2015’s been an exciting year for the Intelligent Ink team, and we’ve all learnt a lot along the way. In this end of year series, each Inker takes a look at what they’ve learnt and how that’s impacted on their lives – you might call it a peek inside the minds of the Inkers. Here’s to another year of learnings and laughter – see you in 2016!

Sam Baxter

The Myers-Briggs personality test is surprisingly accurate and insightful

Before this year, I think I would’ve held a personality test that breaks your personality down to four letters in the same esteem as horoscopes or Buzzfeed quizzes that tell you which Disney princess you are. But after having a thorough introduction to them through Intelligent Ink, and also spending a class at AUT discussing their merits in terms of PR and workplace dynamics, I have a different view. While the test doesn’t sum up everything about who you are as a person – nor does it try – it does help you get a handle on yourself, colleagues and how you and others best like to work. It’s been quite helpful as a tool for dealing with people and situations, and I think it’s definitely worth exploring. If you haven’t done the test, you can at http://www.16personalities.com/free-personality-test. Fingers crossed you’re an ENFP – they’re the coolest.

New Zealand’s media is going in a worrying direction

While I don’t want to get too doom and gloom-y in an end of year Christmas post, both working in and studying the PR/media industry in New Zealand has given me both theoretical and real-world insights and examples of just how difficult things are for those breaking the news. Places like Auckland Council and even real estate agencies have bigger newsrooms than most local papers, PR and Comms people outnumber journalists in a major way, and the latter are having to do increasingly more with less resources. It may be hypocritical for me, who works in PR, to be critical of this, but a healthy, credible and autonomous media is important for both society as a whole, and for the PR industry and our clients – the value in this comes, after all, in the endorsement of trusted third parties. Even as just another person walking down the street, it is concerning to see programmes like Campbell Live and 3D being axed in favour of tacky reality television or moronic offshore programming. Did you know that in a proper democracy – according to one of my lecturers – there is evidence that there should be one investigative journalist for every 30,000 people? I can probably count the number we actually have here in New Zealand on one – certainly two – hands, and its getting harder and harder for the job to be done. It’s concerning, and we all need to wake up and demand better content from our media before its too late.

It’s important to follow your heart, and do what you know to be right

There’s always going to be someone or something telling you no. It might be an annoying voice of self-doubt inside your own brain, or it could be the people around you – well meaning or not – voicing concerns about your decisions or direction. It’s easy to get swayed by these voices – especially when they’re coming from trusted loved ones – and, as a result, you can go against what you feel is best for you. I’ve been like that for a while, but this year I trusted my gut – I moved to Auckland with no job lined up, enrolled and started at AUT in the course of a week, and took up an internship. While none of that was going to pay the bills – quite the opposite, in fact – and lots of people second guessed what they saw as rash decision-making, I’d spent too long ignoring what I wanted to do and what I thought would be the best next step. At the end of the year, I can safely say that I made all the right decisions; I’ve had so many great and valuable experiences and opportunities as a result, and the future is looking pretty exciting. I think this shows that, at the end of the day, you know what is best for you. Even if you make mistakes, at least they’re your own mistakes, and you don’t end up regretting not following your own path, or resenting those who dissuaded you – and you’ll learn a lot more from them. While I’ll never disregard the advice and opinions of others, I now know it is essential to trust and believe in yourself first and foremost.