The NP Types

Course Exercises

Course
Presented
By

A.J. Drenth
aj@personalityjunkie.com

Copyright© 2018

All rights reserved.

 Self-Creation Exercise
Instructions: Take some time to imagine or write about your ideal self / life. What
things would such a life involve? Who are you with? What are you doing? How
would others describe you? Don’t worry about whether your vision is practical,
realistic, or fine-tuned. Allow your intuition to guide you. Jot down whatever comes
to mind.

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 Self-Discovery Exercise
Historical Self Inventory

Instructions: Reviewing your life history and identifying core patterns / themes is an
effective way of uncovering both the universal and unique elements of who you are.
For each of the following, think back over your life and list whatever you’ve found to
be important, inspiring, and / or recurring:

Interests, hobbies, interest areas, college majors, potential

career paths:

Favorite books, movies, characters, heroes, role models:

Concepts / themes (e.g., truth, purpose, healing, autonomy,

justice, freedom, redemption):

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 Beliefs / Worldview
List what you have believed, or currently believe, about the world. Only list things
that seem or have seemed important to you:

Personal Traits / Strengths

List what you see as your most important and enduring character traits (positive
ones) or strengths. Be sure to consider different contexts (e.g., school, with friends,
with family, when alone, etc.):

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 Identifying Larger Patterns / Themes
The lists you've made contain valuable patterns for understanding who you are. Take
some time to identify larger, overarching patterns or themes within each of your lists,
as well as among your lists. No need to be regimented in doing so. Follow your
intuition. Don't worry if some things don’t readily fit or connect into the larger
patterns as some of what you listed may not be relevant to your core identity /
purpose.

Integrating Past & Ideal Selves

Compare the themes you've identified with the ideal self you envisioned in the self-
creation exercise. How are they related? How can they be combined and integrated?
How might you harness your historical strengths, values and interests as you strive
toward your ideal self? Again, don't worry if some things get excluded here. You're
looking for the most prominent and significant patterns.

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 Visualizing Your Identity / Core Themes

The above exercises can serve as effective ways of clarifying your historical and
ideal selves. Now take some time to create pictures, diagrams or flowcharts that
represent your core themes / identity. These can serve as helpful reminders of who
you are during periods of doubt and uncertainty.

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 Reimagining Your Current
Career
NPs often wonder if it is possible to find a more satisfying way of operating in their
current career context without having to start from scratch. If this is true of you, take
some time to explore in writing what you might like to do and how you might get
there. In what ways could the themes you identified in the self-creation and self-
discovery exercises be better incorporated into your current career? Given sufficient
time and thought, this exercise can prove a fruitful way of enhancing your current
work and advancing toward a more optimal work life.

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