Here’s What Fulfills You, Based on Your Myers-Briggs® Personality Type

Last week we talked about the things that make you feel empty, and this week we’re going to talk about the things that make you feel fulfilled and energized. We’re all given a sense of meaning and purpose in slightly different ways. Some things are universal: We all want meaningful friendships, we all want a certain amount of financial security, we all want to have a purpose in life. But there are other values and desires that are slightly different from type-to-type. Those are what we’ll be exploring today!

Not sure what your personality type is? Take our new personality questionnaire!

A Little Intro:

In the infographic below we’ll show you how to make each of your “cognitive functions” happy. Now you might be thinking to yourself, “What are cognitive functions?!” According to Myers-Briggs theory, each of us has four valued functions and four unvalued functions. Of the functions shown in the infographic below you value four – these four make up your primary function stack.  The other four you still use, but they may be difficult to tap into.

Sensing-Perceivers (SPs) value “Se.”
Intuitive-Perceivers (NPs) value “Ne.”
Intuitive-Judgers (NJs) value “Ni”.
Sensing-Judgers (SJs) value “Si.”
Feeling-Judgers (FJs) value “Fe.”
Thinking-Judgers (TJs) value “Te.”
Feeling-Perceivers (FPs) value “Fi.”
Thinking-Perceivers (TPs) value “Ti.”

Remember, we all want to be skilled at using ALL of these cognitive functions, and there are times in your life when you will prioritize or value each of them in different scenarios.  However, on a consistent day-to-day basis there are usually two that you prefer over all the others.

If you want to find out more about the cognitive functions you can explore them here: An Introduction to the Cognitive Functions 

Estimated reading time: 12 minutes

Here’s What Fulfills You, Based on Your Personality Type

ENFPs and ENTPs

You get a rush from finding a new concept, approach, or idea. Life is full of meaning when the opportunities seem limitless and your imagination is allowed to take flight. Inspired by change and novelty, you’re the one who looks for new ways to do everything. You’re not afraid of a risk, either – in fact, without any risks in your life you tend to feel bored and under-inspired. There’s a certain nervous satisfaction that you get when you’re embarking on something that’s never been done before.

ENFPs (Ne/Fi) – You also find satisfaction in living a life that aligns with your inner value system. It’s important for you to look at your life and know that you lived with conviction and authenticity. This often means going out on a limb and breaking rules that are either irrelevant or immoral to you. You also enjoy sharing silent, connected moments with people you care about.

ENTPs (Ne/Ti) – You also find fulfillment when you can organize your thoughts very precisely. Having a sense of internal structure and organization in your head helps you to react logically to incoming situations and decisions. You like understanding how everything works and how each bit of information is connected to another. You enjoy having the independence to be creative and solve problems in your own way.

Other Things that Fulfill You:

• Brainstorming
• Seeing ideas come to fruition
• Networking
• Entrepreneurial endeavors
• Getting a change of scenery
• Finding solutions for people in chaotic situations

Read These Next: 10 Things That Excite the ENFP Personality Type

ENTP Personality Profile

INFJs and INTJs

For you, satisfaction comes from the search for meaning. You’re excited by figuring out what’s going on “behind the curtain” of everyday normal events. Your radar is always directed towards the underlying threads that connect all things. Whether you’re reading Kierkegaard over coffee or analyzing the interactions of the people around you, you’re always on the search for cosmic significance and understanding. You get a rush from envisioning the future and trying to imagine what will happen. Time spent in quiet meditation and thought makes that more likely.

INFJs (Ni/Fe) – You also get a sense of fulfillment when you are nurturing the people you care about. You have an eye for the emotional needs of others and enjoy being able to tend to those needs. Counseling, showing and receiving solidarity, knowing other people feel comfortable being emotionally open with you – these things give you a sense of purpose.

INTJs (Ni/Te) – Reaching an objective gives you a sense of fulfillment and satisfaction.  You enjoy checking items off a to-do list, making progress on a goal, or organizing your environment to be more effective. Planning, making decisions, creating, and improving structure – these things give you a sense of purpose and contentment.

Other Things That Fulfill You:

• Being independent
• Reading
• Finding more information about a subject that interests you
• Being in peaceful, beautiful surroundings
• Strategizing
• Helping people work out ways to reach their goals

Read This Next: 3 Weird and Wonderful Secrets About the INFJ Personality Type

3 Weird and Wonderful Secrets About the INTJ Personality Type

ESFPs and ESTPs

You get immense joy from being at one with your environment. You’re the person who wants to jump into the deep end of the pool in order to learn how to swim. Being outside, getting dirty, embarking on adventures and opportunities – these are things that thrill you and put you in your comfort zone. You’re a non-conformist at heart, someone who believes that life is to be lived by taking risks, or leaving devices and screens behind to actually interact with nature and DO the things that excite you, scare you (or others), and make you feel like you’re truly alive.

ESFPs (Se/Fi) – You also get a sense of satisfaction from knowing that your choices are in alignment with your deeply-held values. Weighing the subjective worth of your actions, understanding what really matters to you, and knowing that you’ve lived with integrity is vital to your well-being.

ESTPs (Se/Ti) – You also feel contented when you can organize all the thoughts in your head into very precise, logical categories. You need to know that you’re being reasonable and living in accordance with your principles.

Other Things That Fulfill You:

• Engaging in sports, dance, improv, or storytelling
• Being in highly stimulating environments (concerts, theaters, stadiums)
• Having independence
• Having lots of free, unstructured time on your hands
• Being able to help people in crisis situations

ISFJs and ISTJs

You believe that life is made up of thousands of details and moments that are each filled with significance. Because of this, you make an effort to perfect those moments and, in essence, make life more beautiful and meaningful. Whether you’re drinking fresh coffee while watching the sunrise or tinkering with one of your favorite hobbies, you enjoy immersing yourself in the details, focusing on each one and the joy it brings. You also get a sense of satisfaction from knowing that your life has a sense of continuity and stability and that the people you love know they can depend on you.

ISFJs (Si/Fe) – Nurturing your loved ones is very important to you, and having peaceful, harmonious relationships is vital to your well-being. You are highly aware of the needs of others and get a sense of satisfaction from meeting those needs, being there emotionally for people, and understanding all the little things that make them “tick.”

ISTJs (Si/Te) – Organizing your to-do list and checking it off gives you a sense of pure contentment. You enjoy knowing that you’re making forward progress on a goal and that there is a sense of structure and order in the world around you.

Other Things That Fulfill You:

• Knowing your life is stable and secure.
• Mastering a skill.
• Quiet, unstructured time
• Precise, careful, detailed work that produces something exquisite.
• Friendly conversation.
• Protecting people through the use of your skills or attention-to-detail

Read These Next: The Unique Intelligence of the ISFJ, ISTJ, ESFJ and ESTJ Personality Types

ESTJs and ENTJs

You get a sense of contentment when your goals are within reach and you know you’re making forward-progress in achieving them. Having structure, order, and efficiency in your day helps you to feel on top of things and composed. You also enjoy knowing that your goals are in alignment with what’s most important to you – that you’re living with integrity and purpose and not just for the pure object of getting and attaining things.

ESTJs (Te/Si) – You also get a sense of satisfaction from focusing on the small details of life that are meaningful. Having daily routines, reminiscing over favorite memories, specializing in a hobby and mastering every detail – these kinds of things help calm you and center you. You appreciate a stable, consistent life where you know what to expect and you feel prepared.

ENTJs (Te/Ni) – Satisfaction for you comes from searching for the overarching purpose or meaning of life.  You enjoy discussing philosophy, experimenting with abstract concepts, and picturing what the future holds. You care less about physical details and more about knowing what’s going on “behind the scenes” of the universe and how it is all connected.

Other Things That Fulfill You:

• Having a friendly, non-personal debate
• Crossing items off a to-do list
• Talking out ideas, plans, and logistics
• Knowing you’ve found the best way to do something
• Learning new, usable information

INTPs and ISTPs

You get a sense of gratification when you can make order out of chaos in your mind. Understanding how things work is mentally exciting to you. Sometimes this means that you find yourself taking things apart just to visualize how they are connected and how each component plays a unique part. Being able to be creative and independent is also essential to your well-being. You’re not someone who will compromise in order to find consensus – knowing that you’re free to find the truth and embrace it is important to you.

INTPs (Ti/Ne) – You feel contented when you’re free to generate alternatives, look at things from outside the box, and imagine. You get a rush from finding a new way to accomplish something,  and you feel energized when you have free time to create, innovate, and experiment with ideas.

ISTPs (Ti/Se) – You get joy from being active, creating things with your hands, or being immersed in your environment and the sights, sounds, tastes, and textures around you. Whether you’re deep-sea diving or making blueprints for your dream house, there’s a part of you that finds joy in exploring the resources available in your environment.

Other Things That Fulfill You:

• Learning new facts
• Playing strategy games
• Doing solo recreational activities (hiking, kayaking, bicycling)
• Troubleshooting in order to help someone you care about
• Feeling a sense of quiet belonging with others

Read These Next: 3 Weird and Wonderful Secrets About the INTP Personality Type

The Rare ISTP Female

ESFJs and ENFJs

You feel fulfilled when you bring people together and create a sense of unity and shared purpose. When you’re nurturing others, helping them work through problems, and standing up for what you feel is right you feel content and in line with your goals. You enjoy being able to express your feelings openly with others in order to get a sense of solidarity and affirmation. You truly find joy in making other people feel valued, appreciated, and cared for.

ESFJs (Fe/Si) – You get a sense of contentment from arranging all the details in life that make it meaningful. Having daily or yearly rituals, commemorating special traditions, and having a consistent, stable routine helps you to feel peaceful and ready for anything. It’s important for you to be prepared, and to have a sense of internal well-being through being healthy, getting enough sleep, and making time for the simple pleasures in life.

ENFJs (Fe/Ni) – You feel satisfied when you’re able to imagine, envision, and pursue complex concepts. You want to understand the cosmic significance of everything going on around you, and you want to find the underlying meaning of all things. Exploring theories and philosophies in depth helps you to understand the big-picture of life. Understanding human nature and the psychological reasons that people do what they do gives you a sense of joy.

Other Things That Fulfill You:

• Speaking up for other people.
• Reading books or watching movies with interesting relationships.
• Intimate conversations.
• Campaigning for a cause you believe in.
• Being understood.

INFPs and ISFPs

You feel content and fulfilled when you are free to explore your unique purpose in life. Unstructured time to read, create, listen to music, and analyze your feelings is vital to your well-being. Finding out what matters to you and then living in alignment with those values is of the utmost importance to you. Breaking or standing up against rules that you feel are oppressive gives you a rush. Like a house with many different rooms, you are a complex person who is trying to get all the facets of your personality to live together in inner harmony and serenity.

INFPs (Fi/Ne) – You enjoy generating ideas, imagining future scenarios, dreaming up possibilities, and innovating. Exploring concepts and theories is fascinating to you and gives you a sense of excitement and joy.

ISFPs (Fi/Se)  – You get joy from interacting with your environment and making an impact on the world around you. Whether you’re artistic, sporty, or entrepreneurial, you want to put your idealism into the tangible world with hands-on creative work.

Other Things That Fulfill You:

• Standing up for a cause you believe in.
• Being different from the crowd.
• Having your feelings validated.
• Listening to music or reading a story that you emotionally identify with.
• Having an empty schedule.
• Intimate, no-holds-barred conversations with trusted friends.

What Are Your Thoughts?

Did you enjoy this article? Would you like to share your insights or experiences? Let us know in the comments!

Find out more about your personality type in our eBooks, Discovering You: Unlocking the Power of Personality Type,  The INFJ – Understanding the Mystic, and The INFP – Understanding the Dreamer. You can also connect with me via Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter!