Without fail, I’m usually asked to describe myself in a word. A single word, as if that’s even possible. "Fine," they say, "describe yourself in five words." I need to roll up my sleeves and get this one down because I know it’ll spring up soon enough. If forced, which five words would you use to describe yourself? Answer. Then ask those closest to you (a parent, a lover, a sibling, a friend or two) to describe YOU using only five words, and do the same for them. Is there any parity? Is there a gap between how you see yourself and how the world around you does? If so, what have you learned from it?
It sounds like one of those quizzes in Cosmo, except there’s no mention of a martini or an erogenous zone. Still, I think it’s Tuesday fun. Please report your findings here as they roll in. Commit to your five words first. Post them. Then return to post what others said and how you feel about it.
March 18th, 2008 at 8:19 am
My five: Empathetic, deep, controlling, funny, organized.
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March 18th, 2008 at 8:31 am
Loyal, Pain In The Ass, Classy, Great Lover, Great Mommy…of course this is all today. Tomorrow it could be a completely different 5 words.
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March 18th, 2008 at 9:19 am
Hmmm. This IS hard!! Here goes- steady. Sarcastic, Type-A, (disgustingly)loyal, compassionate.
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March 18th, 2008 at 9:32 am
stubborn, funny, dependable, dedicated, spaz
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March 18th, 2008 at 9:42 am
being completely honest? enthusiastic, compassionate, jealous, emotional, and kind.
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March 18th, 2008 at 10:15 am
You think one is hard- five is even harder!
)
loving, dependable, creative, independent and Type-A (Thanks Lori, I think that is a good catch all descriptor
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March 18th, 2008 at 10:28 am
Artistic, Supportive, Funny, Lazy and Opinionated.
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March 18th, 2008 at 10:35 am
brilliant, beautiful, extraordinary, inspirational and…modest.
Oh just kidding.
I would say calm, optimistic, focused, centered and friendly.
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March 18th, 2008 at 10:36 am
tired,compassionate, giving, worried, open
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March 18th, 2008 at 10:52 am
witty, sarcastic, lazy, understanding, enjoyable
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March 18th, 2008 at 10:54 am
Human; with all that implies.
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March 18th, 2008 at 11:10 am
neurotic, loving, emotional, silly-funny & chatty
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March 18th, 2008 at 11:12 am
Mommy, smart, impatient, passionate, loyal
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March 18th, 2008 at 11:15 am
Husband says:
Fun
Adventurous
Loyal
Loving
Goofy
This all sounds generic to me, but he said it's sincere.
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March 18th, 2008 at 11:42 am
Intense, direct, creative, slightly insecure, very interested in people.
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March 18th, 2008 at 12:23 pm
This would probably change daily. Today it is:
Expecting
Hormonal
Fiercely loving
Compassionate
Worrier
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March 18th, 2008 at 12:26 pm
perceptive, wise, witty, easy-going, generous
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March 18th, 2008 at 1:01 pm
here goes, in no particular order:
intellectual, dependable, gabby, sarcastic, independent
words i wish i could honestly add to the list (i'm working on them): thoughtful, creative, easy-going, brave, graceful
and to the general commenting public: saying "type-A" is cheating, even if it's true. this is just lazy. notice how you only hear "type-A" people describe themselves this way? you never hear people describe themselves as "type-B". that's because they are the ones with enough creativity to think of a better way to describe themselves. (and this is coming from a seriously obsessive compulsive, anal retentive, type-A person)
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March 18th, 2008 at 1:03 pm
passionate, quick witted, kind, introspective, & charismatic.
this is hard!
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March 18th, 2008 at 1:23 pm
Loyal, empathetic, funny, stubborn and a worrywart.
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March 18th, 2008 at 1:31 pm
loyal, organized, friendly, creative, dreamer
(but i could also say: jealous, lazy, neurotic, worrier, and competitive)
Mom says I'm: persistent, loyal, sophisticated, organized and creative (and approachable)
I'm going to have to keep thinking though… Interesting. Thanks, Stephanie.
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March 18th, 2008 at 1:41 pm
smart, funny, successful, curvy, sexy
Now I'll ask my husband. This is fun!
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March 18th, 2008 at 1:53 pm
I wouldn't dare say, I'm to insecure, shy etc.!
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March 18th, 2008 at 2:19 pm
Thoughtful, bright, classy, sarcastic, and (brutally) honest
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March 18th, 2008 at 2:27 pm
Old enough to know better.
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March 18th, 2008 at 2:42 pm
Contemplative, curious, verbose, protective, sentimental
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March 18th, 2008 at 3:52 pm
Loyal, optimistic, cautious, giving, strong.
I agree, really hard… and surprising how many not-so-terrific adjectives crossed my mind, that I was willing to admit to. But funny, they didn't make the final five.
Thanks for the brain exercise! Will definitely share with family and friends.
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March 18th, 2008 at 4:10 pm
Funny, Sarcastic, Loyal, Hurt, Hopeful.
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March 18th, 2008 at 4:24 pm
OK, hubby said
- Intelligent
- Beautiful
- Loving
- Humorous
- and last, but not least, SEXY
My list was pretty close to his, but I think my list was influenced by what I thought he would say, if that makes any sense. What an interesting experiment. Thanks!
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March 18th, 2008 at 4:36 pm
so I've been told……..
emotional, loyal, neurotic, simple, kind-hearted
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March 18th, 2008 at 4:38 pm
callipygous, neurotic, creative, empathetic, and anxious
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March 18th, 2008 at 5:07 pm
love
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March 18th, 2008 at 5:11 pm
a lot, talented, inspiring, funny, loving
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March 18th, 2008 at 6:37 pm
A smart, hard-headed, loving woman
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March 18th, 2008 at 7:22 pm
empathetic,loving, sad, sarcastic, stubborn
husband says: loving, intelligent, stubborn, beautiful, bitchy
Ilove your five, Colleen
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March 18th, 2008 at 7:27 pm
Smart, smiling, passionate, loyal, tedious
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March 18th, 2008 at 7:38 pm
Jenni,
Fortunately, I had to look up the definition of callipygous.
Otherwise, I would have spewed Dr. Pepper all over myself. You have enriched my vocabulary.
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March 18th, 2008 at 8:04 pm
As of today:
Unemployed
Optimistic
Impatient
Wistful
Contemplative
In general on a day I haven't resigned my job:
Cautious
Optimistic
Impatient
Wistful
Inquisitive
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March 18th, 2008 at 8:08 pm
idealistic, lonely (for love), independent, silly, adventurous
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March 18th, 2008 at 9:26 pm
I described myself as:
1. Opinionated
2. Sarcastic
3. Inflexible
4. Compassionate
5. Likeable (because, despite 1-3, people still like me!)
Hubby described me as:
1. Loyal
2. Beautiful
3. Loving
4. Book-smart
5. Neurotic (but, when pressed, admitted that he didn't really know what that meant!)
While I don't disagree with his picks for 1-4, those weren't the first words to come to mind.
> Neurotic!
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March 18th, 2008 at 11:05 pm
me in 5 words: sarcastic, indecisive, loving, flexible, passionate
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March 18th, 2008 at 11:48 pm
worrywort, humorous, bookish, introspective, honest
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March 19th, 2008 at 12:35 am
i thought it would be more fun to ask my husband too. here's what he came up with:
cool, cheese, salt
…cheese and salt are my absolute favorite foods.
he came up with love when i raised an eyebrow then went straight to shopping.
so i guess cool, cheese, salt, love and shopping.
he's really romantic and sentimental.
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March 19th, 2008 at 12:41 am
hmmm here goes nothing:
giving, smart, stubborn, caring, contemplative
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March 19th, 2008 at 3:59 am
Creative, compassionate, menopausal, hyper, and geeky.
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March 19th, 2008 at 7:15 am
Understanding
Independent
Brave
Generous
Loving
Mmmm….I have to admit that some of my family and friends might add "stubborn" but then that would make six and you asked for only five, so I just have to leave that one out!
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March 19th, 2008 at 12:56 pm
kind, empathetic, adventurous, coward, complex
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March 19th, 2008 at 1:36 pm
hungry, sarcastic, emotional, loyal, uptight (trying to stay away from Type-A)
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March 19th, 2008 at 1:36 pm
If I had to make a list, it would be: intelligent, stubborn, driven, opinionated, loyal.
If it were a sentence/descriptor of five words: Endlessly fascinated by nearly everything.
I ran this by a few friends and they just laughed. Apparently I am more stubborn than even I think.
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March 19th, 2008 at 1:53 pm
funny, emotional, hard-headed, intuitive, caring
Will update with what the bf says… sorry i know this is late!
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