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INFJ
INFJs are motivated to help people bring order to their lives.
They are life’s advisors and can’t help but help. It really bothers them if there isn’t closure on an ongoing problem.
If you are an INFJ, you have a deep need to help people ‘sort their shit out’. If you don’t have this in your life right now, or if you do have it but it’s not on your own terms … you are probably going to have a slightly nagging feeling of discontent.
INTJ
Of all the 16 types, INTJs have the highest need for continuous learning.
INTJs thrive when they are progressively working towards higher and higher levels of competency and excellence. They are driven to improve both themselves AND the world around them.
If you’re an INTJ and you’re feeling a bit dissatisfied with life – it’s probably because you have let yourself get stuck in a rut where you are not ‘improving’ yourself and/or you are not inspiring/pushing others to improve themselves.
ISTJ
ISTJs are naturally motivated to go ‘deep into the weeds’.
They like to get their hands on the nitty gritty details and logistics and take a messy process and make it tidy, smooth and step-by-step efficient.
ISTJs find a lot of satisfaction in things that involve precision and are highly concrete in nature.
If you’re an ISTJ looking for your thing – the scope is endless! You are probably best served finding something you have an interest in first and then – get down and dirty with the details and make that thing work more efficiently. (For example, my husband is an ISTJ and for years he had a great interest in my business – he could see all this areas in which things could be systematised and made to work better. When he took over my business, he was able to do just that.)
INTP
INTPs are the most intrinsically motivated of the 16 types.
They thrive when working for long stretches of uninterrupted time on the most complex logic problems that no one else can solve.
They enjoy solving complex logic problems almost as sport. They find solutions for the problems others don’t know how to fix.
If you are an INTP you’re probably already doing your thing, you just don’t realise it. Once you realise you’re doing your ‘thing’ already … this provides a big boost!
For real life case studies about INFJs, INTJs, ISTJs and INTPs doing their ‘thing’ go here.
ISFJ
ISFJs like to help people in practical, tangible ways with great use of their attention to detail.
Like the other SJs they are all about concrete, objectively productive results but ISFJs add an element of helping others.
ISFJs do not like to go “big picture” and will shy away from any assignment or job that is vague or where the steps involved are not clear to them. Instead they are driven to reach any closure they know how to reach.
If you’re an ISFJ looking for your thing – can you think of a very concrete, results oriented way you can help people?
ISTP
This is the James Bond type – the most calm, cool and collected of the 16 types.
ISTPs thrive in crises and excel at finding THE most efficient way to get the desired result that requires the least amount of effort.
They have an economy of effort and even an economy of motion and speech. They don’t take one step they don’t need to take, say one word they don’t need to say or go to any extra effort they don’t need to go to in order to get the result they are after. They also tend to be exceptionally kinaesthetic (great with their hands, very coordinated, mechanically inclined).
ISTPs are highly motivated by situations where there is a concrete, hands on goal and some urgency. If you’re an ISTP feeling like you haven’t found your thing, you might want to consider volunteer work with the SES or working in the pits at a Formula 1 race (!!).
ISFP
ISFPs have strong personal values and while they do not discuss them much with others, these have a large impact on the ISFP’s actions and decisions.
They crave freedom to feel that they are living their lives in accordance with those values and what “feels” right to them.
ISFPs care deeply about people, seeing something positive in everyone. They take great pleasure in tangibly contributing to the well-being and happiness of others in the moment.
So what if you’re an ISFP who is really struggling right now? Well as you’ve probably figured out there is a VERY broad scope for trying to find your ‘thing’ and there is almost an infinite number of ways you can achieve this. But for many of you it’s the feeling of ‘freedom’ to do your thing that might be lacking and that’s what might need to be tackled first.
INFP
INFPs are constantly seeking personal understanding and growth.
They can’t get enough knowledge when it comes to becoming a better them.
Self-help books, trying lots of food plans, religions, meditation, yoga, certifications in coaching, heart math, you name it, INFPs have pursued it.
It’s pretty clear what you need to do if you’re an INFP looking to feel fulfilled in life. You need to be learning new things and constantly developing yourself. And then for bonus satisfaction, you can use those learnings to help others.
For real life case studies about ISFJs, ISTPs, ISFPs and INFPs doing their ‘thing’ go here.
ESFJ
ESFJs are the most people oriented people of the 16 types and their primary motivation in life is to take care of others.
They are life’s mothers. They love to nurture and care for others, especially in ways that are clear cut and easily appreciated.
ESFJs need CONSTANT people interaction (they get pretty stressed by time alone) and thrive in roles where they can be the responsible one supporting others. They also love helping others out in a collaborative effort that involves working side-by-side with lots of other like-minded people.
I strongly suspect that for ESFJs the main challenge is not necessarily finding their ‘thing’ or their sweet spot as they can’t help but do their ‘thing’. Rather it is how to do their thing in a sustainable way, one that prevents all their kindness and giving-ness being taken for granted and over-used.
ESTP
ESTPs are motivated to be happy in the moment – they are the “eat, drink and be merry” folks.
Meeting their needs in the moment is a huge driver for ESTPs – it informs a lot of their decisions. They thrive on excitement, change, variety, adventure: new, new, new.
Never overstimulated, ESTPs are great at winging it on the fly. They are most motivated by concrete goals with an urgent deadline and a high people component.
If you’re an ESTP whose not feeling all buzzy with life you might be wondering what is missing. Well you need variety, you need constant people interaction, and ideally you’ll be doing concrete (ideally even hands-on) work that involves winging it in the moment instead of work that you do at a steady pace (day in and day out) toward a far off future goal.
ENTP
ENTPs are motivated to leave a legacy behind when they are gone.
They are inventors and innovators at heart and are idea generation machines, energised most by future possibilities. They have high standards for their future and are most motivated when the sky is the limit in terms of what they can achieve.
If you’re an ENTP you’re going to struggle if there are people around you putting a ceiling on your dreams and ideas. You need the space and freedom to indulge your entrepreneurial nature in some way as well as the opportunity to actively collaborate with others.
ENTJ
ENTJs are the powerhouse type (Donald Trump is a famous one).
They thrive on being in leadership roles and what gets them really jazzed are roles where they are in the driver’s seat achieving a big lofty goal that involves lots of decisions, problem solving and leading people.
Constantly learning and growing their competencies really excites them as they get bored very easily and love to challenge themselves.
ENTJs absolutely thrive on developing long-term strategies or solving complex problems that involve a lot of moving pieces. If you’re an ENTJ you need to be taking advantage of your unconventional mind and leadership skills with large projects that will allow you to make big waves in important areas.
For real life case studies about ESFJs, ESTPs, ENTPs and ENTJs doing their ‘thing’ go here.
ENFJ
Super-creative, ENFJs tend to be happiest when using their aesthetic sense – they are painters, writers, actors, designers, newscasters – artists of all kinds.
ENFJs are driven to maximise their own potential. They are also highly motivated to be recognised, to stand out as exceptional.
While they are very recognition oriented, this is something they wouldn’t necessarily like to admit because this is a bit anti-NF. ENFJs are also exceptional at leading groups and motivating others. They work incredibly hard to achieve great things when in a position of leadership.
ENFJs need to keep in mind that being motivated by recognition or wanting to stand out as exceptional is not a bad thing … it is just what motivates you. I suspect that for the majority of ENFJs (especially Australian ENFJs!) all you need to do you find your sweet spot is allow yourself to seek the recognition you crave.
ENFP
ENFPs are ideas people who generate a constant flow of out of the box ideas – mainly when talking with others (not alone).
They need situations where they can both inspire other people to be their best selves and in turn, perform for those same people at their best.
Highly motivated to gain recognition for their creative pursuits, LOTS of celebrities, especially rock stars and comedians are ENFPs – Bono, Steven Tyler, Robin Williams, Billy Chrystal, Lily Tomlin, and Ellen Degeneres to name a few.
It goes without saying that if you’re an ENFP who is not getting the chance to rock other people’s worlds in a meaningful way, then you’re going to need to find an outlet for that!
ESTJ
ESTJs are driven to feel productive in very measurable, concrete ways. They are also highly motivated to give concrete advice to others.
Their mood is exceptionally linked to how productive they feel they’ve been that day … how many things they’ve checked off the list or how they’ve set others on the right path in a concrete way.
ESTJs don’t need lots of words of affirmation but they do need to be able to objectively measure how productive they’ve been.
If you are an ESTJ, you’ll find you are happiest and most motivated when in execution mode, and spending a large percentage of your time on a daily basis completing tasks that are productive in a concrete, objectively measurable way.
ESFP
ESFPs are the live and let live people – lots of fun and naturally happy go lucky
They are motivated to be happy, have fun and feel connected to others. They are at their best when executing things in the moment, in real time
Exceptional multi-taskers, ESFPs have amazing powers of observation – they notice everything, they remember everyone. They are the people you walk around town with and feel like they are the mayor because they know everybody. ESFPs are the person that will notice a friend from third grade who they haven’t seen in 20 years walking on the other side of the street and remember their name.
TV chefs are a classic example of ESFPs – they can be talking, looking at three different cameras, creating rapport with another person on set … all while cooking up a storm.
ESFPs thrive most when they have regular interaction with lots of people on a daily basis. And as parents, they like to be “ever present”. For example, it is much more difficult for ESFP parents (than other personality type) to head off to work and leave their kids to someone else all day. So, if you’re an ESFP, it is well worth thinking through how you can structure your life and career in such a way that you will a) be around people much of your day and b) if and when you have children, you’ll be able to spend lots of quality time with them on a daily basis.
For real life case studies about ENFJs, ENFPs, ESTJs and ESFPs doing their ‘thing’ go here.