Are you a quiz taker?

Are you a quiz taker? You know the ones that pop up in articles or other places online. Have you taken any personality assessments? Myers Briggs or the Strength Finders? Do you start the day reading your horoscope? What is your rising sign? Have you been checking to see what 2026 The Year of the Horse will bring for your Chinese Zodiac sign?

Disney's Mulan in her full armor with her sword raised.

Screenshot of Disney’s Mulan

Yes, yes, and yes. I love taking quizzes. Recently, I took a quiz to determine which Disney Princess I am most like. It was embarrassing in the moment, and writing this sentence just confirmed that I must have been having a serious lapse of self-control or something. Nearing the conclusion of the questions, I realized that this was all a way to get my email. Can you believe it? I am sorry to disappoint you. I did not complete the quiz. 

I have never done the Myers Briggs assessment. There have been several people who have proudly shared their letters with me and offered their version of my results, INFJ appears to be the consensus. An orientation exercise when I joined a volunteer board was to take the Clifton Strength Finders. I later spent my own money to gain access to the full results. The board only sprang for your top 10 Strengths.

I have both The Pattern and the Chani App on my phone. In my defense, I have the free versions.  Despite the relentless marketing to upgrade to Premium, I stand firm in my resolve not to pay for deeper insights. These are not things I check daily, maybe weekly. I admit there is a certain attraction to getting the heads up on what is going on in the cosmos ( or is that a capital ‘C’? ). However, I haven’t gotten to the point where this information assists me in planning my days. 

This is the Year of the Horse and not just any Horse, the Fire Horse. I happen to know that I am an Earth Monkey. So far all the signs point to a good year coming up. There is still more research to be conducted to get the specifics. Stay tuned.

Yes, clearly I like quizzes, assessments, and cosmic information. Sometimes the results feel spot on. Of course, other times I can feel myself stretching to make the findings fit. Like the pair of shoes you love because they are fun and insist on wearing even when they always give you blisters. 

As enticing as the apps, quizzes, and tests are, there is so much more relevant and truly authentic information to be found within me. I have an extra-Premium account, a front row seat, and an unlimited subscription to my wisdom when I shift my attention from the external to the internal. While there is no harm in peeking at my horoscope here and there, ignoring my self-discovery and not building trust with myself has come at a cost. This serves as my notification to check in first with the Kristan App.

If I had to guess, Mulan. I am definitely Mulan.

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How many times have you read Moby Dick?

My walks with Maisie covered the same ground at least once a day if not multiple times a day, and I am still noticing new things or observing more closely the things I thought I knew. The same can happen when we revisit a book, a painting, a piece of music, or even attend a weekly meeting with the same people. Staying curious in the familiar may yield the biggest surprises.

There is a ghost in my closet

From a very early age I was drawn to clothing and other adornments. I loved going through my grandmothers’ closets and jewelry drawers, examining each piece and occasionally trying things on. While neither grandmother owned anything very fancy or costly, I never got tired of combing through the treasure trove of their dressers and closets. 

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