Hello, dear INFPs, I’m back here again after taking a break for months. How’s life? My time off the blog was quite adventurous and educational, I must say. The last quarter of this year got me all tangled up in a rollercoaster of excitement and headaches! That’s the very reason I’m compelled to write this blog post. Lol!
Ready to discuss about clashing career choices? If yes, then here we go!
***
I’ve always encouraged my fellow INFPs to find their strengths and pursue a career catering to their innate gifts. This blog is a constant reminder to “figure out your strengths, don’t patch up weaknesses, be authentic, nurture your gifts” and so on. Actually, I’ve already written them in the posts linked below.
But while figuring out your strengths leads to monumental turning points, did you think it would all be easy-breezy after that? A big NA-AH. INFP’s indecisiveness doesn’t end there. And I’m a living testament!
Turns out that once you’ve landed on your strengths, our hardworking, tireless Extraverted Intuition (Ne) will still sneak in, checking out the hottest life trend in your mind, and eagerly throw more shiny ideas!
These new ideas are conveniently catered to your strengths and are very tempting to chase them all.
And honestly, just recently, I plunged into that muddle, again. *enter my self-conscious laugh*
Last August, my life roared with opportunities. It’s supposed to be thrilling, right?
It definitely is!
I have been working on building a website for the past 10 months. Then, I was offered to go back to teaching automotive students. At the same time, I joined a very active local church, and eagerly joined event after event.
I received job after job, task after task. I’ve accepted responsibilities I never did before, all in the span of 3 months.
You bet my Ne (Extraverted Intuition) was smug-faced, celebrating with each opportunity it heard. I felt the excitement coursing through my back. A new life chapter’s unfolding right before my eyes.
“I can do this!” I thought.
“You can do it!” They said…
But… boy was I wrong. You probably would have guessed how all it ended up.
Instead of productivity, juggling several major tasks and careers compromised my quality work. Soon, I sweated out mental, emotional, and physical fatigue.
The work I both loved — teaching, writing, plus church activities — felt so mediocre and inauthentic that I almost wanted to work on none.
There, I realized I couldn’t multi-task major careers. I have to choose one.
With that said, I was brought back in the same labyrinth I got stuck in when I was younger. Stuck, not because I’m lost. But stuck because I know every path ends with a shiny reward, and it grieves me that I can only choose one.
You know how hard it is, right? To pick a decision between good and good? It’s a dilemma many INFPs are all too familiar with.
That’s why many INFPs refuse to leave the labyrinth.
Why Do INFPs Struggle to Choose a Career?
Due to Extraverted Intuition (Ne), our booming minds make us craft appealing visions of the future. We visualize the impact our choices make in our lives. We crave to make a difference. Overall, we picture the best version of ourselves in that vision.
Only that, with Ne, one single idea can easily branch out to many opportunities. Depending on how we handle it, it can be a boon or bane.
Sadly, an uncontrolled, idealistic mind breeds indecisiveness. We fear making the wrong choice. Can’t commit to a single plan. (This demonstrates our Introverted Intuition Ni-Critic function).
What if? What if…?
Instead of performing well in the numerous tasks and jobs, we end up doing nothing at all.
So if we’re currently struggling with making the choice, what should we do?
The Principle of Focusing On One
In this blog, I’ve always suggested how INFPs should test the waters. They must put their ideas into action to see if it resonates with them. If it sounds like encouraging multi-tasking, then so be it. Go and multi-task. Go try and experiment. Embrace wins and failures.
However, take note: I believe this is the best advice for younger INFPs, or those Dreamers who haven’t had any hint of their strengths.
Experience is their friend. Gathered lessons will be their weapon. Their discovery phase will mold into wisdom which they can use later in life.
But on the other hand, I have a different suggestion for experienced INFPs who have figured out their winning strengths and natural gifts.
If you want to grow in skill, focus on ONE career at a time.
Just like the multi-tasking I did this quarter – I worked on establishing a website, got a teaching job, and joined the backbone ministries of a church – it caused me to compromise quality work.
So, don’t be me. I’ve resolved to quickly align my priorities at the end of the year.
Also, studies show that multi-tasking takes a toll on productivity, moreso if you’re eyeing on complex career paths.
My mind was so scattered that I didn’t finish any. I failed to study my material for the class discussion, and my deadlines for my other website suffered. My two jobs required some extra brainpower, and there I was, my mind caught in a tug-of-war.
The fact that I couldn’t finish anything shed me tears, and I got some pretty nice scolding from my partner, reminding me how I went overboard doing everything at once.
Again, don’t be me.
You figured out your strengths? Great. Now, don’t use it in all directions. Just choose one career path and give it laser-like focus.
Here’s another point to consider:
One Career Path At A Time
You just need to choose one job, one career path at a time.
Your attention is like water that nourishes a plant. Which plant will grow? Well, whichever you sprinkle your focus on. Whichever plant you give your attention and focus to, that will grow.
Again, it’s whichever.
Can you be a great public speaker? Well, yeah, if you give yourself time to grow. Will your business explode and grow? Well, duh, of course, if you continuously nurture it.
See, I’ve seen this firsthand.
I focused on my writing for years, and my blog grew into something I can be proud of. Next, I focused on building a crafts business; for a while, it grew, and customers kept coming in. But the moment I got distracted, the business also wavered, just like I did.
Yes, I advise young INFPs to try different jobs to get a hint about their strengths.
However, experienced INFPs should focus on one during a certain period, and double down their efforts in that one career.
Don’t fear that you may choose wrongly. Truth is, whichever you choose, whether you choose to be a guidance counselor, a teacher, or a writer… as long as you’re willing to learn the basics and face the twists and turns, it will bear fruits.
Again, whatever path you feed or water, that will surely grow.
Related Post: How Can INFP Gain Mastery Despite the Distractions?
How to Choose Between Two Good Career Choices?
To make my choices clearer, here are some tips that I followed myself:
1. List down your priorities, values, and nonnegotiables.
INFPs come from all walks of life, but we all have something in common – we have a pretty serious attachment to our values, morals, and nonnegotiables.
So before deciding on a career, pause and think, “what’s your priority, really?”
Do you want a career path that gives work-life balance? With a high-paying income? Or are you okay with decent pay but more time with your family?
Write the pros and cons of each career path.
You can consider the following:
- Purpose. Which job utilizes your strengths?
- Work hours. Do you want to work part-time, full-time, or flexible? Which job offers that?
- Trainings. Are there more requirements (degrees, training, more experience) to get that job? Are you willing to take it?
- Salary. Which job pays more?
- Location. Do you want to work nearby, remotely, or hybrid?
- Family time. Which job allows more time with family?
- Leadership. Do you like working for a boss, or will you be your own boss? Which career path offers that?
- Workplace. Do you prefer working with people or being independent? Which job offers that?
- Socialization. Does the job provide you more connections, or would you prefer working solo?
List them all down.
2. Visualize what your everyday job will look like.
I know it’s heartwarming to visualize ourselves in our dream jobs. However, although it’s fascinating to daydream about it, the reality is that it’s not always as rose-tinted as you initially thought.
Now, here’s how to get a picture of the everyday job in your chosen path. I’ll give you the gist of how Ali Abdaal described it:
- Grab your pen and paper and list down the career paths you plan to pursue.
- Visualize what this job looks like on an everyday basis.
- Under each career path, write down the daily tasks correlated to that job. If you have no idea about the tasks, go ask your friends, colleagues, or people on the Internet to share their perspectives. For example, teaching includes checking papers, preparing visual aids, studying the material, making lesson plans, teaching, attending school events, submitting graded reports, and disciplining students.
- Beside each daily task, put “✓✓” if you enjoy working on this daily task and will lead your life to becoming the “Ideal You.” If it’s so-so, and you kinda like the task but can also hate it sometimes, write “✓X.” And if the task drains the heck out of you, write “XX” beside it.
- Do this to other career paths that you’re eyeing.
- Now, evaluate how much of that career’s daily tasks you actually enjoy. Will you feel stuck or fulfilled?
After this, you will have a more concrete picture of your career path.
3. Have some alone time.
As a Te (Extraverted Thinking) user, you bet I’ve exhausted all the information I need to convince myself which job offers the best benefits for me.
But when all the clashing testimonies still failed to convince me, what I did next was unplug myself from all the external noise.
I lessened food and Internet consumption. In short, I fasted.
It seems like all the glucose and junk food I’ve eaten caused me a brain fog. Lol. And the Internet overstimulated me with a flood of information.
With me living like it’s the 90s, I felt… peaceful for the first time in months.
No noise, no external buzz, no clashing opinions that fill my mind, and most especially, no gurus that glamorize the careers I have to take.
Try unplugging from the digital world. You’ll soon realize how much of this world’s noise doesn’t actually matter.
Moreover, INFPs, being introverted Feelers (Fi), are actually decisive types. Yes, the Fi function is a “judging function” anyway.
Only that, all the information, pressures, and noise blinds and deafens our judgment. We sometimes need to shut the ravaging ideas (Ne) down and stop listening to people’s opinions (Te) for a while.
Give yourself time alone, and you will hear yourself better.
After a few days of Internet break and eating healthy, you bet, you’ll get more clarity.
4. Wait for the deadline before making your final decision.
Are there any deadlines for your career choices? Like, a now-or-never time crunch?
If there is, then wait a few days before that Big Day. Since INFPs are heavy Feelers, emotions can easily sway their decisions. So, I encourage you not to give it much thought until it’s near the deadline.
Wait until your ever-changing emotions would no longer waver. Truly, deadlines help INFPs make firmer decisions.
Believe me, only then will you feel the urgency to make a choice, and most likely, you will choose what you instinctively wanted all along.
***
I hope this helped you sort this out! Thanks for reading! 🙂
You may also like:
- Why INFPs Should Pursue Authenticity Despite Being Misunderstood
- 7 Things INFPs Need To Be Happy
- How INFP Can Stop Overthinking
Check Out My E-book! 🙂
