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TODD HEPWORTH'S STORY
TODD begins his story like this.
According to the MBTI, I am an INFP.
According to Keirsey, I am a Healer.
According to True Colors, I am primarily Blue with Green as a close second.
According to ANSIR, I am a Sage/Visionary/Philosopher.
While each of these has been useful in helping me to understand different aspects of myself, none completely define who I really am. That is a journey that will take longer than this lifetime. I find it prejudicial to use any of these wonderful tools in an attempt to “pigeonhole” a person or their behavior i.e. “Well that’s about what I would expect from an NF,” or “High blues are SO emotional” etc. So hopefully, without relying too much on stereotypes, I’ll illustrate highlights of my journey so far.
I had an amazing childhood! I lived in a small neighborhood that was nevertheless filled with wonder, fantasy, and discovery. Each day was an adventure, and I cried myself to sleep many nights because the day was gone and there was still so much to experience! I never wanted to wait for tomorrow. We were poor, but my dad worked two jobs so that my mom could stay at home with us children. We didn’t have a television. My parents were very engaged with each of us in childhood. Mom took us outside to play every day, and Dad read to us after family dinner every evening.
About the time I entered middle school, we moved to the country. I worked Saturdays and summers on our neighbor’s dairy. On the farm, I discovered a whole new rich and exciting world as I worked with animals! I studied hard in high school and participated in individual activities such as speech and track. I went to college on an academic scholarship, earned a degree in linguistics, and became an officer in the Air Force. That’s when everything changed.
I will always value highly my experience in the Air Force. I feel honored to have served in Iraq , Bosnia , and Afghanistan with some of the finest women and men I have ever known. However, I almost lost myself in the military. I first suspected something was wrong when all of us cadets were required to take something called the Meyers-Briggs Type Indicator. It was supposed to help us identify areas of strength in ourselves and others. I was frankly shocked that I was typed as INFP (the only one of all the cadets) and everyone else came out ESTJ (or very close to it.) I had known for a long time that I was a bit different from most of my peers, but my parents had always embraced my way of seeing the world and even encouraged it. I had no idea that I was the polar opposite of almost everyone else! Everyone in the military, that is. The commander was encouraging, however. He ensured me that I had made the right choice and that others would appreciate the unique perspective I would bring to issues. After twelve years of my “unique perspective” constantly being disregarded by commanders and fellow officers, I decided that I would never be able to contribute anything of lasting value to the organization, and so I decided to leave. As final verification, I attended the “True Colors” workshop with most of my fellow officers. I came out as the only blue among mostly golds and a few greens and oranges. I left without bitterness—once again, I am honored to have served.
[Nancy's note: for an excellent discussion of infp and estj personalities, click here ]
I am finding myself again. I have found that I possess a great desire and determination to do something truly meaningful with my life, and to help others as I am doing it. I found a business partner who has talents and strengths in areas where I don’t (most of the accounting and day-to-day operation stuff.) I provide the vision, drive, and optimism. He provides the attention to detail and accounting expertise. We buy homes that have been repossessed by banks. We hire unemployed people to help us remodel the homes (my partner thinks we pay them too much, but they have families to feed, too.) We sell the homes to low-income families. We provide assistance with closing costs and down payments. And in the end, we make enough money to provide for our own families. We’re in the process of making the business into a non-profit agency. We’ll never be rich, but where’s the fun in that, anyway? I am having the time of my life! Once again, each day is a new adventure, filled with wonder and discovery! Each day is a chance to take something that is ugly and abandoned and make it into something beautiful! Each day is an opportunity to do something that is truly meaningful!
This is my journey so far, and I’m amazed that I have been so richly blessed. Isn’t life good?
Todd Hepworth, Age 37
Fort Worth , Texas
for an excellent discussion of infp and estj personalities, click here
