (18:58)
Yeah. you now have
compassion for that former self? Because you remember what it was like to be in that place. got you I feel kind of sorry for my previous self sometimes. Like, aww, poor girl. Instead of demonizing her.
John (19:06)
⁓
Yeah.
Well, as I have always said, a lot of times God allows us to go through certain situations so that way we can empathize when we encounter other people going through a similar scenario. looking back, I see where I made my mistakes and
If I ever encounter those types of people, I can actually work pretty well with them because I can relate perfectly. You know, I was there. I get it. Yeah, I
Jennifer Stirling-Campbell (19:41)
Yeah, you get Yup.
John (19:46)
a quote is that when you a family, man is the head of the family, but the wife is the heart of the family. compassion.
Jennifer Stirling-Campbell (19:57)
Yeah, I like that Yeah,
it’s true. It really is. Not don’t have a heart, because they do, and not that women don’t think lead, because they do too. It’s a balance. But need that balance of male and female, and it’s important. So J or P is the next one.
It’s judging or decisions or perceiving, which is more observations. So again, judging or perceiving.
John (20:22)
Ooh.
according to this, I’m judgmental. ⁓ no.
Jennifer Stirling-Campbell (20:31)
I know, right? I was like, oh, it might just be
the choice of word. I don’t know. But we’ll see what you guys think. Perceiving is looking inward to make decisions. the inner voice, right? But also, it’s more like, what do I want, regardless of what’s going on around me? and would tend to want to get as much information as possible.
But the funny thing about that to me is doesn’t want to organize any of the information that they get. So it’s just like tons of info that they’re just mulling around in their then they’re decision based on is it that they want of all these things that they’re considering. tend to be more spontaneous and disorganized, but these people also tend to be a little more relaxed and fun.
Are you and I not very fun? We’re judging. No. So judging is, this is actually kind of cool. again, we have a combination of both, right? They like to get a good sample of what everyone else is doing. And I see myself doing this. I’ll look at what everybody’s doing and what kind of results they’re getting. It’s not like care popular or doing it because everyone’s doing It’s more like, that working out for them?
John (21:22)
Yeah, I guess I’m not. Yeah, I’m all judgy.
Jennifer Stirling-Campbell (21:48)
judging types tend to take in less information, like they’ll this, this, and then think about those considerations and them all together in an organized fashion in their brain and then make a choice on the pros and cons of the data that they’ve collected. But it’s not a buttload
terrible amount of
John (22:06)
Yeah, You don’t like spontaneity as much you plan ahead you have plan Plan B plan C plan D We always have to put together emergency lesson plans and They keep it on file in the event that I or a teacher calls off unexpectedly
Jennifer Stirling-Campbell (22:10)
They’re
John (22:24)
know, administration can go in, grab one of these emergency plans. So that way they have something for a substitute to do. And they always kind of chuckle at me because about a month ahead of where I’m actually. I, like
Jennifer Stirling-Campbell (22:36)
So you’re like, I have it.
John (22:38)
they often say I overdo it.
Jennifer Stirling-Campbell (22:39)
I have to…
Yeah. love being spontaneous. I like having kind of an open schedule to be able to do what I want. But as far as organization, I’m like organized queen over here. And I kind of have to be in order to function because I have a very cluttered brain that forgets things if I don’t.
really keep them organized and where I can find them would definitely a judging, I think.
John (23:00)
And I will tell you one of my favorite things to do to my friends and my family is to out of nowhere, just be spontaneous off the cuff because then they all freak out because they’re like, wait a minute. What is wrong with you? What’s going on?
Jennifer Stirling-Campbell (23:13)
Hmm. What just
John (23:21)
I’m so rigid at times that when I do something like that, just totally catches them off guard.
Jennifer Stirling-Campbell (23:26)
that’s fun. But you planned for it. Which is funny, because that’s the organized part. You’re like, I’m going to do it at this time. This person.
John (23:27)
so you can have fun with
Yeah.
you
just had
to ruin it. by pointing that out. Yes, I do plan on being spontaneous.
Jennifer Stirling-Campbell (23:39)
So the percentages, if you know what you are, this of fun. one in four people are sensing, feeling, and judging. That’s kind of a lot. orderly, practical, making sure everybody’s feeling good.
The ISFJ 14 % of the population, that’s the most, then followed closely by the ESFJ, which are pretty similar. That makes almost 25 % even right there. you’ve
ISTJ, which as common for women as it is for men, it’s still 12 % of the population. Then is 9%. And that particular one, I guess they really like to go to the beat of their own drum. That’s those people. ESTJ, 9%. And again, these are rounded, because it was like 8.43, and I’m like, I’m not gonna say that. ESFP, about 8%.
and the six most common types, they’re all sensors. Then we’ve 8%, 5%, INFP, 4%. Now we’re getting down to these little tiny numbers, so rare types, you add them up make up about 20 % of the population,
is 3%, ENTP is 3%, and the last four are all intuitive and judging, least common. So ENFJ, 2.5%, INTJ, 2%, ENTJ, 2%, and INFJ, when
I had my husband take the test like, gosh, it would be nice to have someone understands and how my mind works. Wouldn’t it be cool if I could find an INFJ? he test and he was an INFJ and I’m like, ⁓ I found him! was really excited. again, it does not define you. He already had amazing qualities. I was already sold. I just thought that was extra cool.
John (25:32)
It’s always nice to find that I am a rare find.
Jennifer Stirling-Campbell (25:37)
gem you are, John. And I sure do appreciate you. is the extent of my lesson the 16 personalities. I hope you enjoyed it, John and audience.
John (25:48)
I did and probably heard us because you you do also have to take it like a grain of salt a little bit of humor with because it is just Tool don’t let it define you don’t use it as an excuse
learn what they have to take it for what it is it can be fun. And also to realize that you’re not set in stone because I can tell you from personal experience and Jennifer can tell you this. My personality today
than it was year, two years, three years ago. And I guarantee my personality a year from now, two years from now, it’s going to change. You know, there’s different events.
Jennifer Stirling-Campbell (26:30)
change more than
we think think about who you were 10 years ago. For example, did you think you would be you are now 10 years I some slow movers, don’t evolve as much as others, but would unrecognizable you if you saw me 10 years ago.
John (26:46)
Yeah, I’ve changed my life at least twice I mean like literally how to restart my life and each one of those changed me. And I like to think that it’s in a positive fashion,
Jennifer Stirling-Campbell (26:49)
Hmm?
John (26:58)
with telling my that one of my biggest traits is honesty honesty above
Jennifer Stirling-Campbell (27:03)
Which was not the case
when you were a youngin’.
John (27:06)
No, it was not. I could lie through my teeth and because I was unemotional, most people couldn’t even tell because I was cold and unfeeling but one of the things I actually had to learn I overly honest in that I didn’t mince my words. I would tell people exactly what I thought of
And I didn’t have an emotional filter and I, I have this one example and my gosh. a woman came and did the does this dress make me look fat? And I gave my honest opinion. said, well.
Jennifer Stirling-Campbell (27:27)
Mm-hmm. Could be kind of mean. Yeah.
⁓ no.
John (27:41)
actually around your thighs right there it does hug you a little bit close so you might want to and i see jennifer’s face it’s funny because that was like the reaction of all the girls in my classroom and they’re like you did not
Jennifer Stirling-Campbell (27:54)
I think that’s
sensitive response. mean, if a woman is gonna ask that question, she needs to be prepared for the answer. Don’t ask that if you don’t want someone to tell you the truth. I don’t know. I mean, my response to someone would be like, I really don’t like that dress on you. There’s other dresses that look so much better. Let’s try some more.
John (28:10)
Say.
Exactly,
so if you ask me a question like that and I don’t answer and I’m thinking about it that’s because I am thinking the best way to answer you or just to say not gonna answer and call it a day,
Jennifer Stirling-Campbell (28:28)
Mm-hmm.
Well, with that said,
so many labels we like to put on ourselves, including, is my personality or I’m a Scorpio or whatever it is. going to read you a fabulous Paul Graham. he was an entrepreneur and very successful one at that. He says, the more labels you have for yourself, the dumber they make you.
Yeah, I agree. So again, don’t label yourself as this is me. Just this is what I’m doing right now. this is my sign but it doesn’t define me. I have a choice. I can change these things. I can turn this darkness or these propensities or tendencies into strengths
go and improve your relationships, be more compassionate with others as we’re all trying to improve. We’re all just babies down here trying how to walk, frankly. So be patient you go through this program on the Overcome Depression podcast. want to thank John again for being here with us today, providing amazing conversation
We will see you next time.
John (29:31)
Bye now.
Legal Disclaimer: The author of imaqurius.com is not an attorney, medical professional, psychologist, psychiatrist, therapist, nutritionist, or dietitian. All social media, emails, podcasts, videos, live streams, text, dosages, outcomes, charts, graphics, photographs, images, advice, messages, forum postings, zoom or other video meetings, and any other material or publications on or associated with imaquarius.com is for informational purposes only. It is not intended to substitute for legal advice, nor for medical treatment, nor for diagnosis including (but not limited to) treating, curing, mitigating, or preventing any type of disease, medical condition, or emotional/psychological condition. Before beginning any type of natural, integrative, or conventional idea, process, treatment, or regimen, it is advisable to seek the advice of a licensed healthcare professional. No guarantees or warranties are expressed or implied. Any reliance on or application of any information or material provided by imaquarius.com or persons appearing on the [Site/program/email] at or through imaquarius.com or 3rd parties recommended by imaquarius.com is at the reader’s discretion and is his or her sole responsibility.