Comments on: Making a Better Decision

By: celebration

celebration — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 05:33:36 +0000

this is a great blog

By: Deb Joffe

Deb Joffe — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 18:29:12 +0000

Such a relief to finally discover that I am INFP and there are other people like me out there. I’m full of guilt at being a dreamer rather than a doer and this adds further confusion to decision-making (I want perfection, but that seems to mean being something which I am not). I even feel guilty ‘wasting’ time on doing a personality test, thinking a lot about myself and reading about it all on the internet. I could instead take a view that this has been a really good use of the last couple of hours…

I’ve got lots of decisions to make now (job, buying a house etc) and I have to make them alone so this blog has really helped me factor in some new aspects to thinking and deciding these things. I can now take into account my core personality traits as well as opting for imperfect outcomes. Thank you!

By: Luke

Luke — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 06:14:25 +0000

I appreciate this post. There are some good points.

The point that stuck in my mind the most was “I started imagining the less than perfect”. It’s so concrete! This technique reminds me of Dale Carnegies book “How to stop worrying and start living.” He states something along the lines of “imagine the absolute worse case scenario and go from there.”

I started reading “Smart Choices” because I spent the last 7 years doing something that I didn’t like, and it all started with a decision. Life is what we make it. If only I wasn’t lost.

By: Virginia

Virginia — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 20:24:20 +0000

It’s fun to reflect on the abstract motivations that run our lives as INFPs. Thanks for posting this; it is helpful to me during a particularly hard time: just got off several medications for depression and restarted a career I very much dislike and am doing only for the pay in the middle of our Great Recession. Good to reflect on pragmatic reasons for changing careers in life. Most days I feel like a burned-out professional dilletante. LOL

By: Jeanne

Jeanne — Tue, 24 May 2011 20:10:59 +0000

At long last, I have found a club I’d like to belong to, because I already do! Thank you for your research, your wisdom, and your camaraderie.

By: Nick

Nick — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 18:20:36 +0000

Interesting post. I enjoyed the way you presented the theory. It helps me to understand that we need to change our decision making process slightly. We make wrong decisions about careers etc, but I ask the question are we(INFPs) ever wrong about our decisions on people?

By: Sinan

Sinan — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 02:28:29 +0000

Wow! Thank you so much for writing this! I just saw the link to your page on another website…

As a recent college grad and a proud INFP, I really have no idea what to do with my life. I had some careers in mind that I thought were ideal, such as film production, media, event planning etc. but when I got actual internships in those fields, I learned the hard way that the reality was way different than what I’ve imagined or ‘idealized’ in my mind. Soo INFP, right ?

Long story short, now, after reading your suggestions I really am going to keep my expectations lower and keep in mind that I can always change path if I really have to!

By: jd-

jd- — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 15:04:14 +0000

Good post… I initially thought I wanted to be a philosopher/writer… Then figured I would do something practical and go in to IT… did that for about 5 years, could not take the corporate environment. Needed to re-evaluate. I had been working on NFP and volunteer stuff on the side. Decided I liked the value I got out of helping people that way… Decided to do another degree in Political Science to help credential myself and figured I can use that to a career that is flexible in the political/grassroots/nfp world. I am also burdened with moving from one thing to another, I’ve even moved around the country following this stuff on whims.
Thought I could be a teacher at one point, way too rigid for me in actuality.
So now I am just a freelance web developer with a small income stream from that, and working on a career in politics, almost about to finish my degree. I would honestly just stay doing web development and stuff on the side, but I am turning 30 soon, and do not believe this “skill” will be as valuable or even existent 30 years from now when I am closing in on retirement. A career leader in politics, helping people (not the douchebag politics) I believe will help me be flexible long term in that arena, despite the extra money I paid to get the other degree from a reputable school in the area that I decided would be good long term to me. (Bay Area… both tech/progressive politics)

By: Corin

Corin — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 08:06:16 +0000

Thank you for reading. It’s nice to know that other people find what I say useful. It makes me feel less trapped in my head with thoughts that I think only make sense to me.

By: Melissa

Melissa — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 03:22:02 +0000

I found this post to be incredibly enlightening, as well as all the comments above. Thank you for your beautiful insight.