How To Decode Your Personality with Your Life Paths?

Beyond static traits; into the dynamic world of your projects

We love to understand ourselves through personality traits. Are we introverts or extroverts? Dreamers or planners? A popular way to capture the vastness of the personality ocean is with the Big Five: Open, Conscientious, Extraverted, Agreeable, and Neurotic. We are all somewhere on the scale on each of these, and the scores together give us our “personality type”.

You might discover you're more drawn to new horizons (Openness), or that you navigate life with a steady compass (Conscientiousness). Perhaps you're a vibrant lighthouse, drawing energy from others (Extraversion), or a calm harbor, fostering harmony (Agreeableness). And sometimes, the storms of life might rock your boat more than others (Neuroticism).

But what if I told you that there is a more intuitive way to understand yourself? What if who you are is more deeply revealed in the paths you choose to walk and the projects you can’t stop thinking about? That’s what Prof. Brian Little posits through his seminal research on personality science. He believes we aren’t just a bundle of traits. We are people in motion— shaped by the projects and pursuits that matter most to us.

I have personally loved taking personality quizzes over the years, and I appreciate having a framework to understand myself and others. But when I read Prof. Little’s work, it felt kind of obvious in hindsight that personalities cannot be fixed, and there needs to be a framework that depends more on what we choose to do rather than who we are!

Let's dive deeper into exploring how our life paths offer a richer understanding of our unique personalities –

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Beyond the Labels, Into the Paths We Walk

Prof. Little’s personal projects are very close to what we call life paths – the things you’re actively building your life around, living at the intersection of identity, emotion, and intention. Prof. Little found that –

Well-being is more accurately predicted by the paths we care about than by the traits we score high on.

According to Prof. Little, there are five key characteristics of these paths (personal projects) that significantly impact our sense of fulfillment:

1. Meaning: Does this project give you purpose? Is it a reflection of your values and identity?

2. Manageability: Do you have the time, the skills, the sense of control? This is where efficacy comes in – the belief that you can actually succeed.

3. Connection: Does the project connect you with others? Do others in your community find it valuable?

4. Positive Affect: Does working on it generally bring you joy, satisfaction, or a sense of accomplishment? These positive emotions are the fuel that keeps us going, making the challenges feel less daunting.

5. Negative Affect: Conversely, how much stress or anxiety does this project create? While some challenges are inherent in growth, a path that consistently breeds negative feelings might be a sign to re-evaluate its place in your life.

A path scoring high on the first four characteristics, and low on the fifth will be the most fulfilling to you 🙂

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Crafting a Fulfilling Life Through Life Paths

Prof. Little found that we often juggle around 15 different projects at any given time. That sounds wild until you list them out: career goals, creative pursuits, fitness, relationships, caregiving, community work, that podcast idea you've been thinking about. You start to see your life not as a single track, but as a vibrant network of interconnected projects.

And these projects don’t live in isolation. They interact, collide, support, and sometimes even compete with one another. Brian Little research highlights the importance of the "sustainable pursuit of core projects" for our well-being— the idea that our well-being depends not on how many things we’re doing, but on whether we can engage with them in a way that nourishes us instead of draining us.

The takeaway isn’t about doing less, but about prioritizing what resonates. And remember, not every path has to be permanent. Some will burn bright and end quickly. Others will simmer in the background for years before they ask for your attention again. This is the gift of understanding your life not as a fixed list of labels, but as an ever-changing map of paths.

And most importantly, Prof. Little’s work gives us a tool to actively shape our personalities through the life paths we choose.

• Want to be more open-minded? → Maybe, intentionally add more travel and new experiences?

• Want to be less introverted? → Maybe add volunteering or social connection in a context that is meaningful to you?

• Want to be more purposeful? → Maybe use your values as a rubric to decide whether you should take up a new assignment?

The paths we choose, and the way we walk them, will always say more about us than any test or type ever could 🙂

PS: If you're also navigating the complexities of multiple paths, we would love to help! Schedule a call with PolyPaths today :)