Personality Functions …The 3 Hidden Secrets to Finding Your True Self
It’s paradoxical? The more we search outside ourselves—looking for answers from those we believe have it all together (but does anyone, really?) or from brands with their perfect logos, taglines, and on-trend messaging—the further we drift from what’s truly meant to guide us. We even turn to personality theories, astrology, and the Enneagram in search of self-identity paradigms. There’s nothing wrong with any of these, but too often, we lose touch with our higher-conscious self, the part of us in harmony with our unique cognitive functions and authentic character.
We chase after external labels, but who we really are is revealed not just in our outward traits, but in the soul-fed and logical characteristics we genuinely embody. Whether we show up as introverts or extroverts, prefer structure (judging) or flexibility (perceiving), our natural tendencies are meant to help us navigate the world. Our feeling and thinking patterns guide our decisions, while our sensing and intuitive traits determine how we take in information.
These built-in tools are powerful—they help us recognize patterns in our lives that no longer serve us. Yet too often, we ignore these signs, box them up, and leave them unexplored in our conscious minds. We get distracted by the busyness of life, slip into blaming others, and—perhaps worst of all—allow external assumptions to drown out our own inner truth.
True guidance comes from within. The journey back to your authentic self begins when you trust your own awareness.
What if the answers you seek—the clarity, the courage, the soulful spark—have been quietly waiting for you to remember them?
It’s About Remembering, Not Changing.
The Big Reveal
For visionary women who desire creative, spiritual, or purposeful work—especially those who have felt confined and want to break free from “the should’s of life’—here’s the truth. It’s not about changing who you are. It’s about rediscovering, revealing and remembering, honoring, and evolving who you’ve always been at your essence. Your unique personality functions are sacred. Think of them as spiritual signposts pointing you back home.
You’re Not Alone If…
- You’re lost in societal roles: You feel uncertain, disconnected from your creative mission or spiritual truth… wondering; “Who am I, really?”
- You’re confused & overwhelmed: Too many voices, too many rigid systems, too many demands—you can’t see a path that feels authentically yours.
- You’re burnt out by “shoulds”: Years of trying to fit others’ blueprints have left you exhausted, doubting, and stuck.
Spiritual Personality Typing: Remember Who You Are.
The Secrets To Success
What if you woke up knowing that every choice, every idea, every new beginning flowed from the deepest, brightest parts of you? Your intuition sharpens. Branding, artistry, vision and vocation feels effortless. Your inspired, energetic and vibrant. And wherever you go, you move with joy, purpose, and authenticity—an uplifting others. A few key examples:
- Nina’s “Tsunami”: After years of upheaval and loss, I discovered the liberating power of understanding my own personality functions. My pain and gifts both pointed to a deeper truth and authentic mission.
- Understanding patterns leads to purposeful creating: My extroverted intuition (Ne) used to fuel endless possibilities without conclusion—until I learned to balance it with stillness and the harmonizing effect of (Ti). Suddenly, chaos became clarity, and I could serve soulfully and genuinely with true clarity and a higher-purpose.
- Brand Transformation: Women who use rigid external branding rules are slowing waking up, building powerful, heart-centered businesses rooted in their true strengths—leading to deeper fulfillment and impact.
Follow the Divine Compass Within.
Unboxing Hidden Secrets
- “Tests just box me in.” Yes, they do if you rely on old-school paradigms of typology. What if you shifted your perspective and thought of cognitive functions as building blocks, evolving with you.
- Many people have problems with identifying their Myers Briggs Personality Type. This is understandable as the test needs to be taken with an open mind, and doesn’t guarantee a 100% accuracy rate. No test really does. Here again, you can’t just rely on the results. Question the test? What aspects don’t feel like you?
- Explore your sister type; in example if you get results that state you’re an ENFP, your sister type is an INFP. Or explore your soul family in relation to your results continuing with this example: ENFP, INFP, ENFJ, or INFJ. Explore, study and
Awareness begins with curiosity, not perfection. Unfolding is part of the path. - Knowing who you are from the inside out, isn’t a trend, it’s fully embodying your divine design.
Challenge. Knowing. Transcendence.
- Challenge: Realize the burn out, being boxed in, and disconnected from your own story, this is the beginning of your awakening.
- Knowing: Personality functions are not limitations—they are your sacred navigation tools. Honoring them unlocks your natural gifts and dissolves confusion.
- Transcendence: Evolving—not forcing change—and integrating both your strengths and fears, you become fully, joyfully yourself. You step into the creator’s role in your own life story.
Honor Your Origin Story.
Three Hidden Secrets (With Action Steps!)
1. Functions are Your Soul’s Compass
Your primary and secondary functions (personality traits) reveal the essence of your authentic self and highest purpose.
- Action: Identify your top two functions—what are their strengths? What do they most love to do?
- Reflect: Have you been honoring your gifts or dismissing them?
2. Your Functions Illuminate Hidden Fears
Each function has a shadow. It can point out fears or patterns keeping you stuck.
- Action: Journal your greatest strengths. Write their “opposite” or potential pitfalls.
- Ask: Are these shadows showing up in your life, decisions, or brand letting you know they carry the weight of old chapters… what you no longer need?
3. Triggers are Invitations to Evolve
Triggers aren’t just negative—they’re cues for growth, evolution, and boundary-setting.
- Action: Next time you’re triggered, pause and breathe.
- Is this calling out an outdated belief?
- Is it showing you a new boundary to set?
- What is your spirit asking you to learn here?
Journal Prompt
What are your greatest strengths? Write them down. Now look at each strength and see the opposite effect of it. Is this opposite effect influencing your personal reality?
Your Evolving Story
Your personality isn’t something to fix or change. It’s sacred. It’s meant to evolve, in partnership with your divine spark–through the gifts you were born to embody–expressing Divinely inspired actions in your personal reality. This is the path that brings your creativity, intuition, and bold vision to life—naturally and joyfully.
- You are not here to become someone else.
- You are here to become the fullest, truest version of YOU—
- In all your paradox, passion, and possibility.
Quick Evolution Steps
- Pause external searching. Turn inward.
- Discover your core personality functions.
- Observe your strengths and shadows, lovingly.
- Treat triggers as invitations, not obstacles.
- Build gentle, soul-honoring rituals.
- Set boundaries that protect your essence.
- Surround yourself with women who celebrate your evolution.
- Affirm daily: “I evolve. I honor. I align with my true self.”
Let this season be the beginning of your bravest, brightest adventure yet! Ready to go deeper or need soulful support for your transition? Let’s connect—your next chapter starts now. Schedule your clarity call here.
Please Share: Personality Functions Three Hidden Secrets To Find Your True Self
If you found this post to be beneficial and know a friend or two that might also enjoy it please feel free to share it. It’s always my intention to encourage you and plant seeds to help you think differently. To tap into the unique aspects of your true self through spiritual personality type. By doing so, we can collectively raise the vibration of the planet. If you know someone—a friend, co-worker, or family member—who is struggling with self-understanding or seeking their true self, please share this post with them. You never know who might need this message today.
You can also find me on Pinterest, Instagram, and LinkedIn. for more inspiration and resources.
Travel A Tonic for Self-Discovery
Can you see why I staunchly believe that travel is a tonic for the soul? Travel offers a real-time opportunity to observe your personality type in action. It’s an enriching environment—a living classroom for self-discovery—that exposes you to diverse experiences. This encourages self-reflection, fosters personal growth, and provides countless opportunities to step outside your comfort zone.
This post offers a sneak peek into my book, Unpack Your Personality: Let Your Inner Guide Be Your Travel Guide. It’s part memoir (my story of self-discovery through travel), part introduction to Spiritual Personality Typing℠—a reimagining of Myers-Briggs (MBTI) through the lens of spiritual alignment—and part personalized travel guidebook. The idea is that all of these roads lead to self-discovery.
Please know that I curate these posts to be both meaningful and educational, designed to help you navigate the needs of your sacred personality type on the road, in business, and in life. If you’re interested in exploring your unique travel personality type, feel free to contact me me for a one-on-one travel session.
Only 1 in 10 Truly Know Who They Are. Be the Exception
You’re not here to settle. You’re here to remember who you are.
Through Spiritual Personality Typing℠—my proprietary, soul-first method and the heart of the (un)brand—you’ll cut through the noise and get crystal clear on your Who and Why.
This isn’t cookie-cutter coaching. These are bespoke, one-on-one sessions designed to help you reconnect with your most authentic self—from the inside out.
We’ll uncover the patterns keeping you stuck, break self-sabotaging loops, and illuminate what actually moves you—in life and in motion.
This is radical self-awareness. Sacred strategy. Identity work for the soul-led.
Ready to rewrite your origin story? Book your Clarity Call—your becoming awaits.
More About Spiritual Personality Typing℠
My work reframes how you see MBTI® personality typing—no more boxed-in stereotypes or cute quizzes. Your type isn’t a label. It’s sacred language. Your persona? Just a mask.
Spiritual Personality Typing℠ invites you to see your archetype as a divine blueprint—an activation of your truest self, not a simplification.
But here’s the truth: this isn’t passive work. Transformation doesn’t come from scrolling—it comes from devotion. When you engage with your type as a daily spiritual practice, something shifts. Your soul self and your rational self stop competing—and start collaborating.
That’s when awakening happens. That’s when you stop performing a life… and start living one.
Whether you’re navigating travel, relationships, your calling, or your next creative leap—you’ll stop showing up as a role, and start showing up as you.
And isn’t that what soul-led living is really about?
Want to Dive Deeper? I Got You
If this speaks to you even a little bit, check out my podcast interview on Reinvention Rebels with host Wendy Battles
🎧 Reinvention at 66: Nina Zapala’s Journey to Embrace Imperfection and Ignite Her Purpose
👉 Listen here.
Thank you, Wendy, for believing in me — and allowing me to share my journey 🩵
Read:
🔖 The Dark Side of Personality Typing. Click here
🔖 Six Initial Steps to Find Purpose In Your Life. Click here
👀 Go To YouTube For Deeper Insights. Watch here
📚 Or grab a copy of my debut book: Unpack Your Personality: Let Your Inner Guide Be Your Travel Guide
Who Is Nina Zapala?
Hey, I’m Nina Zapala—creator of Spiritual Personality Typing℠, a new way to connect your mind and spirit so you can actually show up as your real self. My mission? Plant seeds for a fresh kind of thinking—where self-expression isn’t just allowed, it’s unstoppable.
I’m also the mind behind the (un)Brand: a soul-first, zero-cookie-cutter approach for founders who are done with branding clichés and performance games. No more approval-chasing. No more shrinking to fit in. The (un)Brand helps you show up fully—characteristically authentic, unapologetic, and 100% you.
With decades in branding, community, and cause marketing (and 300+ articles to prove it), I help women take back their identity and purpose. My book, Unpack Your Personality Let Your Inner Guide Be Your Travel Guide., is your invite to trust your gut and journey inward.
Let’s be real—someone rocks blue hair or pitches a bold idea, and most people roll their eyes or back away. My work? Burns old scripts. Instead we light up what makes you exquisitely different.
Photo Credit: Anthony Brown
Post Updated: July 2025
