As the year comes to a close, many of us reflect on the highs and lows that occurred in 2016. It has been a rocky year with many shocking moments, but we’ve also had a lot of incredible accomplishments. Since we’re in a season of celebration, what better way to close out the year than with all of the great articles that have been written here at Personality Hacker? Let’s celebrate the highlights!

Here are my choices for the Best 12 Articles of 2016:

#12 – Money Magnifies Who You Already Are

As a Millennial recently entering Graves 5, I have trouble seeing money in a positive light. Reading Merja’s explanation of how it amplifies our current character helped me overcome this perception. Humans don’t have to become greedy beasts frothing at the mouth for every chance at exploitation once starting a business. It’s entirely possible to seek out a multibillion-dollar salary and have a compassionate heart geared towards helping the world. In fact, many of the world’s billionaires are already doing that by helping fund cures for the diseases that ail us, setting up educational systems for those in need, and implementing solutions for many disenfranchised communities to have access to clean water.

How is your relationship with money? If it’s negative, this article might help you change that.

#11 – Enriching Your Life Through Essentialism

Instead of depriving yourself of some of life’s greatest pleasures in an attempt to follow the philosophy of minimalism, try Essentialism instead! It’s a concept based on quality rather than quantity. When you honor your needs by feeding yourself luxury every once in a while, your life satisfaction will skyrocket. Essentialism has taught me to be deliberate with my choices, which by default helped me reduce my stash without compromising quality. In fact, I feel satisfied more often than ever before after adopting this principle!

If you feel stuck in a rut or feel like your life lacks luster, check out the principle of Essentialism and see if it’s something that can help you maximize your happiness.

#10 – The One Trait More Important Than Personality

This year has presented us with many examples of people out of integrity with themselves. Antonia points out in this article that this concept is seldom even considered in our current society, at least here in the USA. It’s an interesting discussion on character and how that affects the behavior of a person. After reading this, I attempt to be more aware of how my inner values match my outward behavior. Being in cognitive dissonance can be unsettling to anyone at any time, no matter which personality type you are.

This article is definitely for anyone who has an interest in being consistent in their self-development.

#9 – My Experience Overcoming A Victim Mentality

Sometimes when you go through trauma, it can haunt you for years afterward. Despite being completely free from the situation, you are mentally chained to the past and continue to act like the victim that you were at that time. This is called a victim mentality, and it was one of the hardest mindsets I had to overcome. I still have some work to do, but I accomplished a milestone of setting myself apart from my past so that I’m able to encourage others to try it out. The Drama Triangle is a tough cycle to escape from but once you do, your mental real estate increases for other ventures you can focus on.

People having trouble achieving because of limiting beliefs can benefit from this article. Don’t let your past shackle you.

#8 – Growing Through Negative Feedback

What I love about this article is how much compassion is shown for the person delivering some nasty feedback. When we receive negative reviews, it can hit us on a personal level. However, Antonia considers another mindset about how we can take upsetting judgments. And of course in true ENTP fashion, she dives deep into the etymology of why humans react the way they do to criticism.

If you struggle with hearing feedback that may lower your self-esteem, I urge you to check this article out. There’s invaluable information here to help you through that experience.

#7 – How Self-Parenting Improves Your Relationships

In #9, I addressed the model of the Drama Triangle. It encourages us to change the way we view our relationships with each other. But in this article, Merja proposes that we change our relationship with ourselves. Each of us has an adult self as well as an inner child. And this inner child needs a lot of care. It is the part of us that carries our deepest needs, our most life-altering traumas, and our lingering wounds. When we ignore this part of ourselves, preventing it from healing, this wounding bleeds over into our relationships and other areas of our lives.

Is there something off about your current relationship but it’s hard to pinpoint what went awry? Try contacting your inner child to see if there’s some old wounding there. In this article, Merja gives a few tips on how to do that.

#6 – The Genius of INFx Types

This article celebrates the strengths of INFJs and INFPs, allowing people of other types to appreciate their gifts and helping those of the type to understand themselves better. Even though I’m a Thinker, I find her explanation of the internal compass and why it’s important extremely useful. Feelings are necessary when it comes to plotting your life trajectory, and she put into clear words the role of feelings and intrinsic values that all humans need to honor in order to be their most authentic and well-rounded selves.

Those who have trouble getting in touch with their feelings or accepting their deepest values will benefit from reading this. Take a lesson from iNtuitive Feelers and learn how to stay true to your authentic self. As a bonus, Merja dives deeper into the inner parenting work mentioned above!

#5 – How to Develop an Empowering Mindset

What do an airplane and the human brain have in common? Autopilot, apparently! And if that doesn’t make sense, it will after you read this lovely piece of writing. Many of us go through the motions day by day, not realizing that a lot of our biggest decisions are already made for us – by our own minds. We set a mental habit that does a lot of the work for us. And while it’s hard to be conscious of every tiny action, decision, and word we choose, we can at least alter the settings of our minds to empower ourselves and take back control.

If you like the thought of having peak control over your life and your choices, check this out. You’ll be amazed to find out just how similar you are to an airplane, and how you can retrain yourself to be more of an active pilot.

#4 – A Thinker’s Confession

I mentioned that I’m a thinker. And 90% of the time, I love being this way – until it’s time for me to face an emotion head-on. Feelings are scary stuff. And while that may sound crazy to some, I think many other thinkers would agree. However, the deeper I get into this self-development journey of mine, the more I’m reminded of how important our emotions are to us as human beings. Antonia once described emotions as ‘concentrated thoughts,’ which illustrates the usefulness of what we feel.

I list six fleshed out reasons for why, as a thinker, you should evaluate your emotions instead of pushing them down. They won’t be as scary or useless afterward (but they might still be boring, honestly).

#3 – 5 Vital Parenting Lessons Learned the Hard Way

The vulnerability here captures your attention just about instantly. I’m not a mother myself, but I could appreciate how drastically it can affect a person’s life. It may be one of the biggest motivators for self-development in many cases, especially for parents who strive to be role models and enjoy their children as much as possible. Antonia tells a few anecdotes about her journey and how childrearing has increased her opportunities for self-development.

If you’re a parent, this article gives you some tips on how to persevere and find life satisfaction during the toughest moments of parenting. And if you aren’t a parent, and perhaps never want to be, use these words to motivate you for bettering yourself. If someone with three kids and a full blown business can find the time for self-development, allow that kind of story to inspire you!

#2 – Reevaluating Worldview: Smashing the Window That Held Me Prisoner

Remember that autopilot stuff? A lot of it stems from whatever worldview you grew up with. Charis gives us an excellent example of how scary it can be to leave an old mindset behind. She shares her personal story of how she left her religion, going through the stages of grief to overcome the transition. This touched a lot of hearts and is one of the most powerful articles written this year.

When you want to change your worldview and broaden your mental horizon, check this out. It’s a touching piece that gets to the heart of how life changes you, as well as how you can change it.

Honorable Mentions

Before I announce the #1 article of the year, I’d like to point out some great tokens that touched a lot of people and were really helpful. Check out these three fantastic compliments to 2016.

Merja’s Story

It seems like vulnerability inserted itself as a prime theme for the year. This post is no exception. In fact, it’s probably the most vulnerable. Merja’s sharing of her childhood and all that she endured becoming the person she is today has helped a lot of people become comfortable with their own story. Take a look and see if you agree.

Systems Thinking: A Boring Name For A Game Changing Reframe

I’m sure Systems Thinking has helped many people
in understanding themselves and others. This article is short but packed with information on what System Thinking is and what it does for the world. Check it out to see if it can be useful to you as well.

How Introverts Can Generate Energy In Social Situations

I realize that this isn’t from 2016, but with our extensive list of introverted readers, I thought it’d be a nice gift to revisit. Our guest writer André Solo shares some tips to prepare ourselves for socialization. Read on to see what works for him and then share your strategies in the comments!

The Best Article of 2016

And the best, most revered, most loved, most wordsmithed and storylicious article of the year goes to:

A Feeler’s Dilemma Accepting Feelings

The very first time I read this article, I realized just how ignorant I was to the Feeler experience and the struggle they go through to have their emotions and experiences recognized. Charis illustrates the conflict within herself to give attention to her own feelings, nevertheless for the people around her. The revelations she gives to you are profound since they were ones learned the hard way. You can tell that every single piece of advice comes from a personal place and that she’s not making anything up. This is definitely an article in which Thinkers and Feelers can appreciate what emotions can do for us. In addition to that, it can help us hold space for every judging function, allowing the people around us to honor their strengths however they show up.

It doesn’t matter if you’re a Feeler or Thinker for this one. I think everyone can benefit from reading Charis’ enlightening post.

Closing Remarks

Well, you’ve come this far! I want to thank you so much for joining the Personality Hacker community this year. What did you think of this list? What were your favorite articles from 2016? Don’t hesitate to mention your top picks in the comments below. Let’s hope 2017 gives us some awesome writing as well!

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