Navigating My Ideal Future As An INFP

Studies have shown that your personality type may correlate with how much you make in your annual income. According to the Myers-Briggs Personality test, there are 16 distinct personalities. I happen to identify strongly as an INFP. Reading up on my personality profile and realizing how accurately it described me, I became intrigued with personality types. It’s now a guide in understanding myself better as a whole. I have also learned some valuable bits on how my family members, friends, and coworkers are wired.

According to a survey, INFPs tend to gravitate towards careers that line up with their personal values and are less concerned with wealth. As an INFP, I can tell you that when I first stumbled across this information, I wasn’t surprised at all. Because in a lot of ways, as a feeler myself, I never cared about making big bucks to begin with. Of course, it would be nice to have a career I love which would allow me to live comfortably. But climbing the social ladder was never my main concern nor my biggest priority. Ultimately, I‘m driven by compassion and humility, and I love getting rid of my own ego every chance I get.

Perhaps it’s because I’ve worked in high-end places for four years and I’ve tucked away my close observations on how money and power alters people for the worst. Instead of frowning upon the rich and privileged, at the end of the night, I’m just glad that I’m educated enough to make sense of the way the world works.  I still have the guts to live my life the way I want to —not how I’m expected to.

I’m currently 23 years old and graduated with an English degree two years ago. When I’m not writing articles for this website, I work as a bookseller at a local independent bookstore. I changed my job three times last year, because I felt lost and refused to tie myself to one position. Always on the search for something that didn’t make me completely miserable, I let myself drift and wander for as long as I needed to. Even though, in my parents’ eyes, those very actions of mine immediately translate to failure. I’m just lucky that at the end of the day, even on our worst days, they still love me.

I thought for the longest time that I wanted to be an English teacher. As a student, I was always eager to learn and better myself as a person. So naturally, I thought being in the classroom would be a good fit. I couldn’t have been more wrong. I quit my student-teaching internship in my last year in college and found the courage to finally go after what I’ve wanted all along, which is to become a writer. It wasn’t easy admitting that to myself and to my family, and it’s still not easy today. There are days and nights where I often ask myself if all the work I’m putting into my manuscript instead of going out and having fun is worth it.

It would’ve been so much easier finding a full-time gig with benefits in a common field right from the beginning, so my parents can stop worrying about my future. Ultimately, they just want safety for me. But, I like proving people wrong (sorry Mom, sorry Dad; you raised a daredevil). I’ve watched too many things fall apart these past few years to want only safety. You’re never guaranteed safety. And if I’m going to fall and scrape my knees, I might as well fall doing the one thing I love. The truth of the matter is, I don’t think I could ever live with myself if I don’t give it my all and try to at least achieve my ideal future. Blame it on my personality type, I guess. I’m too much of a dreamer to want anything less.

As an INFP, I can safely say that it’s 100% okay to feel lost and wander. In fact, you owe it to yourself. You don’t always have to have everything together. In a lot of ways, that’s restricting, unrealistic, and a total buzzkill. You’d only be robbing yourself of all the growth and discoveries you could be making.

INFPs are notoriously known to be the biggest escapists. We have rich inner lives we reserve mainly for close loved ones, but they also come out in the art we make, whether it’s visual, musical, or literary. Creativity is vital for us. That might make it painfully difficult for us when we consider possible careers in a world heavily dominated by technicality. Coming from my own experiences, it’s better to still take that chance. I’ll always be on the search for it instead of denying it. For me personally, I know I’m fueled and at my best when I can create. When I’m in an environment where I feel like I don’t have that opportunity, I easily plummet into depression.

I want to continue writing stories, hoping that one day they’ll reach people’s hearts, because in a lot of ways, language has saved me again and again. I like the struggle I’m facing right now and being uncomfortable —and I’m learning that only recently. I’m facing my fears little by little and admitting things I wouldn’t normally ever. I like waking up on mornings from nights I never thought I’d make through. It’s a weird life I’m living —the only kind I’ve ever wanted. Whether you’re also an INFP or not, I hope you’re doing the things that fulfill you, too. Because you’re worth it.

References

Chan, A. R. (2015, April 20). This Myers-Briggs Personality Type Makes the Most Money, Study Finds. Retrieved June 1, 2017.

Edited by Viveca Shearin