So a couple of days ago I started this poll on OSP and asked the question:

"In the industry that you are in what percentage of your success is based on your personality?"

I was curious to know what everyone thought and the results showed that out of 200 responses:

92% of you said that PERSONALITY should be credited for over 60% of your success.
68% of you said that PERSONALITY should be credited for over 80% of your success!!!

Wow! That's so awesome!

SO....my big *hypothetical* question for all of us is that if we can all agree that personality is a HUGE part of our success then how much time in the past year did we spend thinking about ways to improve our personality!

I'm as guilty as anybody and It's something we can all get better at! So if we really do believe what we wrote then we need to start thinking about how we are going to take our personality up a couple of notches this next year and then think about how that will help further our success!
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Opensourcep...ersonality.html

You're profound bud as usual!

Excellent observation and advice!

Thanks for making all of us look inward and try to be a better person.

It just feels so much better to do the right thing, and the wrong thing doesn't accomplish anything good anyway.

It's kind of hard to "be yourself" while thinking too much about your personality. I guess the only thing we can really do is find some people that will be totally honest with us and ask them - and hope they're honest.

I was one of those kids that had a hard time fitting into a group in my early years. I think that's highschool for most of us. I spent so much time trying to change my personality to what I thought those around me wanted to see - it wasn't until years later that I started to figure out who I really was. It was after I stopped worrying about it and found a legitimate interest in the people around me that I realized I was now getting along with people much better.

I guess the only thing worse than a 'flat' personality is creating a fake 'projected' personality - those people end up labeled as "obnoxious" behind their backs, and nobody wants to be 'that' guy.


And this opens a whole new discussion as to what exactly is a "good" or "favorable" personality.

I think that is a perfect analysis (as usual), Kevin.

I, too, had a really hard time in early high school. I remember my older, "popular" step sister explaining to me that if I didn't have many friends I should probably change my personality/self... and how irritated I was. It's true, though, that when I interacted with people more and took a genuine interest in them, I ended up being able to make close friends fairly easily. I became open and approachable. I now consider myself a "learned extrovert" after years of social practice, and genuinely enjoy talking and being around people to a much greater extent now

I know that I need reminders in my life. So I turn to books & videos from people who inspire me to be a better person...
http://anneruthmann.blogspot.com/2007/12/l...fe-coaches.html

Great topic DJ, and Anne thanks for the videos they are worth watching. I think working on your personality is very important and something we should all spend time on. My personality is definitely a work in progress and it is important that I make a conscious effort to become a better person.

My personality is truly who I am and for me the most important thing is being able to share it with people. I shouldn't have to meet someone three or four times before "I start to open up." My goal is to be as comfortable talking to people the first time I meet them as I am the fifth time. Then we can get to know each other quicker and hopefully form a relationship much faster. Like I said I am getting better at this, but it is one of my big goals for next year.

Knowing who you are and where you are going - both personally and professionally - is an important part to being genuine. Keep an eye on the following guy. He has some interesting ideas he'll be exploring.

http://www.masteringyourquest.com/

David,
I missed the poll you took, but can I say that I think that for me the percentage to success ratio may be higher. I think that maybe 95% of my success is do to my personality. In the past people have berated me because I've mentioned that I think I look at things from a different perspective than others because of my 17 years of graphic design work and intermixed 12 years of event design. A combination of that experience and my mass excitement for new projects usually seals the deals. I want to know everything about the brides plans for her wedding because I love the planning and layout and colors and textures so I'll spend hours with my brides on our first meeting. I recently received this email from a bride I signed:

"Thanks for spending so much time with me today and agreeing to photograph my wedding! My drive back was a lot longer than the drive up, but I didn't even notice because I was so juiced after talking with you. I was instantly comfortable and the more we chatted the more excited I got about working with you. I couldn't believe we were there for 3 hours! It made me feel like I was the only bride that mattered, or the only one you were working on. I know it sounds silly because my event is not for another 11 months and of course you have a ton of other things and brides to deal with, but it means a lot, so thank you.

I didn't even think about it earlier, but tonight was a family birthday dinner where I got to spend a lot of time with both Jenn and Alison ((Sister and past brides I've photographed)). I shared the news with them and they are just as thrilled as I am.

You've really got me thinking about decoration ideas and I think I might have some good ones but they need to be run by GROOM NAME first.

In any case, thanks again! I can't wait for next year and it feels amazing/comforting/(insert positive adjective here) to have you on my side!" - Bride

I think that if we don't love what we do for a living we've got a real problem on our hands. Most here know that I'm a Christian and therefore firmly believe that God has given us all different talents. If we don't explore those talents and gifts to find our strengths and then understand where we should be, we will spend a great deal of time spinning and unhappy with our lives.