Unleash Your

Potential with MBTI®

Personality Type
A self-improvement ebook
Life is filled with ups and downs, challenges and triumphs. And it’s in these hills and valleys that we often look toward
self-improvement and a greater sense of purpose.

The 13 topics in this ebook will help you start your transformative journey of self-improvement. You’ll discover a
new perspective on you, learn to create lasting positive change, and start becoming the best version of yourself.

Each micro lesson in this ebook focuses on different aspects of self-improvement. These lessons will cover a
wide range of topics, including stress management, communication skills, well-being, personal development, and
more. With each lesson, you will be presented with an action item and a journal prompt or conversation topic,
empowering you to cement your learning and apply it to your daily life.

To enhance your understanding and get the most out of your self-improvement journey, we highly recommend
taking the MBTI® assessment through MBTIonline.com if you haven’t already done so. The MBTI assessment will
provide you with valuable insights into your personality type, unlocking deeper content related to our future
topics. While you don’t have to take the MBTI assessment to use this ebook, understanding your MBTI type can
supercharge your progress and self-awareness.

Remember, self-improvement isn’t about quick fixes or overnight transformations.

It is about consistent effort, self-reflection, and gradual growth. The ebook will provide you with the necessary tools
and guidance, but it is up to you to embrace them and take action.

Ready to unlock your potential, embrace personal growth, and shape a brighter future?

1: Explore your why

What is it about your life or yourself that you’re looking to improve? Understanding your motivation for wanting to
improve can help you stick with what you’re going to learn.

Ask yourself why at least three times to get to the core of why you want to know yourself better.

MBTI Personality Type Tip:

Those who prefer Extraversion are energized by interacting with people and sharing ideas out loud as they think
of them. If you prefer Extraversion, you’ll probably enjoy talking through these ideas instead of journaling the same
topics.

Those who prefer Introversion are energized by their inner world of thoughts and ideas. If you prefer Introversion,
you might enjoy writing out your ideas in a journal or notebook in a quiet space.

Action item: If you prefer Extraversion, feel free to journal a few notes for yourself, but then find a friend
or person who’s on a similar self-improvement journey and talk through your ‘why.’

If you prefer Introversion, find a dedicated space to write down your

thoughts, takeaways and more from these lessons. We encourage physical Journal it/Talk it out:
writing instead of taking digital notes because the physical act of handwriting Write down your ‘why’
connects a different part of your brain than typing and is more likely to be as part of your first lesson.
remembered.

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Extra tip: If you’ve taken the MBTI assessment recently, write your four-letter type and any thoughts you
have about it. What parts of your MBTI personality type were most obvious to you? What descriptions
resonated with you?

2: Self-awareness
Self-awareness is conscious knowledge of your own character, feelings, motives, and desires [dictionary.com].

It’s also “the ability to take an honest look at your life without attachment to it being right or wrong” [Debbie Ford,
self-help author].

In our own research, survey respondents reported that increased self-awareness led to improvements in their
confidence, decision-making, people management, and dealing with stress.

Being self-aware helps you understand why you do the things that you do. And by better understanding your
motivations and behaviors, you have more control to be able to change for the better.

Let’s take a look at a few common examples of self-awareness:

People who prefer Introversion need quiet time, often alone, to re-energize themselves. Knowing that you’re an
Introvert can help you to avoid overscheduling activities and then feeling drained or irritable.

On the other hand, people who prefer Extraversion are energized by being around and interacting with other
people. Knowing that you’re an Extravert can help you to ensure that whatever you do, you make time to interact
with others (even just via video chat).

Self-awareness isn’t just about personality type. It’s about all the qualities that make you unique. The things that
make you… you.

So how do you develop self-awareness? There are a number of different ways, but a mix of methods probably
works best. The most popular ways of increasing self-awareness include:

• Feedback from work colleagues and family.

• Completing personality assessments.

• Creating a habit of self-reflection.

Want to read more about self-awareness? Check out these articles from Journal it/Talk it out:
Psychology Today and the Harvard Business Review. What does self-
awareness mean to you? How
Action item: Ask one person who knows you well to tell you honestly self-aware do you think you
about how they see you, including your best qualities and what you are? What do you think are
could improve. Compare their responses to your own responses to see how your best qualities and what do
they match up and where they’re different. you think you could improve
about yourself?

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3: Awareness of others
What’s so great about being self-aware? In our research, we asked people about the advantages of being self-aware.
Here are the top responses:

• Understanding of reactions and motivation.

• Management of self and others.

• Ability to adapt behavior.

• Relationship improvement.

• Personal growth.

Notice anything interesting about the above answers? How about this: self-awareness is all about YOU, but three
out of the five answers above also talk about other people in your life.

That’s because one of the benefits of self-awareness is how it helps you better understand other people. By
knowing more about what makes you unique, you have more power to see how other people around you are
similar or different to yourself. And that means you might not jump to wrong conclusions about people based on
their behavior. Instead, you’ll be more aware of other people’s personalities, motivation, and needs that steer their
behaviors.

You can call this “others-awareness.” Journal it/Talk it out:

Think about someone
In fact, 58% of the people we surveyed said self-awareness helped them you interact with frequently.
improve their work with others in a team. Maybe a boss, work colleague,
or friend.
Take the Extraversion/Introversion example from the previous chapter. The
person with a preference for Introversion only stayed with colleagues after From what you know about
work at the get together for an hour. yourself, make two lists:
1. The ways that person is
Without self-awareness, that person’s teammates might have thought leaving similar to you.
early was rude. But with self-awareness, they understand their own preferences 2. The ways that person is
as well as their teammates’ preferences. They understand that the behavior of different from you.
leaving early is the Introvert’s way of not draining their battery.
Now, write down three
Action item: Ask one person who knows you well to tell you honestly situations you’ve been in with
how they think they are similar, and different, from yourself. How do that person. From your list, pick
their observations compare to your own? (Bonus points if you talk to the one similarity or difference that
same person that you journaled about for even deeper insights!) you observed in that situation.

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4: The Nine Parts of Life
Life can get complicated. There are a lot of moving parts. But one way that you can look at personal development
and goal setting is by dividing your life into categories. Then, take a look at each category and rank it according to
how happy you are with that part of your life.

Here’s a common way to divide the nine different parts of your life to take stock of each one:

Personal Development Family Spiritual

This is about developing Whomever you consider The inner part of yourself,
you as a person. It’s family! possibly related to
about your mind, your something greater than
values, and how you can Business/Career yourself.
become the best version This could be your
of yourself. current job, your dream Fun/Recreation
job, or your side gig! What you do for fun and
Health Generally, it’s related to what you want to do for
This relates to your your income. fun that you’re not doing
physical health and right now.
well-being. Financial
Related to your spending, Social
Romance your saving, your goals, Relationships with people
If you’re not in a and where you are in other than your family
relationship, ask yourself terms of those goals. or significant other…aka
if this is something that friendships.
you want. If you are in
a relationship, answer
about that relationship.

With each of these parts of life, rate yourself on a scale of 1 (being the lowest) to 10 (being the highest) of how
content you are with each of these parts of your life. Be honest with yourself.

Now look at the parts with the highest scores (top three). Anything surprise Journal it/Talk it out:
you? How much time do you spend in this area of your life? Next, look at the Write down the nine
parts with the lowest scores (bottom three). Do any of these surprise you? parts of life, as well as your
scores for each and anything
Action item: Pick one of the lowest scoring areas of your life and that surprised you. Why did you
think of one small thing you could do to improve that area of your score each of the areas the way
life. Maybe you want to save more to buy a house someday (financial), or you did? As you work through
you want to apply for a different job because you feel like you’re stagnating this ebook, is there any one
(business/career), or you want to join a recreational sports team (fun/social). part of your life you want to
What’s one small step you could take to start improving that area of your focus on to raise that score?
life? Take that small step toward that change now! Why?

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5: Your time and your values
What’s most important to you?

In other words, what do you value most?

Though what people value differs slightly by personality type (as our research shows), generally things like family,
love, financial stability, and health make the top of the list.

Actually, that previous chapter listing the nine areas of life is a good place to start.

One of the things that often causes discontentment is misalignment between what you value and where
you’re spending your time.

For example, if you value family and friends very highly, but are spending a Journal it/Talk it out:
majority of your time at work, you’re probably not going to be as happy as if Note down those nine
you spent a little more time with your family and a little less time at work. parts of life again in a column
on the left. Then, next to each
Or maybe you’re really focusing on growing your career right now and value part rank them 1 (most valued)
the financial stability that comes from that, but you’re spending a lot of time on through 9 (least valued). Next
social media or binge watching Game of Thrones. You see the point. write down how much quality
time you invest in each of those
But without taking time to decipher your values and where you’re spending parts of life per week. Again,
your time, you don’t have enough information to make judgement calls on look for the mismatches. Where
whether your values and your time align. are you spending time that isn’t
as valuable to you? If you prefer
Action item: Choose two parts of your life that you value most and to talk it out, go through the
make a specific appointment this week to invest time in each of those same process as above but talk
areas. Note down when you’ll do it and how much time you’ll spend. When through each of the values and
the week is over, think about the change you made and whether you want the amount of time you spend
to keep it or maybe make a different change. in each area.

6: Confidence
What is confidence?

It’s the feeling that you’ll succeed and do well regardless of the obstacles you might face.

Some people are naturally more confident. But confidence is a skill and, like any skill, it can be learned and practiced.

But where does confidence come from? It can come from the genetics that impact the balance of chemicals in your
brain. It can also come from your environment and how you’re treated. And lastly, confidence can also come from
what you can control and how you approach challenges and setbacks.

However, what boosts your confidence and what drains your confidence isn’t the same for everybody.

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In fact, based on your MBTI personality type, there can be things that boost your confidence that might have the
opposite effect for someone else!

If you’ve taken the MBTI assessment through MBTIonline, you have access to a
full personal development course on confidence. To view the course, log into Journal it/Talk it out:
your account at MBTIonline.com and go to “Courses.” What was the last time
you felt really confident? Write
Action item: The next time you are feeling down or need a about that experience. What
confidence boost, , go back and read out loud what you wrote about obstacles did you overcome?
a time you felt really confident.

7: Always-on and burnout

Maybe you haven’t heard of the always-on culture. Advancements in technology have helped us work more
efficiently, and more remotely, then ever before. However, those same advancements in technology have also
allowed us to be connected more than ever before too, for better or for worse.

While technology has given us the ability to video conference our friends at the push of a button, it’s also blurred
the lines between where work stops and where home life begins.

This is part of the always-on culture. It’s a workplace phenomenon that has encouraged leaders, employees, and
anyone with access to a digital device to take work home with them, and answer emails and phone calls at all hours.

And while there are benefits to being so digitally connected, our research
Journal it/Talk it out:
has found that always-on culture has negative impacts when it comes to your
Have you ever
workplace stress levels as well as your overall well-being.
experienced a workplace with
always-on culture? If so, what
In fact, the always-on culture has led to more burnout for employees than ever
was that experience like and
before in the history of the workplace. Employees are becoming so exhausted
did you try any strategies to
by the demands constantly asked of them through technology that they are
manage your stress levels?
calling in sick more often and are less engaged. And when employees like you
If you haven’t experienced
are less engaged, the company itself doesn’t perform as well.
always-on culture, what are
the ways that technology
However, there are things you can do to help manage the always-on culture
has helped you connect with
for yourself and avoid the stress that often leads to burnout. One way to
people? What are the ways that
manage the always-on culture is by being mindful of how and when you’re
technology has gotten in the
using technology.
way of genuine connection for
you?
Our research has shown that your MBTI personality type has an effect on
which strategies might work best for you personally.

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8: Stress. What causes it, based on your MBTI type?
Being self-aware (knowing how you’re similar and different to others and why you do what you do) is incredibly
powerful when it comes to personal development. However, self-awareness can also be powerful when it comes
to more difficult situations.

Like when you’re stressed.

But what is stress? Dictionary.com defines stress (related to physiology) as “a specific response by the body to a
stimulus, as fear or pain, that disturbs or interferes with the normal physiological equilibrium.”

In the Psychology Today article Stress: It’s Worse Than You Think, the author talks about stress sensitization.
Basically, studies have found your body reacts to stress the same way it would to an allergy, becoming acutely more
sensitive every time you encounter it.

“What happens is that sensitization leads the brain to rewire itself in response to stress. We know that what
we’re encountering may be a normal, everyday episode of stress, but the brain is signaling the body to react
inappropriately,” says psychologist Michael Meany, Ph.D. at McGill University. So aside from the fact that stress
is uncomfortable and unhealthy for you, reoccurring stress can actually make the situation worse through
sensitization.

What are the things that stress you out?

Journal it/Talk it out:
Think about the things
Turns out they can be different based on your Myers-Briggs® personality type.
that stress you out the most.
Check this blog for more.
Write down your top 10 things
that stress you out. Now look
Action item: You now have a list of what causes you stress. Think
at the list in the above blog, if
about the coming week or month. Can you predict a time or event
you know your MBTI type. Any
that might cause stress for you in the future? Knowing a future time can
similarities? Things you’d add to
be stressful can help you ensure you don’t make it worse by piling more
your list?
stressful things on all at the same time.

9: Signs of stress
From lesson 8, you should have a good idea of what stresses you out. But do you know your own individual
symptoms of stress?

Some people (when stressed) might start obsessing about small things. Others (when stressed) might want to make
a change because they feel like they’re in a rut. Stress even causes some people to feel exhausted, while others
get a rush of energy.

There are some symptoms of stress that are common in everyone. The American Institute of Stress (AIS) sites 50
common symptoms of stress, from grinding teeth and heartburn to irritability, problems communicating, and
more.

However, stress also has an effect on your personality.

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In fact, what stress looks like for your MBTI type is different than for someone of a different MBTI type. If you got
your MBTI type through MBTIonline.com, log in to www.mbtionline.com and explore the course around stress
that’s specific for your Myers-Briggs personality type.
Journal it/Talk it out:
Everyone’s symptoms of stress are different, and it’s helpful to know yours.
Go through the list of
That way, you can recognize your stressed condition and take actions to relieve
the 50 common symptoms of
the stress, to calm yourself, or both.
stress from AIS. Write down the
ones that you know are true for
Action item: Start a conversation with someone close to you about
you or that you’ve experienced.
what causes stress and what your symptoms of stress are. Ask them
Then if you have access to
what they’ve observed about you when you’re stressed. Get their honest
MBTIonline, read about stress
feedback around when they’ve seen you most stressed and what you were
for your MBTI type and add
like. How do their observations compare to your own?
those symptoms to the list.

10: Remedies for stress

From the previous two chapters, you know your stress triggers and symptoms. What can you do to fix things?

Just like triggers and symptoms, what’s calming for you might be aggravating for someone else. Knowing the best
remedies for yourself is a great way to increase your well-being, prolong happiness, and get back on track when
stress has hit you like a freight train.

Keep in mind, we’re talking about everyday stress. We’re not talking about severe stress that could cause trauma
or stems from illness or loss of a loved one. That’s a whole different story (and, according to the MBTI framework,
severe stress is called being ‘in the grip’ and results in different parts of your personality coming to the forefront).

Here are a few things that seem to work for the majority of people when it comes to relieving stress:

Move around

Whether it’s a quick walk outside, a five-minute stretch at your desk or even a few jumping jacks, getting your heart
pumping calms your nerves. “Exercise relaxes tense muscles that become tight and rigid when you experience
stress,” says Kathleen Hall, chief executive of The Stress Institute in Atlanta, Georgia, an educational and training
firm that focuses on the effects of stress and how to relieve it.

Do a stress check Journal it/Talk it out:

What helps you relax?
Some people recommend doing a stress check to try to figure out how Between the above resources
stressed you are. Are your shoulders hunched up next to your ears? Are you and what you know about
leaning over in a position that could hurt your back? Is your breathing shallow yourself, write down a few
and quick? ways that you specifically have
calmed yourself in the past.
You can also look at that list of stress symptoms you wrote earlier. Are you Having a go-to list of things
doing any of these things? Taking a mental note of the physical symptoms of that help you to de-stress is a
stress and then actively trying to eliminate them (e.g., by lowering and relaxing wonderful tool to utilize the
your shoulders, sitting up straight) will help reduce your stress immediately. next time you’re stressed.

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Want to read more about what remedies might relieve your stress based on your MBTI personality type? Read the
blog 4 Ways to De-stress for Each of the MBTI Personality Types.

Action item: Use one of the items on your list the next time you feel the symptoms of stress starting
to creep in. Better yet, look at your week and think about what might be coming up that’s stressful and
make a specific relaxation appointment. Have a big presentation at work soon? Schedule yourself a walk at lunch
beforehand. Or schedule a phone call with a close friend the night before. Whatever works best for you, take
action and use your self-awareness to beat the stress!

11: Well-being
According to Martin Seligman, author of Flourish: A Visionary New Understanding of Happiness and Well-Being,
well-being is more than feelings of happiness.

Well-being includes relationships, meaning, engagement, and accomplishment as well.

A survey conducted by The Myers-Briggs Company found higher workplace well-being to be positively correlated
with factors including job satisfaction and “organizational citizenship behaviors,” like contributing to organizational
objectives and voluntarily helping co-workers.

But well-being isn’t just about the workplace. It also includes your physical and emotional health, how you feel
about your life and if you have basic access to necessities (clean water, enough money for food, shelter, and so on).

About 40% of what determines happiness is under our control. Here are several steps you can take to improve
your emotional well-being:

Be present and live in the moment. Don’t think as much about the past and the future. Enjoy the current
moment with all five of your senses.

Cultivate gratitude. You’ve probably heard of this one before because it works! Keeping a record of the things
you’re grateful for brings positive feelings, optimism, life satisfaction, and connectedness with others.

Do something for others. Happiness comes most reliably from connecting with others and not being overly
self-focused. Try to do things that benefit someone or something other than yourself.

The things that influence your well-being, like stress and confidence, differ Journal it/Talk it out:
depending on your personality type. If you want to learn more about Myers- Jot down a list of things
Briggs type and well-being, check out our latest research here. you’re grateful for. They can
be big or small. Post the list
Action item: Perform a small act of kindness for someone else! somewhere that you can see it
Pay it forward, help someone with a small task, or tell someone how at the start of your day.
much you appreciate them.

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12: Extraversion and Introversion
The topics of Extraversion and Introversion are prolific in the media. You’ve seen them in comics, mentioned
thousands of times a day on social media, on Late Night with Stephen Colbert, in TED Talks, and so many other
places.

Part of this popularity is due to the immediate relatability and how easy they are to understand.

Have you ever heard, “oh, he’s an introvert… he’s shy.”

Or “she’s a great speaker because she’s an extravert.”

Misinformation is easy to find online, but when it comes to people’s understanding of themselves and those around
them, the wrong information can be more harmful than helpful.

Want the truth around Extraverts and Introverts?

Download the e-book on Extraversion and Introversion here. Journal it/Talk it out:
As you read through the
Action item: Whether you have a preference for Extraversion or ebook, what sticks out to you?
Introversion, try “flexing” to use the opposite preference for a day. What did you learn that you
If you prefer Introversion, take a day to say the first thing that comes to might not have known before?
mind throughout the day. Or if you prefer Extraversion, try doing some Write down your notes and
brainstorming activities on your own before you meet with others. takeaways.

13: Motivation
Only 34% percent of US employees are engaged at work, according to a Gallup poll. In this survey, being engaged
in their work means being fully absorbed by and enthusiastic about what they’re doing.

Are you motivated at work? In life?

While companies care about motivating employees to keep them happy, they don’t have all the answers for what
uniquely motivates you. Doesn’t it make sense to figure out how to motivate yourself to be able to achieve your
goals?

Before we talk about motivation and MBTI® personality type, let’s look at some of the basics around motivation in
psychology. In modern psychology, the first broad ideas around motivation were based on needs.

Psychologist B.F. Skinner identified four different ways to change someone’s (or your own) behavior based on
external stimuli. There are rewards and punishments, and the rewards and punishments can either be positive or
negative. Rewards are meant to increase a behavior, while punishments are meant to decrease a behavior. Positive
rewards (such as pay for employment) and negative punishments (such as being fired for violating a company policy)
remain two very common ways to try to motivate people today.

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Extrinsic motivation remains very common and makes sense to most people. For example, people receive a
paycheck in exchange for work done. Doing a really good job at work may result in a pay raise or a bonus (a positive
reward) or some other form of recognition. Doing a really poor job may result in termination (negative punishment).

In addition to rewards and punishments, intrinsic motivation plays a part. Journal it/Talk it out:
Many people find it satisfying to complete a goal. One of the best ways to stay When you were
motivated is to make sure you’re both extrinsically and intrinsically motivated. younger, what sort of rewards
and punishments were used
The MBTI® assessment can help you understand how you’re motivated in a to motivate your behavior at
number of ways. You can learn more about motivation for specific Myers- home and at school? What sort
Briggs personality types by logging into www.mbtionline.com and checking of rewards could you use to
out the course on motivation, or by reading this blog What is Motivation? extrinsically motivate yourself
today to achieve your goals?
Action item: Choose a small goal that you have for this week. Now On the intrinsic side, what
choose a small reward you could give yourself for achieving that goal motivates you? If you have
by the end of the week. Maybe it’s taking yourself out to lunch, or getting access to MBTIonline.com, write
a massage, or giving yourself time to work on a creative project. Whatever down some of the things that
you could use as a reward for yourself, put it in place to help you achieve motivate you based on your
a small goal. MBTI personality type.

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Still haven’t taken the MBTI assessment yet?
Check out these three options to find what suits you best
on your self-improvement journey:

MBTIonline helps you explore your unique personality and achieve

greater self-awareness to improve interpersonal relationships and
personal well-being.

• The official MBTI assessment and 4-letter MBTI type

®

• Interactive interpretation process to verify your type

• Personalized courses, type comparison, and action guides

MBTIonline Careers helps you find career satisfaction by

matching your MBTI® results to occupations that best fit your unique
personality, and predicting how likely it is that you’ll be satisfied in
those occupations.

• The official MBTI assessment plus individual report

• Best-fit occupations with predicted satisfaction scores
• More than 1,000 occupations to explore in depth
• Personalized tips for career exploration and development

MBTIonline Teams delivers trusted Myers-Briggs® personality

insights into your team’s dynamics and reveals strengths and
potential blind spots so that you can maximize team effectiveness.

• Self-guided virtual team-building experience for 3–30 people

• Myers-Briggs assessment plus individual and team reports
®

• Team portal to explore individual and team characteristics

• Four self-paced courses, personal development tips, and more

Find all these and more at mbtionline.com.

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