DON'T LET A TEST DEFINE YOU

Wow! There's not too much that I can add to this!

Don't let a test define you
22 March 2007 at 06h00

What you know about yourself is much more important than what you've been told about yourself. We already know that everything is relative because Albert Einstein proved this to us. We know that all reality is subjective and that as our perceptions change, we change reality. We also know that life is not static but fluid and that the only constant in life is a variable. Why then would we allow the results of any psychometric test to govern our lives?

I fully agree that psychometric tests are a wonderful tool to give us some indication of the mental and psychological make-up of an individual, but the results they yield are most definitely not cast in stone. In my own life I have been let down by these tests in a big way. At an early age I found out I wasn't too intelligent, which was later discovered to be a mistake and that I'm not too bad. I was also told that I'm an introvert and not a very sociable person. Anybody who knows me will testify to the exact opposite. Society loves to be able to put someone in a box and say: "This is who he or she is." There are many more examples of this. According to the astrology, if Taurus is your star sign, you are bound to be materialistic and if you were born under Capricorn you'll probably be very slow to grow up.

It's no problem accepting certain characteristics ascribed by the star signs, IQ tests or personality profiles. The problem starts when you allow these to rule your life and when you base your decisions and your behaviour on the broad classifications assigned to you. There are many examples of people who were defined and "boxed" in a certain way and who later rose above these limitations to become great achievers. Neil Armstrong, the first man on the moon, was one of them. His parents were told he had a very low IQ. His father never told Neil this and encouraged him to be the best he could. Neil subsequently became an outstanding astronaut and redefined his so-called limitations.It has never been possible to measure what human potential really is and when we start living with purpose.

When we allow positive energy to ooze from our systems and believe in ourselves, there is very little that we cannot achieve. I accept that we all have limitations, but what I won't accept is that we are defined by these limitations. Let's define ourselves according to our potential as human beings and let's live authentic lives, true to our greatest selves.