Living in Ignorance
I had no idea that I was highly creative until I was in my 20s. That’s 2 decades of confusion. I don’t fall for victim mentality – no one else is more responsible for myself than me – but I do wish that the education I had received could have supported me to learn this kind of information about myself.
When I took a personality test — The Big Five — that scored me at 98% Openness to Experience, it blew my mind. This trait is associated with curiosity and creativity, imagination and insight.
No wonder I wasn’t satisfied with a job that didn’t utilise any of my imaginative or intellectual capacities. It was driving me absolutely insane, in fact, and the rest of my life and relationships suffered because of that.
To know yourself is the greatest of all endeavours. A young person going through their years at school isn’t guaranteed to learn this stuff in their classes but it is such fundamental information that will sustain them across their lives.
Now, it’s important to state that I believe that there is more to who we are than our personality. If we were to pay attention to a deeper part of ourselves, in deep meditation, for instance, we would find an ocean of awareness that is completely free of any personality structure.
But for our daily lives and relationships, the structure of personality keeps us afloat on top of that ocean. It helps us to get places and do things. It most definitely helps others relate to you as well as you to them. A solid personality structure will answer so many questions. What kind of work do I want to do? What daily routine suits me best? How do I make friends? How often do I need to see people? Etc
It’s important.
So, who are you?
Traits of The Big Five Scale of Personality
There are many ways to get to know your personality — The Big Five has had many solid studies and has proved scientifically sound. I still believe there are other ways to know yourself — astrology has illuminated a lot more of who I am — picking a test that answers as many of those questions for you is the key.
Once you have this basic information about yourself — you can go ahead and make informed decisions or work to alleviate any extremities, for instance — someone high in neuroticism may like to release any trauma that exacerbates such a high level of negative emotion.
An Overview of the Big Five traits
Openness
The degree to which someone is open-minded, imaginative, curious, and receptive to new ideas and experiences.
High Openness:
- Deep appreciation for art, beauty, and ideas
- Curious about inner and outer worlds
- Creative, imaginative, often idealistic or abstract thinkers
- Enjoy novelty, variety, and exploration (mental, physical, or spiritual)
- More likely to question conventions and enjoy philosophical or symbolic thought
Low Openness:
- Prefer familiarity, stability, and routine
- More practical, down-to-earth, and traditional
- Tend to rely on tried-and-true methods rather than experimentation
- May find abstract or theoretical ideas uninteresting or impractical
Conscientiousness
The tendency to be organized, disciplined, goal-oriented, and responsible.
High Conscientiousness:
- Dependable, reliable, and self-disciplined
- Good at planning, prioritizing, and delaying gratification
- Often perform well academically and professionally
- Value order, structure, and duty
Low Conscientiousness:
- More spontaneous, flexible, or disorganized
- Can be distractible or procrastinate
- May prefer improvisation over planning
- Sometimes creative or adaptable in chaotic settings
Extroversion
The extent to which someone draws energy from social interaction and external stimulation.
High Extraversion:
- Sociable, talkative, and assertive
- Enjoy being the center of attention
- Energized by people, activity, and engagement
- Often experience more positive emotions
Low Extraversion (Introversion):
- Reserved, reflective, and private
- Energized by solitude and deep one-on-one connections
- Tend to think before acting or speaking
- Often prefer depth over breadth in relationships
Agreeableness
The tendency to be compassionate, cooperative, and trusting toward others.
High Agreeableness:
- Warm, empathetic, and considerate
- Value harmony and connection
- Often altruistic and forgiving
- Good at teamwork and nurturing relationships
Low Agreeableness:
- More competitive, skeptical, or blunt
- Value honesty and self-interest over social harmony
- Can be assertive, critical, or independent-minded
- May struggle with empathy or cooperation
Neuroticism
The tendency to experience negative emotions such as anxiety, sadness, or irritability more intensely or frequently.
High Neuroticism:
- Emotionally reactive, sensitive to stress
- More likely to experience mood swings, self-doubt, or worry
- Often deeply introspective
- May be more vigilant to potential threats
Low Neuroticism:
- Calm, resilient, and emotionally steady
- Handle stress well and recover quickly from setbacks
- Less prone to anxiety or mood instability
- Sometimes may appear detached or unflappable
You are worth getting to know
Whoever you end up being — you are worthy of living a beautiful life.
Having this knowledge about yourself means that you can be more responsible for your actions and decisions. You could see perhaps why people hesitate. But the life that is waiting for you after knowing as much as you possibly can about yourself is exciting. Opportunities that feel like they are custom built for you will come in that you can’t wait to pounce on.
Banishing ignorance from your mind as much as you possibly can is crucial. Ignorance is to blame for all the pain in this world and we can easily rid ourselves of at least some of it.
So,
KNOW THYSELF
