Loyal and loving, cupcake-baking ISTJ smart girl seeks educated gentleman for romance and adventure. Must appreciate traditions and family values. Ethnicity irrelevant. Kindly submit recent photo with reply. Grammar and punctuation will be evaluated.
Dear gentleman in question, let’s hope you have acquainted yourself with the Isabel Briggs Myers’ system of personality typing before replying to my ad. ISTJ relationships can be wonderful and rewarding and set you on the fast track to happiness if you know the tricks to woo my heart. But if you aren’t prepared for some of the hard truths about dating an ISTJ, even the most promising relationships can derail.
1. Respect is a requirement
The grammar and punctuation bit is my way of ascertaining your attention to details. It tells me whether, if I make a request, however odd, you will hear and respect it. Also, as much as I’d like to say I’m wrong, can you think of a better way to prove that you are, in fact, educated?
Flip side: This request is a two-edged sword for me because it feeds into my tendency to be a perfectionist. Honey, I will be judging your grammar so hard. Sorry/not sorry. You were warned. However, it’s also the frosting on my cupcake and if you comply I will be tossing sprinkles into the air like confetti.
2. Late means no second date
If we decide to meet for coffee and you show up late, there won’t be a second date. I value my time. Disrespect it, and my irritation is not something that caffeine will soothe. Your attractive excuses will fall flatter than the foam on my latte because the fact is, you’re a shmuck.
Flip side: If I’m running late, there is a 99 percent chance I will text you and cancel, in order to avoid the uncomfortable reality that I am a shmuck. The guilt is real, and for the sake of amore, I will sincerely attempt to reschedule. This translates into loyalty and if our romance blooms into something beautiful, I will have your back, deliver on my promises, and prove that I prioritize our relationship.
3. Honesty is always the best policy
The photo request is a test. If you show up for our first date and are twenty pounds heavier or anything other than your photograph, I raise an immediate block. Honesty is always the best policy and I need to know who you are, warts and all. The internet exists. I will find out.
Flip side: I wear minimal make-up and I’m an open book because I want you to meet the real me, too. Nothing is more frightening than authenticity but sometimes, the truth will set you free. Loving me for who I am is a gift I won’t take for granted.
4. When I say adventure, I don’t mean backpacking across Nepal
Adventure is such an ambiguous term. Let me clarify it. We are not going to jump from an airplane on our first date. Or any date. Or ever. We are not going to the casino and make it rain. Touring a museum or taking a hike is more my style and using the port-a-potty is as daring as I get.
Flip side: I will miss out on fun activities that I never knew I loved unless you gently encourage me to try new things. Gently. Expect me to look before I leap over a waterfall, dash through a haunted house, or swoon into your arms.
5. My approach to risk is analytical. Deal.
If we do try new things outside of my comfort zone, expect my approach to be methodical and cautious and possibly just a little bit boring. I will ask a lot of questions before hand. I will do a lot of internal processing afterward. I might appear aloof, unimpressed, or even unhappy, but don’t panic. It’s my way of trying to categorize and process the experience in my head.
Flip side: The look of sudden surprise and delight on my face in uncharted territory is priceless and worth the wait. It’s frustrating that I can be my own worst enemy, overthinking an opportunity into oblivion and there are many things I have never tried because of it. You might be the prince with the magic flying carpet. Help me trust you.
6. You have a role in this relationship and I expect you to take it seriously
Open the door for me, hail my cab, carve the turkey. I love the traditions that hold together relationships, families, and societies. If you have no traditions, expect me to create some. We will celebrate Chinese New Year, even if you’re Russian and I’m Irish.
Flip Side: If you ask me to change a tire or kill a spider, expect push-back. It’s not that I can’t. But hey, that’s your job.
7. Hands of a gentleman, kiss of promise
Public displays of affection are not in my romantic repertoire. Very few people are allowed into my personal space and hanky-panky will occur in…additional personal space. Now, if you were to “pop” the question in a timely, tidy, traditional way, exceptions could be made.
Flip Side: Restraint is sexy. Expect me to not have any…once we are in our personal space. ISTJs were designed for a long, steady, heat-producing love instead of the flash-in-the-pan theatrics of other personalities. A Jane Eyre instead of Scarlett O’Hara. I am the substance behind the sparkle.
