Questioner or upholder?
In my constant quest to know myself better, I've been trying to determine which of Gretchen Rubin's four tendencies seemed to fit me best. I'm actually excited that I will be attending her book tour, The Four Tendencies, this month, and hope to solidify my findings.
Up until a few days ago I kept leaning toward questioner as my type as I always seem to be asking questions. My natural state of curiosity convinced me that of course I must be a questioner, except for one obvious characteristic. Although, I am always on the hunt for knowledge, when it comes to the rules, I basically follow them no questions asked.
In fact, there was only one rule I could think of that I didn't follow, and that was bringing outside food into the movie theater. This really has little to do with questioning, and disagreeing with the rule, but rather with my naturally frugal nature that just can't seem to spend more on popcorn than on the ticket itself.
My rule following nature was solidified even more so after realizing that I just didn't have it in me to sneak a rock or two out of our courtyard garden for my new rock painting obsession, as addressed in yesterday's posting.
It also reared its ugly head when I found myself in near tears the other day when I didn't follow the procedures precisely when taking care of a recent driving citation. Now to be completely honest I had no idea what I had done wrong when being pulled over, and actually thanked the trooper for bringing it to my attention. My upholder tendency also saw the need for a driving refresher course, as the rule in question was somewhat recent since my initial driving training at age fifteen.
Now the good thing about being an upholder is that not only do you meet outer expectations, but you easily meet inner ones as well. When I decided it was not in my best interest to drink Diet Coke, I gave it up, and never looked back. To be honest, I never missed it or was tempted again. It seems that when I set my mind to something I can easily follow through. My latest attempt at plant-based and dairy free eating has fallen into place quite easily. Knowing also that I am more an abstainer vs a moderator has allowed me to have greater success as well.
What I do know about myself, though, is that if I'd been given the infamous marshmallow test as a child, I would have gladly waited the five extra minutes necessary to receive another marshmallow. Delayed gratification has never been difficult for me.
After much deliberation I'd say I'm an upholder all the way.
Looked up the test...I'm a rebel, although I'm law abiding and conservative. But I do believe rules were meant to be broken...
ReplyDeleteAs an upholder, rebels really fascinate me. I think what I've learned is that rebels really don't like to be told to do something. It has to be their idea. Thanks for reading Karen!
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