10 Things You’ll Relate to If You’re an ENFP
ENFPs are known by many titles in the type community: “the inspirers”, “the champions”, “the campaigners”, “the idealists”, the list goes on and on. The common characteristic that all these titles draw attention to is the ENFP’s vision and determination. While many memes and stereotypes paint ENFPs to be unicorn-loving, super-chatty party animals, the real ENFP is often much more intellectual and contemplative than the stereotypes would imply. Let’s take a look at some of the characteristics of real ENFPs.
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10 Things You’ll Relate to If You’re An ENFP
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“I Get Energetic When Discussing New Ideas and Possibilities”
Idea-generating is my strength, and the more I can brainstorm and create new ideas and envision new avenues for the future, the happier I am! I get really depressed when I’m stuck in a mundane, routine existence and I can’t imagine what will happen someday because everything is already planned out.
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“I’m Friendly and Empathetic, but I’m Not an Open Book”
Because I use Introverted Feeling (Fi), I keep my values and emotions private except to those I trust very deeply. I loooove to talk about ideas and theories, but I’m less inclined to just chatter away about my deeper feelings and values. As ENFP blogger Heidi Priebe says, “ENFPs are deeply serious people at their core, but they feel protective of their deepest feelings and often make light of serious situations in order to avoid delving into them in the presence of others.”
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I Embrace Individuality in Myself and Others
I don’t believe in “blending in” with the crowd, and I don’t believe anyone else should have to either. I think that each person has their own unique set of values and those values should be respected (unless they hurt others). I try to mold and refine my values throughout my lifetime to make sure that they’re authentic to me and not just a reproduction of culturally-espoused rules and traditions that don’t mean anything.
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I Naturally See Potential in People
I get so excited when I meet someone new who has a hidden potential they don’t even know about! I automatically tune into other people’s strengths and abilities and can see a bright future for them. This is probably why I have that “inspirer” nickname!
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Creativity and Novelty Feeds My Soul
New ideas, new places, new people inspire me and make my mind buzz with unexplored potential and possibilities. I love hearing about a new philosophy or idea that will jumpstart my creative engine and get me strategizing, imagining, and asking questions.
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I Love Being Around People, but I Hate Shallow Conversation
Sure, I’m an extrovert. I enjoy going to a party or sitting around the table discussing ideas over a game of Apples to Apples. But I really am not interested in small talk or surface-level conversations. The latest celebrity gossip or fashion statements really won’t excite me. I would much rather talk about the meaning of life, business ideas, adventures, our hopes, dreams, and passions!
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I Tend to Forget My Physical Needs
I get so caught up in ideas, theories, and imaginative potential that I lose track of what my body needs. I can forget to eat, forget to sleep, forget to drink, floss, etc,. as I get caught up in imagining all the amazing things I want to do in the future. Sometimes this backfires and I’ll “crash”, suddenly becoming exhausted, burned out, or eating everything I can get my hands on!
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I See A Hundred Angles to Every Argument
When I was a kid, people thought I was a troublemaker sometimes because I argued so much. No matter what someone says, I can look at it from 1000 different perspectives and see the opposing side easily. I want harmony in my relationships, but sometimes I just can’t help playing devil’s advocate. Life just isn’t black and white!
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Boredom is My Nemesis
I like to have many different ideas and projects in the air at the same time. Nothing to me is worse than repetition and monotony. I like being in the middle of creative chaos and finding amazing solutions to complex problems…but sitting at a desk doing paperwork or memorizing facts? Please no.
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People Underestimate Me Because I’m Upbeat and “Bubbly”
Yes, I’m enthusiastic and full of ideas. Yes, I’m friendly and can be the life of the party sometimes. But I love to learn and grow and am on a constant quest for self-improvement. I want to create a business, travel to Southeast Asia, read all the great philosophers, or improve the lives of marginalized people. We are usually highly ambitious, entrepreneurially-minded individuals!
What Are Your Thoughts?
Do you have any points you’d like to add? Share your thoughts with other readers in the comments!
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Dead on. Especially eating everything, having people underestimate me, and being friendly but not being an open book. So many people say they know me so well, but they couldn’t be farther from the truth!
Agreed. This was well put!
Well that literally the normal me , but recently am kinda depressed so .. idk
this is me. i do belong on this planet!
People thinking they know me because I am friendly and outgoing I deal with everyday It is hard for people to reconcile that I can see many sides to an argument, and yet be so singularly passionate about a given idea. And yes, I need to be talking about ideas or concepts to keep my synapses jumping. Small talk is like treading water; you’re swimming, but you’re not going anywhere!
soo true 🙂 this is spot on haha
Had my troubles with my High School classmates, they seemed to always have the small talk, talking about the latest trends, gossips and yeah… not my type XD.
Its pretty boring being in a place where everybody talks superficially, even friendships (some) may just be pure small talk. Kinda boring and hypocrite in my opinion.
I completely relate to all 10 points. Well done.
I feel like this is my full self on paper. SO accurate.
So freakin true
People see me as a little sister or child but when will they see the person as a while under this epidermis of mine
I’m the baby of 7 girls and, take it from me, you will always be the little sister… to family and friends. Don’t worry, I know it’s annoying at times, but have patience, be yourself, and it’ll pay off in the long run!
As an ENFP, you will more than likely shine brighter than your siblings, but don’t be a jerk about it because it doesn’t make you better or more important than them, as much as you wish it did. Even more important, while most older siblings are supportive of their younger siblings, they do not like condescension, and are usually more skilled in the art of torture, so just be satisfied with the knowledge, no need to rub it in.
You won’t outshine them because you can achieve something they can’t, you outshine them because you can achieve the same thing they can, but with half the effort. As superior as that might make you feel, don’t fool yourself; it’s easier to complete a task when you’ve seen how it’s done before… since you probably watched your older sibling as they learned how to do it.
Being the youngest can be so much fun! Embrace & enjoy it!