Where's Your Sign?

Ever since I’ve crossed the Mason-Dixon Line, I’ve heard some stories of woe from fellow transplants about crossing the line. We’ve left our friends and family behind and we are faced with building our network all over again. This can be tough. How do you know who will make a good friend?

Well, I think I’ve come up with a solution for the new friend trend. We should all wear signs. These signs will identify our personality types and more importantly our emotional intelligence quotient (E.I.Q.) – our ability (or potential) to feel, use, communicate, recognize, remember, learn from, manage and understand emotions.

Signs will be broken into four color categories, each color denoting a different personality type. This will help you get started:

Make yourself a Blue sign if these words describe you:
Romantic, sensitive, understanding, peace-keeper, optimistic, inspirational, growth-oriented, authentic, likes to make a difference.

Make yourself a Gold sign if these words describe you:
Generous, cultured, stable, detailed, dedicated, accomplished, hard-working, dependable, loyal to home and family, a list-maker.

Make yourself a Green sign if these words describe you:
Analytical, explores ideas, perfectionist, persistent, standard setter, serious, complex, technical independent, uses precise language, striving for intellectual achievement.

Make yourself an Orange sign if these words describe you:
Spontaneous, accepts challenges, invites change, quick witted, creative, thrill seeker, entertainer, good in a crisis, seeks freedom and variety, darn funny.

Now, before you can don your sign you’ll need to answer a series of E.I.Q. questions.

Situation 1: A friend has borrowed something small, but high in sentimental value. You've asked for your friend to return the item, but your friend has failed to bring it back.

A. You end the friendship. You don't need a friend who disrespects you and your feelings.
B. You let it go. Friendship is more important than material items.
C. You give your friend the cold shoulder until he or she returns your item.
D. You admit to your friend how important the item is to you and why you would like it back, and ask your friend to return the item to you.

Situation 2: Your boss has assigned you your first big project, and the success or failure of the project could make or break your career.

A. You push it aside, you'll get to it later.
B. You spend the next week planning the project out in careful detail before telling anybody.
C. You take a few minutes to relax, give yourself time to think, bounce ideas off a colleague, and decide to pursue the idea that makes you feel most confident.
D. You get nervous and pace. Nervous energy helps fuel the process.

Situation 3: You are walking down the street, suddenly trip, and almost land flat on your face.

A. You regain your poise, laugh at yourself, and continue on your way.
B. You look around and give anyone who is looking at you a dirty look.
C. You turn red with embarrassment, put your head down, start walking, and hope no one noticed.
D. You get mad and curse yourself under your breath.

I think we can all agree that the emotionally intelligent answers to the questions are probably D, C, and A. But, is that how you would really react in those situations? Fess up, and on the bottom of your sign, post your answers.

Now we’ll know what we are getting into as we forge ahead into new friendships.

Moving to a new town, a new state, or a new region of the country is kind of like the first day of kindergarten all over again. It is exciting and stressful. It can cause butterflies and even tears. But, with a love for your new hometown and a brand new sign dangling from your neck, how can you go wrong?


Courtney Naughton is a Jersey Shore native who relocated to Bluffton. She wears an orange sign and can be reached at courtneynaughton@hargray.com. This column is in jest, if you are not laughing you should be wearing a green sign.