ISFJ, What's That?

Just out if curiosity I took a personality test to find out what it would say about me and so far everything seems pretty accurate. According to the test I am an ISFJ, the conservator. This a more detailed description of this personality type from the website: http://www.careertest.net/types/descriptions/isfj.htm

         

 
ISFJ - Conservator
 
ISFJs are service and work oriented and are very loyal. They make good nurses, teachers, secretaries, and librarians. 6% of the total population.
ISFJ's respect established authority and they tend to accept others’ opinions and desires as their own. In work situations, they provide a stable and standardized service. Disorderly situations and constantly changing rules can cause them undue stress. At these times ISFJ's need to be more assertive and direct because, owing to their kindheartedness and sensitivity, ISFJ's can be taken for granted and even taken advantage of. This can cause them to feel resentment and anger — feelings that the ISFJ has a tendency to deny. If the situation worsens and uncomfortable feelings build up, the ISFJ will begin to feel insecure about their status. Worrying that they are not secure or protected enough, they may become overprotective and excessively nervous about foreboding events. This can cause others to feel resistant or defiant which then contributes to the disorder of the situation. 

If stress continues, the ISFJ will experience increasing anxiety. Their fear that things will continue to spin out of control will result in a general feeling of dread and apprehensiveness. They become both wary of change and unrelentingly pessimistic about the future. ISFJ's will eventually become immobilized by physical symptoms associated with their anxieties. Providing care for others will become secondary as their own bodily symptoms — resulting from their fears of abandonment — disable to such a degree that they cannot assume their responsibilities. Yet, abandoning service-orientated obligations prevents ISFJ's from accessing opportunities that allow them to fulfill their basic needs.

Careers

This lists represent careers and jobs people of your type tend to enjoy doing. The job requirements are similar to the personality tendencies of your personality type. It is important to remember that this is not a list of all the jobs possible. And it is very important to remember that people can, and frequently do, fill jobs that are dissimilar to their personality... this happens all the time...and sometimes works out quite well.

counseling
ministry
library work
nursing
secretarial
curators
bookkeepers
dental hygienists
computer operator
personnel administrator
paralegal
real estate agent
artist
interior decorator
retail owner
musician
elementary school teacher
physical therapist
nurse
social worker
personnel counselor
alcohol/drug counselor

New Direction

For a long time I felt a pull to change my career. I've always been a scientific person but loved working with children. Well anyway, I got my bachelor of science in interactive media..a mix between computer graphics and design. Currently I put my learned skills aside and set it as a side business which has no traffic unfortunately. So I fell back working in a field I have some experience on..child care. I like it and have been working in the field for about 4 years now, but it doesn't quite satisfy my scientific needs. For the longest time I put a bookmark in the field of nursing, but was not attracted to the gory blood, bodily fluids and sometimes death of people. Then after years of prayer and research I finally found my answer: I don't have to work in a hospital to be a nurse! There are plenty of non-hospital positions in the field of nursing. So I finally found a satisfying avenue with all the subjects that I already enjoy: fitness, nutrition, science, and education! The specific nursing job is named: community health nurse.

Community Health Nursing-Community health nurses usually work for governments, such as towns, cities, or counties, but sometimes for non-profit agencies. Their job is to educate the public about being aware of and avoiding health risks, how to achieve a healthier lifestyle, including principles of good nutrition and the basics of physical fitness. They often focus on a particular segment of the population, such as children or the elderly, and the job often involves public speaking at schools, churches, community groups, etc.

The really neat thing is that I would be called to educate others in health and wellness and I could use my bachelor of science degree in interactive media to further create paraphernalia that will educate these people! How exciting is this finding!

He Works Hard For The Money

I'm a little nervous about tomorrow's Holter Monitor fitting...not because of the actual monitoring process, but of the financial stress involved in paying for this service and all other health services when we're already so low in money. I feel a bit guilty for having a health problem when I shouldn't feel guilty. I appreciate that David is supporting me in paying for my health things but I really feel like it should be my responsibility to pay for my own health issues...thus work outside the house. Chloe is at that age where she could be left with someone trusted while I work for money. Now talking about money...I'm not getting enough of to pay for the basics by working at the preschool. We're living paycheck to paycheck. I'm thinking about working in marketing again to overcome this situation. I wish there were a design job for me to work that paid well...or I wish we won the lottery =). We probably should move to afford our family or that we get better financial condition.

Introspection: Mama's Work Ethic

I'm so glad I'm on maternity leave. I sometimes can't believe that I've tried to push my body to work past my 37th week. My body was already telling me to stop, to sleep, to quit...but I kept going and going as if the pain was similar like that of running a 1/2 marathon. I almost had the motto of "no pain, no gain". There was actually nothing to gain by pushing myself. Subconsciously, I was living my mom's work ethic of "keep working until it hurts"....as if there was no such thing as a break in life. That's how it was for me growing up and if I ever tried to quit for a break or rest, then I would be considered a failure in mom's eyes. I guess a part of me has kept my mom's spirit inside to run my life.

Sometimes in effect of having such a powerful "Mama Rose" influence in my life, I've turned all my bosses into my "Mama Rose". Whatever they command, I do until I get hurt like a martyr. For example, I worked hard and over and above my ability to please Tony from CPKelco by staying extra hours to get the plant running smoothly. I was his treasured worker until I got tired of his demeaning commands ~ he treated me (and all of us like) slaves, but I really did like being lifted into the limelight because of my techno-abilities.

Then there was Tony from LG Mobile Phones as well as Eva and Shelley. Tony was a great creative director boss for me and I loved working under him because his projects were totally my field of interest. I got to use my skills in Photoshop, PowerPoint, and other tools and it was fun. Then he left for another company, leaving me with Eva and Shelley as my new bosses. It got really boring to do marketing as an intern. I wanted to continue my joys in the interactive media field, but they got me doing newsletters and other internal affairs projects. It was a little boring, but I tried my best to put my creative personality into it. My motto was to work as if I was working for the Lord, but there was also that hidden "Mama Rose gear" inside me to work until it hurts.

So I'm seeing a "work til it hurts" ethic pattern here for every boss I've ever had, including Stefani from California Junior Cotillion, Alan from Chevy's, the many bosses at Chase Manhattan, and Marina from Master Manuals. Things got really weird when I tried to run my own business and be my own boss as a graphic designer. Having little experience with small business management, I ended up lost and overwhelmed with the "Mama Rose" work ethic still drumming my energy because I was my own "Mama Rose" defeating myself. It took years to get my business up and running with many success stories, but that's another story.

Cindy from Pomerado Christian Preschool is just a little different from all the other bosses I've had. She seems to give off a presence of feeling uneasy with pregnant subordinates. From the stories I've heard from Andrea and Margaret, Cindy has this "by the book" justice when it comes to working. She has little to no empathy for us pregnant women who are scheduled to leave her staff temporarily. It's understandable that scheduling is stressful, but for some reason it seems there's more irritation inside of her than just schedules. I'm wondering if there is a bit of discomfort with her decision to abstain from producing a family of her own blood. That could be one regret that I'd have a hard time living with...and this is just my thoughts.

Maybe that's why I've worked hard to please her to my very end....empathy?

I Married a Magician

I didn't realize how awesome and skilled my husband really was until I had a super duper dilemna with my slideshow project. For some reason it didn't work and with David's hands and computer expertise he was able to troubleshoot the problem just minutes before I was supposed to show my clients the draft of my project. You should have seen me! I was in tears that it wouldn't work...until Mr. Magician took over. =)

Is Nesting and Digital Production called "Multi-Tasking"?

I can't believe I just took on another big project for March after I told myself to take a break after January was over so I could concentrate on baby things. I'll be making a slideshow for a friend's grandfather and she'll be providing me up to 150 paper photos to scan...and in turn I'll be producing 3 DVDs with custom titles and music. I enjoy doing this stuff so much that I'm sacrificing my own "nesting" time to do it...but I can't believe I actually accepted the offer after talking about taking a break. Fortunately it's a job where I don't have to be on my feet for hours at a time, but I will have to take breaks from sitting. More pluses is that my dad will be helping me with scanning, so that I could focus on the creative part of the project. Also, I'll be getting free babysitting from mom and of course free food! Wow my small business is finally gaining momentum. It's just taking time and word of mouth.

Tracy Miller Creations, established 2006.

The New Laundry Maid

Wow...so I did my 5 loads of laundry at mom's house and finished by the time that mom came home. She saw how diligent I was fixing up the clothes that she decided to pay me $10 a load of her laundry (from washing to putting away). So on this day while Breanna was in school I completed 4.5 loads and got paid $55 bucks! That's $45 plus tips! She hired me to be her regular laundry maid and I'm so happy.

Christmas Break

One thing I love so much about working at my school is that I get a long break. I really need the rest and relaxation and me time.

School's Out For Winter

So excited! Instructor decided to ditch the Final Exam idea and just make a Final Project worth 300 points instead of 100 points. Looking so forward to having less obligations before the holiday season. The combination of dealing with uncomfortable pregnancy symptoms, keeping a preschooler in check, maintaining a clean house, working, having a lack of energy, and taking a class makes it hard to balance life. I even have part-time projects for friends to accomplish and I've pushed those aside to the bottom of my to do list.

Google SketchUp

Google technology is amazing! I just found freeware to sketch designs online. This will totally help me draw up the appearance of my new landscaping. A few months ago a landscape designer/contractor was interested in hiring me for photoshop work and suggested that I'd learn drafting tools to be more marketable in the construction world - if I was interested. I'm not sure if construction is the way to go for me but I sure enjoy designing on the computer.

Final Costco Interview

I just now realized how important it is to have experience in this big, big world. Through many work experiences I've learned about conflict management, group management, personality types, consumer behavior, marketing strategies, interpersonal communication, learning styles, time management and more. The more apt a person is to learn can a person prove herself to be more marketable. I just had my third successful interview with Costco and I've just now realized how far I've gone in life.

Harvest Celebration

Every person has something they are proud to share. For me today it was my persistant strength. My preschool's Harvest Celebration was today and there were lots to do from replenishing supplies to organizing the school in its mayhem of fun, but the most fun happened at the end of this Friday afternoon where the assistants had to work together to close up for the weekend. I boosted teamwork productivity lugging all the pumpkins that dotted the hallway earlier onto a dolly and dragged them outside with the help of another assistant. I also trudged away the heavy cornmeal tub by myself along with many rugs, bean bags and dozens of more equipment. How much is too much pride?

Costco

Hooray! I am still marketable in this falling market. My second interview at Costco was a success. For some reason I think that making my interviewers chuckle, nod heads and agree with me in possible work circumstances. I got them to smile and like me, not manipulatively, but because I liked them. I hope I get a third interview - not that I'd want to work on my weekends but because I need to for comfortable living. The Miller family could survive with our current budget but making just a little bit more would make a big difference. Let's see what happens.

So Emotional

Hooray! I am still marketable in this falling market. My second interview at Costco was a success. For some reason I think that making my interviewers chuckle, nod heads and agree with me in possible work circumstances. I got them to smile and like me, not manipulatively, but because I liked them. I hope I get a third interview - not that I'd want to work on my weekends but because I need to for comfortable living. The Miller family could survive with our current budget but making just a little bit more would make a big difference. Let's see what happens.