Confessions of an INTJ
Hi. My name is Tina and I'm an INTJ.
When I was growing up in my small town, I was a square peg in a round hole. A really small round hole. I didn't fit in. You know that scene in Disney's "Beauty and the Beast" where Belle is walking around her provincial little town with her book in hand? That was me. I graduated high school, arrived at college and had this wildly freeing epiphany about how I no longer felt out-of-place. A couple of years later in one of my business courses, the instructor gave us the Myers-Briggs personality inventory (or maybe the Keirsey Temperament Sorter which is a shorter version with the same results). I was very definitely an INTJ. Reading the description of the typical INTJ was like reading my autobiography. The description fit me perfectly.
The "I" is for Introvert which explained why I always had a smaller group of close-knit friends instead of the feeding frenzy of here-today-gone-tomorrow popularity that was so prevalent in my graduating class. I am very social but I'm not social in large-group settings. I am a good conversationalist but I'm not good in situations where I have to drive the conversation. The "N" in INTJ is for iNtuitive, which means I lean toward the big picture instead of details. I love thinking about possibilities, new ideas, and how to build a better mousetrap (not literally). The "T" is for Thinking. I do think a lot and I tend to ask a lot of questions (either out loud or in my head). The main issue with the T characteristic is that in making decisions I want to focus on right vs. wrong, black vs. white instead of focusing on the feelings of others. I care how others feel, but ultimately I'd rather make the right decision, even if it isn't the popular decision. Finally, the "J" stands for Judging, which really just means I want a plan. I like a list, a schedule, and an itinerary.
Finding out my personality provided me a ton of freedom in accepting who I am and why I didn't fit into my hometown. But, as the great "Facts of Life" will tell you, you take the good and you take the bad. The bad of being an INTJ is that I tend to think I'm always right. I sit back and observe and ask questions and think about possibilities for doing things better and, even if it isn't popular, I think that I'm right and others are wrong because I have a plan and my plan is well thought out. The prayer that goes with my Myers-Briggs type is "Lord, help me to be open to others' ideas, wrong though they may be." This is a funny prayer....but also too-true. I'm trying to learn that I'm not always right -- or that I'm not always the only right one in the room. I'm trying to learn to shut up and listen to others as they give input and make suggestions. Am I right? Yeah, sometimes. But am I always right? Probably not. Only Jesus can make that claim.
When I was growing up in my small town, I was a square peg in a round hole. A really small round hole. I didn't fit in. You know that scene in Disney's "Beauty and the Beast" where Belle is walking around her provincial little town with her book in hand? That was me. I graduated high school, arrived at college and had this wildly freeing epiphany about how I no longer felt out-of-place. A couple of years later in one of my business courses, the instructor gave us the Myers-Briggs personality inventory (or maybe the Keirsey Temperament Sorter which is a shorter version with the same results). I was very definitely an INTJ. Reading the description of the typical INTJ was like reading my autobiography. The description fit me perfectly.
The "I" is for Introvert which explained why I always had a smaller group of close-knit friends instead of the feeding frenzy of here-today-gone-tomorrow popularity that was so prevalent in my graduating class. I am very social but I'm not social in large-group settings. I am a good conversationalist but I'm not good in situations where I have to drive the conversation. The "N" in INTJ is for iNtuitive, which means I lean toward the big picture instead of details. I love thinking about possibilities, new ideas, and how to build a better mousetrap (not literally). The "T" is for Thinking. I do think a lot and I tend to ask a lot of questions (either out loud or in my head). The main issue with the T characteristic is that in making decisions I want to focus on right vs. wrong, black vs. white instead of focusing on the feelings of others. I care how others feel, but ultimately I'd rather make the right decision, even if it isn't the popular decision. Finally, the "J" stands for Judging, which really just means I want a plan. I like a list, a schedule, and an itinerary.
Finding out my personality provided me a ton of freedom in accepting who I am and why I didn't fit into my hometown. But, as the great "Facts of Life" will tell you, you take the good and you take the bad. The bad of being an INTJ is that I tend to think I'm always right. I sit back and observe and ask questions and think about possibilities for doing things better and, even if it isn't popular, I think that I'm right and others are wrong because I have a plan and my plan is well thought out. The prayer that goes with my Myers-Briggs type is "Lord, help me to be open to others' ideas, wrong though they may be." This is a funny prayer....but also too-true. I'm trying to learn that I'm not always right -- or that I'm not always the only right one in the room. I'm trying to learn to shut up and listen to others as they give input and make suggestions. Am I right? Yeah, sometimes. But am I always right? Probably not. Only Jesus can make that claim.
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