21 Reminders For INFPs Who Don’t Feel Sufficient Enough For Their Dreams
INFPs, like many other intuitive introverts in general, suffer from severe imposter syndrome when it comes to designing a lifestyle that best suits them and improving what they’d like to pursue.
INFPs are notorious for being “whimsical and sensitive daydreamers.” While there are many fascinating and distinguishable qualities they have that are less common in the population as a whole, they often feel like their gifts and strengths aren’t as valued in the world, and thus, this exacerbates many mental barriers along their journey.
They may adopt some habits to help them gain acceptance such as hiding their insecurities and spending too much time overcompensating for their weaknesses (usually without being very successful at it).
They sabotage themselves because they tend to believe that in order to be validated, they must be who they aren’t and act as another type to fit in, with the intent of making their own lives easier — because let’s be honest, life can be easier when you’re well-liked and seen as normal.
But still, it’s not easy at all. It’s incredibly draining and discouraging for them to rely on things they are weak at just to gain external acceptance.
INFPs absolutely hate the soul-crushing experience of being belittled for their differences, so they want to prove that their ideas and ways of expressing them have merit. Because of this, they may be driven to outperform the crowd in whatever pursuit they’re passionate about.
They have trouble with maintaining momentum because of how often they second-guess themselves and imagine the hypothetical ways others around them could judge them as “wasting time on the wrong things.” But they have a strong desire to excel at things that may not be common or appreciated by society, even when they face so much resistance.
The world needs more INFPs to shine and use their unconventional gifts — not repress or discard them, thinking that they’ll never be good enough.
But life doesn’t have to be disheartening if you’re an INFP. You may not find self-acceptance as easily as someone with a more common strength that’s valued on an external basis, and it will take a lot of effort to rewire the limiting thoughts about yourself that are holding you back.
If you’re an INFP, here are some thoughtful reminders that may help you see that you are more than enough:
1. What is beautiful about a fast-paced world that runs on impatience, superficiality, dopamine rushes, and instant gratification? Nothing. Never trade your sense of wonder or romanticism for the sake of trying to keep up with something that isn’t worth keeping up with.
2. Your passions are not a waste of time. Your existence isn’t meant to be rushed, your healing isn’t meant to be forced, and your thoughts aren’t meant to be constantly trivialized.
3. The world may deceive you into thinking that you don’t have any strengths because you don’t have the “correct ones.” But you deserve to build upon your unique set of innate talents and show how valuable they can be.
4. It’s okay to lose yourself in a song, a painting, a poem, a novel, or a film. Your ability to lose yourself in beautiful works of art makes you a more expressive and genuine creator.
5. Many great and immensely creative people throughout history were INFPs. If they were living today, they’d be on your side and against those who say you are insufficient.
6. The external world isn’t always right about everything. You are worthy, talented, and hard-working enough to do what best aligns with your interests, no matter what anyone says.
7. You’ll never flourish if you keep thinking your uncommon strengths are deficiencies. Dare to defy the naysayers who think you need to focus only on what you lack.
8. The beginning of anything you try will be difficult, and even if you get past the beginning, there will always be pressure to conform or to view your gifts as “not worthy enough.” But something great is in the works — you just have to be willing to fight for it.
9. Just because some people in your life have been dismissive of your ideas and how you communicate them, it doesn’t mean you need to live in constant self-doubt to justify their own limiting beliefs about you.
10. You don’t need to be brutal or overly realistic to hide your sensitive and hopeful heart. Your sensitivity may not be well-received, but in cases that matter to you, it is more of a hidden strength that will help you be more aware of things others may often ignore.
11. Don’t break what is already whole. Don’t contort what is already beautiful. Don’t diminish what is already grand and full of wonder.
12. There are people out there who will like you and value what you have to share. Focus on them, not on those who only view you with contempt.
13. Questioning who you are isn’t always a bad thing — it shows that you are willing to see yourself through multiple lenses.
14. Your imagination is an essential part of who you are. It is not extraneous or something to be ashamed of.
15. It is admirable that you strive for more of what you desire and not what other people want for you, especially if they are unwilling to understand you and are quick to dismiss what you have to offer.
16. Your life will pass you by and grow all the more painful if you keep neglecting your natural abilities. But you don’t deserve to let that happen to you.
17. Nurture your interests, and most of all, enjoy them. If keeping them as hobbies makes the experience more profound and fulfilling, then do that.
18. There are so many important, difficult truths of life that you’ll only discover when you can’t fit in or succeed quickly at conventional things.
19. You don’t have to be “the best” at everything you try in order for your abilities to be validated. You can be talented and exceptional in your own right without being the best or the most famous.
20. Your childlike sense of wonder and old soul perspective make a powerful combination. Utilize that to free yourself from external pressure and constraints. You can rise above the pressure. You are worth more than your constraints.
21. Intrinsically, you are a realm of infinite possibilities and astounding wonders. May that resound in your soul in the darkest of nights and always carry you through.