Comments on: Four success qualities of INFPs

By: Corin

Corin — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 16:28:59 +0000

In my early 20′s I was an extreme introvert. It took about 2 years for me to learn social skills. First off, children learn to play next to other children before they learn to play with other children. For me, I found that I discovered that I loved dancing. So I went dancing alot, by myself. I didn’t go to meet people. I was there to do what I loved. Eventually, I became a familiar face and people came up and said hi. I was still shy but eventually if you do it enough, you get better and eventually you do enjoy doing it.

Also, I rarely talk about me unless they ask and then I’ll answer whatever they want. Mostly, I’m interested in other people. People don’t become my friend because I tell them about my life, my views or my thoughts. They become my friends because they tell me about their life. INFPs are good listeners. It’s one of our strengths.

By: ruby

ruby — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 06:38:35 +0000

social INFP. i think that’s one of my biggest goals and one of the things that causes the biggest frustrations. as an introvert, how does one transition from an INFP to a social INFP. does this mean that you will shift more to extrovertedness? and if so, how do you do it? i have been trying all my life to be extroverted not just in the web but the real world itself and i have been disappointed all the time. whenever i try to open up…i hesitate…and when i finally do it…it backfires (socially awkward)…leaving me with a traumatic pain which could last for days…after that, i would just leave things as they are…never really growing izzit…i guess i’m driven by fear and pain in risking myself to initiate and mingle with strangers and make new friends…with this said, i still have the least idea in effectively overcoming this and coming out of my shell smoothly…sometimes i wish i were an ENFP/ENTP/ENFJ/ENTJ for that matter..or probably extroverted…i sometimes undermine the strength that introversion gives…

By: K. Lysha

K. Lysha — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 23:58:33 +0000

Very interesting. I just found out I’m an INFP today and so much of the stuff in this entry and the rest of your site rings true for me. I almost want to forward some of this to the guy I’m dating to help him to get me LOL. Thanks for an inciteful read.

By: Anna

Anna — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 07:39:26 +0000

I thought about working for myself – but being the analyst that I am I know I’d sit and read every book, make many lists of pros and cons, and then .. eventually .. talk myself out of it! But you’re right though. I’ve thought of going back to school and going into the health sector where I can help people one-on-one. Wanted to be a psychologist for so many years (even toyed with being a lawyer) but I have a habit of mulling over the day and trying to help people even when I’m home; I’d surely drive myself insane .. Give me a life of luxury anyday!

By: ockhamdesign

ockhamdesign — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 07:20:04 +0000

I temped for five years when I was younger. It was one of the most enlightening experiences of my life working for a different company every other week for five years. I learned there is no place where the grass is greener. Office politics and all the other bad things is unavoidable when you work for another person.

The only real solution is to work for yourself, but then that presents a whole different set of problems to be solved.

By: Anna

Anna — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 05:07:38 +0000

I’m also an INFP who works with a public utility company as a Data Analyst. Although everyone I work with (and I have to admit myself) say I’m a brilliant Data Analyst (top 3% easily in the company), I don’t feel it’s a great fit at all. And the funny thing is that I’ve been doing it for 10 years and the pay and perks are good, but really can’t stand the office environment and the office politics/bitchiness. My friend packed up and went to Hawai’i and I visited her for a holiday. I totally agree with you in the lifestyle and adventure. I pined to be somewhere so scenically beautiful and so .. raw (for a lack of a better word). I have decided on many new ‘problems’ but just haven’t got the guts to do it. I really hate reality sometimes…

By: Lotte

Lotte — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 12:39:14 +0000

Hmm, the “Reply” link doesn’t work on my browser …

Anyway just to clarify I’m not actually a cardiologist, I’m an RN and registered sonographer in a large specialist group. My attention span is not sufficient for the long haul that is med school! But 2-3 years of school at a time I can handle … becoming a “jill of all trades” around the office keeps things varied and prevents boredom.

Working in a hospital is also a rich source of writing material. Too bad I’m not organized enough to have anything more than a vast collection of vaguely related chapters. Six months to a novella – impressive!

By: ockhamdesign

ockhamdesign — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 08:45:04 +0000

My wife is an INTJ and we both love to write. Since she’s a J, she finished her 40,000 word novella in 6 months while running a part time business. As an INFP, I’ve been thinking about my obligatory first novel for 20 years now. Laundry gets done by whoever gets to it first.

I’ve met INFPs in all types of professions. It helps that I can usually determine type after I meet someone a few times. Then I ask if they’ve taken the Myers-Briggs. Most INFPs know their INFPs. I think we all get drawn to personality tests. You’re the first cardiologist I’ve met.

I definitely understand about wanting people to like you. For me, I’ve been a social INFP for about 15 years (very quiet until 24) so people liking me has always been that balance between quantity vs. quality. Do I want a lot of people to like me on a superficial level or do I want a small group to like me even though I’m kind of a pain in the ass.

By: Lotte

Lotte — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 00:16:12 +0000

Thank you for this article; it’s well-written and rings so true. I recently made a major job transition and it’s gone smoothly only because I’ve remained self-aware and adaptable through the process — something it took me until age 40 to pull off

It’s also helpful to hear you describe other INFPs you know. I only know one other INFP, and she lives 500 miles away so connections are often missed. Meanwhile my hubby can’t understand why even though work is going well, I write all the time while the laundry piles up.

The One Thing I am really good at happens to be cardiology. I have a very cool job that lets me work independently and interact with one patient at a time, for about 45 minutes at a time, and it [lets] you meet some of the most *interesting* people that way! But I am a duck in a sea of flamboyant SP swans and it’s taking me some time to figure out the politics. They already respect my credentials, but darn it I want them to LIKE me!

Although there are some professions that are especially suited to INFPs, we can and do succeed in all kinds of business and technical fields. This is a good reference that I will share. Thanks again!

By: David Nasseri

David Nasseri — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 14:13:21 +0000

I am an INFP named David. I recently graduated from college from San Francisco State. During my time at State, I worked as an office intern with the public utility company. Reflecting back on that paid internship, I realized that sitting alone in a office analyzing and researching data is not a great fit for me. So I packed up and moved to Hawaii. What a great adventure! I traveled island to island and encountered strange new situations and people. Anyway, your article really resonated with me. Especially when you wrote about moving out when you were 19 and choosing to face a “better problem”.I have been living at home for the past 4 months and my parents goals and ideas of “success” are quite different from my values. I am at a similar crossroad in my own life and found much inspiration in your article that I can apply to my own life. Thank you.