HUMOR | SELF-AWARENESS | PERSONALITY
What You Save = Who You Are
Is this method better than Myers-Briggs?
“What we save says everything about who we are.”
This was the headline of an email I received today from Tiago Forte, an inspiring creator focussed on the “second brain” movement. His email was about thoughts and digital information. That’s not what this story is about.
I started thinking very literally about the statement and wondering what does what I save say about me. Is this like astrology or the Myers-Briggs types?
In front of me on my desk is an assortment of little figures and toys — a plastic lizard, a metal lizard, a wooden snail, a faux cement gargoyle, and a plastic baby Groot. Moving my eyes slightly in either direction reveals a fidget spinner and more animal-related knick-knacks.
I think this says I am a child at heart and I love animals of all kinds, even mythic ones.
In my closet, there is a shelf where I have a variety of miscellaneous objects — watches, Canadian coins, a red Angry Birds bracelet my college-aged son gave me when he was eight that encircles some dog treats, multiple colorful plastic frogs, rocks, and several rubber band bracelets that my daughter made nine years ago that I found in my mother’s belongings after she died.
What does that collection of things say about me? Perhaps that I am a collector, a mom, and a person who has trouble letting go of things. There’s a bit of practicality mixed with a lot of sentimentality. That seems about right.
My wife saves both new and old electronic parts whether or not they work, knives, and camping gear. She is very practical and believes in saving things “just in case” we might need them someday. She likes to be prepared and her engineering mind tends to impact all areas of her life.
I wonder what saving different types of things says about other people? There are people who collect newspapers. What does that say? It could be they love words or history, but it could also be they have a worm bin, or they use newspapers as a weed block in their garden. Or, maybe they simply like the smell of old newspaper.
People save old tires, empty boxes, charging cords to devices they no longer own, and the extra nuts, bolts and screws left over from putting together Ikea furniture. (Admit it!) What do these things say? We’re practical? Want to be prepared? Just don’t like throwing things away? Our garbage cans aren’t big enough?
What else do people save? We’re constantly reading about saving time, saving money, even saving face. Apparently these are things we all want more of — time, money and faces.
Have you ever heard anyone say, “save it”? What exactly is it, and what would saving it say about you?
We can save lives. We can save the date. We can save our breath. None of these things are very visible or collectible. A person couldn’t walk into your house and see that you’ve saved a lot of dates. If they could, what would it mean? That you like order and schedules? That you have nine and if you save one more you’ll get one for free?
Our cat, Jasper, likes to save mouse tails — toy mouse tails. Sorry, real mice tails would be gross. For years, he’s insisted on chomping the tail off of every toy mouse that came into the house. Is this the sign of a mighty predator or trophies of a serial killer?
Looking around my house, I believe I’ve saved some fun, wonderful and useful things. I like what I think they say about who I am. I also probably save too much. There’s a bin of food scraps under our kitchen sink. Yeah, I save too much.
Want More Fun?
Just say the word and you’ll receive chatty emails from me every Friday that include:
- Links to my latest essays about pets, travel, and the quirks of daily life.
- Behind-the-scenes glimpses at my life meant to amuse and inspire you.
- Favorite things of the week specially selected for you — they will be fun, cute, useful or any combination of the three.
My goal is for you to be excited to see my email in your inbox because it puts a smile on your face and leaves you feeling happy.