Personality Types

I spent a portion of my night going through several personality frameworks including Myers Briggs (MBTI), DISC, Enneagram, and the Keirsey Sorter. This is the type of thing that I get theoretically excited about, but quickly become discouraged by once I sit down and start going through the frameworks. A good buddy of mine asked me the other day what my MBTI was which put this whole personality thing on my mind. Growing up in my family, I have taken most of the tests out there several times. However, one of the struggles that I encounter is authentically and accurately assessing myself. I find that I have a hard time identifying myself and I often have an ideal "portrait" I am unconsciously trying to obtain. From my perspective, I feel like I have skewed my answers to align more with the person I want to be than the person I might actually be.


Knowing my historic challenge with these type of frameworks, the process I have used this time around is more holistic. I have used friends as sounding boards, talked to my parents about my childhood, completed tests, and used frameworks. For now, I focused on the Myers Briggs tool using a combination of the aforementioned methods. For those of you not familiar with the MBTI, it is a tool to help people better understand themselves and others. I have included an overview of the types and tool below:

My Results
For the first time, I am reasonably confident that I have identified a type that fits me. I will first go through the individual dichotomies to flesh out my thinking, then talk about the application, and finally address resources for you to use should you be interested.


INTJ - The Mastermind (Per the Keirsey Sorter)
I think that INTJ best depicts my personality type (within the bounds of the MBTI) because of the following analysis (very "T" like):

Application
This exercise has been both freeing and encouraging to me. The freedom comes from the realization that I am more of an introvert than an extrovert and that this does not mean I am sub-par. For a long time, I have been one to push through the tiredness and exhaustion that accompanies long times with big groups of people. While I love being with people and teams, I realized that I do need to recharge my batteries by being alone. I also learned that my introvertedness is what powers my ability to put on my headphones and work hard for a long period of time. I also have an ability to see long-term that comes from my intuitive and pragmatic approach to life.

As stated above, I am also encouraged by the fact that no matter the "type," everyone has unique contributions that the world needs in order to flourish. Before doing this exercise, I thought I only wanted to be a few of the rare, special types. However, after reading through all the types and their unique strengths, it is very apparent how everyone is needed.

Resources
Helpful framework: Personality Pathways
Portraits of the various types: Portraits
MBTI Basics: Myers Briggs Basics
Keirsey Sorter: Keirsey Sorter Types
Book: Quiet - Great book for more introverted people

School Debt Update 2

December and January were rough months financially. We took an unexpected trip to Hawaii (using air miles, old connections, and rental car miles) and had a major wedding for close friends. Despite a few budget categories being in the red, sometimes planned and controlled budget creep is okay. It reminds us not to take life too seriously and to enjoy our time together. With that said, I want to report on how the financial landscape has changed since November 20th:

Current Remaining 
1. Private Loan Program - 12,297 remaining @ 2.98 $12,197 remaining @ 3.01%
2. Federal Loan - $10,461 remaining @ 4.23% $7,769 remaining @ 4.23% 
3. Federal Loan - $9,697 remaining @ 0% (deferment for school - 6% after deferment)
5. Private Loan - $7,376 remaining @ 6.55%

Total Remaining from Original = $32,456 $29,664

Total Principal Repaid in Last 60 Days: $2,792

As our goal is to repay our loans prior to my 30th birthday (November 27), I also want to outline the monthly repayment that will need to take place. Note that I reduced the estimated principal payment based on my estimated tax refund that will be received Feb 2015.

Total Remaining from Original = $32,456 $29,664
Less: Tax Refund (Expected Feb): ($3,000)
Total Expected Remaining Principal: 26,664
Remaining Months: 10 (Feb - Nov)
Principal Payment/Month: 2,666

As you can tell, it will be a tough road to repay the loans prior to my birthday. However, we will be able to put more money into the school payments as Sarah's grad school costs start to taper off in the next few months. Along with anticipated windfall from work, I am hopeful that we can eliminate the bondage by the end of November.

School Debt Update

Without considering our active payments to George Fox for Sarah's graduate degree, which on a side note means she will graduate the summer of 2016 without any loans, we budget ~$2,100 a month for school debt. Considering our payments to George Fox, we budget ~ $3,100/month. Overall, our goal has been to be completely debt free by November of 2015. This date is significant as I will be 30 and I do not want to be 30 and have college debt!


When accounting for our tax return, bonuses, and expected raises for the year, we are on-pace to have this goal accomplished. However, we are asking the question if it makes sense to continue with our aggressive pay-off plan or to divert cash-flow to other things as our remaining loans are all below 5%. While I am still crunching numbers, qualitatively, we consider the mental victory and finance muscles that we will have when this war is over to be a significant consideration for our family. Quantitatively, once we are debt free, we will have at least $3,100 a month of free cash-flow, enabling significant saving power for other things.


*Additional wins this month include another 3 month reduction of our 24 hour gym membership (cumulative savings of $120 or $40/month for 3 months) through asking for a better rate. I did this before a few months ago and this will be our 2nd set of 3-months at a reduced rate (total 2014 savings of $240/month)
* Travel hacking our way to Hawaii in December via free housing, free rental car, and free flights


Starting Point 1. Federal Loan - $3,500 @ 6.8% - Paid in Full
2. Private Loan Program - 19,800 @ 2.98 - 12,446 remaining
3. Private Loan - $15,321 @ 4.23% - $10,888 remaining
4. Federal Loan - $21,032 @ 0% (deferment for school) - $9,697 remaining
5. Private Loan - $20,686 @ 6.55% - $7,376 remaining

 Total Starting Debt = 80,339

Reductions (Principal)
Principal Paid on Original loans - $39,932 47,883

Current Remaining 
1. Private Loan - 12,297 remaining @ 2.98
2. Private Loan - $10,461 remaining @ 4.23%
3. Federal Loan - $9,697 remaining @ 0% (deferment for school)
5. Private Loan - $7,376 remaining @ 6.55%

Total Remaining from Original = $32,456

School Debt - Modern Day Slavery

My marriage on September 10, 2011 brought many excellent changes to my life. I have learned more about myself, my faith, and my worth in these past 2.5 years then ever before. My wife has brought joy and laughter (as well as tears at times) and I am a blessed man to have her in my life. However, our marriage also brought about additional debt burdens from her schooling. It must be noted that I was fully aware of her debt load prior to marriage and accepted the challenge. We now fight this intense war as one!


In terms of weight, I brought $20,686 to the picture. This accounts for 25.75% of the total load, excluding the additional $35,000 that we are paying (as we go) for my wife's masters degree. Once we have cleared our name of school debt, we will have paid roughly $115,000. Here is a breakdown of our current path:


Starting Point
1. Federal Loan - $3,500 @ 6.8% - Paid in Full
2. Private Loan  - 19,800 @ 2.98 - 12,446 remaining
3. Private Loan - $15,321 @ 4.23% - $10,888 remaining
4. Federal Loan - $21,032 @ 0% (deferment for school) - $9,697 remaining
5. Private Loan - $20,686 @ 6.55% - $7,376 remaining


Total Starting Debt = 80,339


Reductions (Principal)
Principal Paid on Original loans - $39,932


Current Remaining
2. Private Loan - 12,446 remaining @ 2.98
3. Private Loan - $10,888 remaining @ 4.23%
4. Federal Loan - $9,697 remaining @ 0% (deferment for school)
5. Private Loan - $7,376 remaining @ 6.55%


Total Remaining from Original = $40,407


While I do not wish this burden on anyone, in fact, I am working hard to educate and equip people so that they do not have to face this journey, I will say that I have learned a great deal from this trial. My wife and I mutually agreed that many of the principals that we have lived by during this period of war will continue to be present after we are done paying for school. I would go so far as to say that we will live richer lives because of our debt.


For those that are in bondage to debt, you can either choose to let your debt own you, or you can control your debt and build new muscles that you did not have before. Here are 3 strategies that we have employed that have resulted in significant growth for both of us:


1. Hate your debt, love each other, enjoy the present - For those that have talked to me, you know that I hate my debt with a burning passion. I am intense about. Yet, I have learned that I can still enjoy the life I have been given and the people that are in my life. In fact, it is often words of encouragement from others that continues to propel me to battle.


2. Become your own financial analyst and CFO - A financial analyst is around to make sure that budgets are accurate, people are spending according to the budget, and that the their is a sound financial plan for the future. In the same vein, a CFO uses past, current, and future information to develop a strategic plan for the company. During this time of bondage, build your financial muscle to ultimately grow your bottom line.


3. Long-term vs. short-term changes - Depending on your situation, I would advise different strategies. However, the strategy I will talk about is within the context of our unique situation. While we are intense about paying down our loans as fast as possible, we realized that we quickly burnt out when we tried to squeeze every cent out of our lives. For example, there were months we had a food budget of less than $100 which resulted in us scrapping for food at friend's houses, work, etc. Our best strategy has been to have an aggressive yet sustainable plan that will allow us to learn to live within our means in a sustainable manner while also killing our debt. This ultimately allows for our new financial muscle to positively impact our lives in perpetuity. For example, while we have a healthy food budget of $300 and an entertainment budget of $75, we are still able to live on roughly than $20,000 a year (including housing). This amount even feels a little excessive..

PowerPivot

Based on my new blog title, Art of Transformation, I figure that a business title would be fitting for this post. For those not familiar with Microsoft Excel, PowerPivot is a data analysis tool that allows for easy data mining. However, this post is not about that. Rather, this post represents a changing of direction in terms of my blog....an even more powerful pivot than the PowerPivot!

Lately, I have been captivated by the writings of my neighbor JD Roth (jdroth.com), Mr. Money Mustache, and Chris Guillebeau (chrisguillebeau.com). These are ordinary people living extra-ordinary lives (in my humble opinion). As I told my wife Sarah today, I am amazed by both the ideas of these individuals as well as their drive to get from ideas to execution. When I sit back and think about it, most people in the world are merely riding of the coat-tails of people that are actually doing things.

For the past 3.5 years, I have been working at one of the largest privately-held companies in the world. In this time, I have spent time auditing and consulting for some of the largest companies in the world. My time in the cubes have been some of the worst times as well as best times in my life and what I have learned extends far beyond corporate finance and venture integrations. My time in the cubes have been a crucible, a situation in which different elements interact to produce something new. In my case, I will leave the cube a new man.

The process of transformation has just begun for me but I am excited to share what I have learned and continue to learn along the way. While I can only dream of being as effective as the guys mentioned above, this blog pivot is my declaration to try. I hope this blog can be a catalyst for people to take action and engage their own journey of transformation. As I move forward, I will be discussing my continuous battle with authenticity, purpose, and stewardship. All of this content will be flavored with my burning desire to live an adventure worthy of the calling I have received.

- If you aim at nothing, you will hit it
Zig Ziglar

The Heavens Declare the Glory of God

(Day in the life)