ENFJs… We’re devoted, loving, hard-working and loyal to a fault. What’s not to love, right? Well, for this ENFJ, love has been … a battlefield. Like many of my fellow Teacher personality types, I tend to fall into the category of “serial monogamy.” I find myself in one relationship after the next, pushing for something lasting—even when the relationship has clear problems.
I’ve been working at a non-profit for the last 3 ½ years, and we’ve just concluded a process where we revisited our mission. It occurs to me, though we may consider a mission statement crucial for an organization, we may never consider having one as individuals. Yet, when we look at the most fundamental questions of meaning and purpose in life, they point toward crafting our personal mission in the process. The following is a step-by-step process by which any individual could articulate his or her own personal mission, as well as vision, values, calling, and guiding principles.
I find it ironic that I pitched the idea for this article—an article on goal making—over a month ago and I’m only just writing it now. Clearly, I am in need of its contents as much as the next ENFP!
Have you found yourself wondering why your INFJ friend, partner, or family member has trouble expressing their emotions? Does it feel like pulling teeth to get them to open up to you, despite your close relationship? It seems a little odd that the INFJ—one of the most sympathetic types of Myers-Briggs personality model—has such difficulty voicing their own emotions.
Why is that, for some people, forgiving themselves is like water off a duck's back—they apologize, vow to do better and just move on with their lives? Yet for others, there's so much shame attached to a perceived wrongdoing that it's almost impossible for them to forgive and make peace with themselves?
INFJs often feel misunderstood. Perhaps it’s because they’re quiet and reserved and tend to share their deepest thoughts and feelings only with select people. Or maybe it’s because they are so rare, making up less than 1% of the population.
More likely though, it’s because they are walking, talking contradictions. As Introverts who want to help people, and feelers who love logic, they can seem confusing, even to themselves.
Both commonly dubbed as ‘emotionless robots’ or ‘logical masterminds’ with no clue on how to navigate the social sphere or figure out romantic encounters, the INTJ and INTP are among one of the most difficult pairs (and brains) to pick apart. Since they’re both Intuitive Thinkers (NT), it’s quite common to mistype as the other.
Confidence is normally described as a belief in yourself and your abilities. I don't like this definition because it feels too static. In my mind, self-confidence is not a single belief or idea but a process; it's how you function despite all the challenges you face and the critics who will make you question yourself.
It’s scary that my kids are so radically different from me. For a person who lines up her cans alphabetically in the pantry, it’s pretty harsh. This ISTJ submitted identical genetic samples at conception, then raised them all in the same house with the same rules with unvaried routines…and they are from five different planets. And that’s only if Pluto counts. What you need to know is that your little one was born with a complete personality. And there’s nothing you can do about it.
Only children can't share. First-borns are bossy. And the youngest child gets away with murder. We all know the stereotypes connecting personality with birth order, and no matter where you sit in your family tree, you likely have some assumptions about how your position in your family helped to shape your personality.