Hello, dear INFPs! I’m back again after a 4-month break! 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!
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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 understanding of ourselves, unfortunately, INFP’s indecisiveness doesn’t end there.
Truth is, although INFPs landed on their strengths and gifts and seemingly found purpose, their hardworking Extraverted Intuition (Ne) will still find its way to sneak in more glittering, shiny objects.
Ne loves spicing up our lives, you see.
And honestly, just recently, I plunged into that trap of career-hopping, again. Despite understanding my true strengths, I still get confused about which path to take. *enter my self-conscious laugh*
When Life Gives *Too Much* Opportunities
Last August, my life roared with opportunities.
While working on building a website for the past 10 months, I was unexpectedly offered to go back to teaching automotive students.
Ting! A bulb lit up and nostalgia came over me.
The emotional rollercoaster came rushing in.
Deep down, I missed teaching. I missed going out. I’ve worked and stuck at home for four years as a writer, and since I’m on a journey to piecing my social life again, this part-time opportunity’s so dang alluring.
So yeah, I jumped at the chance in a heartbeat.
That said, my weekdays consist of managing a website during the day and preparing lesson plans and visual aids at night.
And on top of my two jobs, I also joined a very active local church. I was all in (and so extra!) — from making dance choreos to joining ethnic dances to ushering church attendees to emceeing events! My weekends are always jam-packed.
When I said I wanted to revive my social life and make an impact, I’m serious, folks!
So 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.
I was a wee-bit enthusiastic about everything, but, you probably would have guessed how all it ended up.
Turns out, juggling multiple major roles was a recipe for chaos.
It compromised my quality work. I felt so mediocre and inauthentic that I almost wanted to work on none. Soon, I sweated out mental, emotional, and physical fatigue.
The Principle of Focusing On One
The story above is an example why we, INFPs, must decide one career at a time.
Because if we don’t choose one, we accomplish none.
Yes, I’ve always suggested how INFPs should test the waters. They must put their ideas into action to see how 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: that advice is for younger INFPs, or those Dreamers who haven’t had an ounce of idea about 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, for experienced INFPs who have journeyed enough, it will be different.
For experienced INFPs who have discovered their true strengths, it’s time to focus on ONE career at a time.
This is no period for multi-tasking. Instead, we double down the efforts for our chosen career.
Studies show that multi-tasking takes a toll on productivity, especially if you’re eyeing complex career paths that are completely different.
Complex careers require extra brainpower. Focus on one or else, you’ll be caught in a tug-of-war.
Here’s another point to consider:
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 INFPs 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. Without focus and attention, it withered.
My take is, don’t fear that you may choose wrongly. Don’t worry that you’re leaving the “better” option behind.
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, grow in it, and face the twists and turns, it will bear fruits.
Whichever path you nurture, that is your “better” path.
The Pattern of A Double-Minded Person
I remembered the verses James 1:6-8, which refers to how a double-minded person shouldn’t expect anything from the Lord.
At first, I thought it sounded harsh.
Like, really, Lord? Just because I’m confused about my career path? You won’t bless me?
But looking closer into my life, it starts to make sense. A double-minded person, like me, seems to be the one playing games.
When I asked God to bless my writing career, He did, and I experienced abundance in the previous two years. But instead of maintaining it, this double-minded fella, unfortunately, has her eyes set on another goal.
I prayed another prayer. “Lord, I wanted to teach again.”
As supernatural as it may sound, God gave it to me, just like how I narrated to you earlier. I stumbled upon my old professor while attending my sister’s graduation. He offered me a job. I submitted no resume and prepared no demo, but I was hired right away.
Well, God’s working, alright! I was ecstatic! Yeah!!!
But… now that I am teaching, you bet my writing schedule turned into a catastrophe. And I’m formulating a new career path. Again. I started eyeing on getting Master’s on Guidance and Counselling.
Did you get the pattern? Do you relate to this, too?
Sadly, a double-minded person leaves their post once prosperity comes trickling in.
Truly, being double-minded all the time leads to nothing but loss and wasted resources. We let abundance slip through our fingers.
Again, whatever path you focus on, that will surely grow.
But first, you have to make your decision.
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 recently did for 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 these categories and ponder which job aligns with your needs.
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 (Fi).
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 choose what you instinctively wanted all along.
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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! 🙂
