INFJs are natural-born counselors with a knack for helping others. Our extroverted feeling function helps us to tap into others’ needs in a way that most people can’t. It’s our purpose to share this amazing gift with the world. And what better way than through a blog.
I spoke to INFJ writing coach Lauren Sapala on my podcast earlier this year. She said that INFJs have a creative side this is often left unexplored. All too often we find ourselves in jobs like accounting or selling insurance and we feel unfulfilled in our lives. It’s common, but it doesn’t have to be your normal.
“I do encourage INFJs to try writing in different forms and see what pulls you,” Lauren said. “Just try different things… and see what nourishes you.”
Write about what makes you happy.
It doesn’t have to change the world. You don’t even have to be good at writing. You just have to share what you know with others.
Your purpose comes from your pain.
When I spoke to Evan Carmichael on my show he said that finding your purpose is really simple. “Your purpose comes from your pain. It’s not that difficult. It doesn’t require years of meditation or journaling. You just think about what is the most painful moment for you as a human, not physical pain, but emotional pain… You’ve grown from that. You’ve come out of that… There’s lots of people who currently are who you used to be and your purpose is to go help them.”
It’s so simple when you think about it like that.
You were made for a reason. You were made as a quirky, feeling, introvert for a very special reason. There is someone out there who needs to hear your story. They’re just waiting for you to tell it.
When I first started this blog I was scared to death.
I’m terrible at writing… as you can see. I can’t spell and I don’t know a whole lot about proper sentence structure. I wanted what I wrote to be nice and professional. I wanted it to look and sound good. I had that fear that we all call perfectionism.
There came a point though where I decided that it didn’t matter what I wrote or how it sounded or if it was even spelled right. I just wanted to share what I knew with the world.
I had been through the worst time of my life. Every year for about 5 years I thought was the worst year and then the next one would be worse for me. It was like 2020 for me was 2015 and then 2016 and then 2017. I quit asking what else could go wrong. I didn’t want to know.
I had the worst depression that just kept spiraling down. There was a point in 2015 that I seriously contemplated ending it all. I couldn’t see how anything could get any better and I couldn’t go on like that. I knew that something had to change. So I started looking for answers. I discovered that I had this amazing unique personality and that was the reason that it was so hard for others to understand and relate to me. Everything started to make sense.
Over the course of those 5 years, with all of the craziness that happened (me getting fired a couple of times and losing everything that I owned) I found myself again. I realized what I really needed to be happy.
I wanted to share that with others out there. I knew that I couldn’t be the only INFJ who was feeling lost and hopeless. I also knew that I had some answers that I could share. If I could help just one person it would be worth it.
Turns out there was more than one person who needed help.
The first time I got a message like this I was dumbfounded. I thought the person had mistakenly sent it to me. I really couldn’t believe that I had made such a huge difference in their lives just by sharing my story.
I’m still blown away when people send me these messages. I love to read them and am so thankful that I am able to help. It’s all I want to be. It makes my whole life feel meaningful.
You can help too.
I’m telling you all of this because I know that you have a story to share as well. There is something that you can do to help others. Writing a blog is a fantastic way to get started!
Here’s how to get started.
I put together this video to show you exactly what you need to do to set up your blog and get started writing. You don’t need a fancy website. In fact, you don’t need a website at all to start with. There are plenty of easy and free options that you can use.
I also write another blog called Introvert’s Guide to Freedom. It’s all about writing and turning your writing into a full-time gig that you love and can make a full-time living from. You can check it out here!
Don’t let your fear of not being enough or knowing enough hold you back from taking action.
It’s a powerful thing that fear. It will show up as perfectionism, planning mode, feeling like “who am I to do this?” Don’t listen to it. Push through the fear and share your story. Believe me when I say it will change your life as much as it will help others.
My life is 100% different that it was the day before I started my blog. I went from feeling like my job had no meaning to knowing that what I do is valuable and useful. I wake up every day excited to go to work. I could have never said that before!
Take action today.
