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[NF] How can you improve your ability to notice details concerning your surroundings?

gromit

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This is part of the reason I love when there is a big snowstorm. It snaps everybody (including me) out of their standard operating modes and forces people to confront reality a little more. Whether it is shoveling their front walk, driving more carefully, or just trying to avoid stepping in slush puddles.
 

Snuggletron

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when you level up, add ranks to 'spot' and 'search'

^_________________________________________________________^
 

sculpting

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EXACTLY THAT!!!! I mean 1,000% that!!!!! I will randomly notice things no normal human being would notice, but I will only notice that a BIG HUGE ASS CHURCH is somewhere three years after I move to a certain place. Or my husband will notice that different stores are there, when I didn't even know the old ones were there. Or he'll notice little fleeting details, where I just look oblivious.

I think this switching mode is exactly the problem. And about 30% of the time I am in dreamy/spacey mode, and about 40% of the time in analytical mode about some idea or concept in my brain, when I accumulate details and generalities for my work. And 20% of the time in self-expression mode, which means 90% of the time, I'm trapped in my brain and not observing the world around me.

But for the off-chance that I'm on 10% of the time observation mode, it's keener than most people's. I'll notice things the average Jack wouldn't see.

Oh, and when people point stuff out to me, I am INDEED interested in the little things in life. But someone definitely needs to point them out.

yes. I have often been pulled out from in front of moving cars. i rely on my toddler to find my car keys. This is a sign of an Se fail in a major way. At the extreme end, i just forget what people look like. No kidding, once I know someone I forget about all the details of their physical appearance. They become a big cuddly people blob for me to love.

LL, I love the use of CAPITALS and FUCKING AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! punctuation marks. This captures my brain so very well.....It actually describes what my thoughts look like-like some really get BIG!!!!! then are all calm and cool like it wasnt a big deal.... lalalalaaa. I also like the use of 1000%, although I typical defer to the number 47. "I told you that like 47 times, seriously????" Your posts are awesome.

For you and gromit-you guys describe modes above. I describe these in functional terms.

For me:
the "30% dreamy/spacey" is Ne
the "40% analytical mode about some idea or concept in my brain, when I accumulate details and generalities for my work" is NeTe with some Si
the "20% of the time in self-expression mode" would be NeFi

leaving TeSi the last 10%. That's when i pay bills. It suuuucks.

Does this sound batshit crazy or maybe possible?? I always notied it but thought I was crazy. Cause I could be crazy...:D
 
G

Glycerine

Guest
My Si is garbage...This sounds like some pretty solid advice. So you did this and it worked?

I'm tired of spacing out while I'm driving and missing my exits and turns. I use twice as much gas cuz I'm always zoning out while I'm driving.

I think I'm gonna try this.
Good lookin out
ENFJ Se can actually be very good at noticing surroundings though. For the ENFJ, Se needs to be developed. It's really rare for ENFJs to have good Si... that would make you more of a ESFJ.
 
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Eruca

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Oh yes. I do this fairly often, it makes me looks like a total moron.

Once, when I was working in a post room, I had to transport many boxes using these special carrying trollies. On the front of the trolly was a handle that I saw had to be turned to "unfold" it. However, when I tried to turn the handle it wouldnt budge so I began to check the mechanism to make sure it wasnt stuck and such. So it was that I spent the next 5 minutes trying to unfold this thing, growing rapidly more frustrated and confused as I went on. Finally, out of the blue, some suit who was out on his smoking break came over to me, took hold of the handle, lifted it up, then turned it and unfolded the trolly.

Only then did I see the sticker a little beneath the handle that said "lift before turning".

:blush:

That suit must have thought they brought me in from the special division.
 

Little Linguist

Striving for balance
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This is part of the reason I love when there is a big snowstorm. It snaps everybody (including me) out of their standard operating modes and forces people to confront reality a little more. Whether it is shoveling their front walk, driving more carefully, or just trying to avoid stepping in slush puddles.

Really? :huh: Hehee, I love snow because I can run around and jump in it, pretend I'm a little girl again, skip through it, and drag the dog by its tail backwards through the snow. HE LOVES IT! I know it sounds like animal cruelty, but it really isn't. And if we don't do weird stuff with him, he goes off and gets into all kinds of weird stuff on his own. And then I try to catch snowflakes, which I'm notoriously BAD at because my depth perception and judgment of distance sucks. But it is still fun.....

yes. I have often been pulled out from in front of moving cars. i rely on my toddler to find my car keys. This is a sign of an Se fail in a major way. At the extreme end, i just forget what people look like. No kidding, once I know someone I forget about all the details of their physical appearance. They become a big cuddly people blob for me to love.

LL, I love the use of CAPITALS and FUCKING AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! punctuation marks. This captures my brain so very well.....It actually describes what my thoughts look like-like some really get BIG!!!!! then are all calm and cool like it wasnt a big deal.... lalalalaaa. I also like the use of 1000%, although I typical defer to the number 47. "I told you that like 47 times, seriously????" Your posts are awesome.

For you and gromit-you guys describe modes above. I describe these in functional terms.

For me:
the "30% dreamy/spacey" is Ne
the "40% analytical mode about some idea or concept in my brain, when I accumulate details and generalities for my work" is NeTe with some Si
the "20% of the time in self-expression mode" would be NeFi

leaving TeSi the last 10%. That's when i pay bills. It suuuucks.

Does this sound batshit crazy or maybe possible?? I always notied it but thought I was crazy. Cause I could be crazy...:D

OMGGGGG You are all kinds of awesome!!!!! :wubbie::wubbie::wubbie::wubbie: Seee! You get it! You understand how my mind works: See the problem is that most people do not operate in that mode, so they THINK you're just a crazy moron, but in reality your brain is just wired differently than everyone else's...

The function analysis was great!!!!! I use my Te a LOT LOT LOT LOT, which makes a lot of people think I'm xSTJ, even ME for a while. And I'm more comfy with it than a lot of ENFPs, which helps me keep my shit together (usually).

Oh yes. I do this fairly often, it makes me looks like a total moron.

Once, when I was working in a post room, I had to transport many boxes using these special carrying trollies. On the front of the trolly was a handle that I saw had to be turned to "unfold" it. However, when I tried to turn the handle it wouldnt budge so I began to check the mechanism to make sure it wasnt stuck and such. So it was that I spent the next 5 minutes trying to unfold this thing, growing rapidly more frustrated and confused as I went on. Finally, out of the blue, some suit who was out on his smoking break came over to me, took hold of the handle, lifted it up, then turned it and unfolded the trolly.

Only then did I see the sticker a little beneath the handle that said "lift before turning".

:blush:

That suit must have thought they brought me in from the special division.

Awwww nooo....your mind was probably just elsewhere! That happens to me all the time. :D
 
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You just walk by, dreaming in your head; thinking, contemplating, pondering the world, but you cannot or do not notice normal, ordinary things everyone sees??? Why is that?"

Damned if I could answer. I simply said, "Pfft. In case you hadn't realized by now, my brain is wired a bit differently than most people's minds."

How can I improve this ability???? I feel like a retarded dumb ass!!! Why can I not see the things most people see??? Is there something wrong with me??? How can I change it???

First off I feel your pain :laugh:.

One time when I had my car facing outward instead of the usual facing the garage position. Well I noticed that the house across the street must of been recently painted a new color. I'm surprised I even noticed, I gave myself a internal high five after the shock wore off. But I soon found out it was like that for months... not a recent thing. I just shrugged it off, at least I noticed for once :laugh:.

I think what's helped me is perhaps first learning how to drive. It was like diving into a Se pool :yes:, scary but I don't regret it.

Don't worry, I feel like such a butt sometimes too seriously. I've totally had the "right there!!" incident happen plenty of times. I think that's just an innate part of me. I'm just not aware of my physical surroundings no matter how practiced I get with it, it's just how i'm wired.

I can do it, but it's always going to be awkward for me and when i'm done with it it's like relief. Practice does help though ime.

You know what's a good show for developing Se LL? imho it's this show called "lie to me" where these "professionals" use very refined Se to detect physical movements of their body to point out when someone's lying. What's nice is they replay it slowly and narrow in on the area that shows the subtle movement for us S-tards as I know I almost always miss the Se signals so it's wonderful. Maybe you'll be interested in watching it or checking it out sometime when your have the free time :D.

My silly responce would be to the "why is that?" is because i'm awesome that's why xD N is magical :p. Then i'd be serious.

:hug:
 

highlander

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Become an extraverted sensor.
 

sculpting

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This is part of the reason I love when there is a big snowstorm. It snaps everybody (including me) out of their standard operating modes and forces people to confront reality a little more. Whether it is shoveling their front walk, driving more carefully, or just trying to avoid stepping in slush puddles.

When I have been away form my children on a business trip and return home, I am overwhelmed by the details of them. Their hair, faces, eyes, the words they use. I call it the discordant effect-the change in the enviornment triggers much more Se usage.

Because I use so much Ne, I often feel I only have the slightest connection with the here and now moment of the Se present. I very often dont see things right in from of my face. For me, people morph into an amorphous thing that contains all of their inner and outer beauty, all of the amazing things about them. They are as beautiful for their imperfections as for their attributes.

For this reason I very rarely find people physically attractive until I have become familiar with their "insides". The inside is really what is of value for me.

LL-look up "mindful meditation"
 

sculpting

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OMGGGGG You are all kinds of awesome!!!!! :wubbie::wubbie::wubbie::wubbie: Seee! You get it! You understand how my mind works: See the problem is that most people do not operate in that mode, so they THINK you're just a crazy moron, but in reality your brain is just wired differently than everyone else's...

The function analysis was great!!!!! I use my Te a LOT LOT LOT LOT, which makes a lot of people think I'm xSTJ, even ME for a while. And I'm more comfy with it than a lot of ENFPs, which helps me keep my shit together (usually).

LL, I totally missed this reply. You make me so happy!!!!

:wubbie:
 

kiddykat

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I have a terrible weakness: I never notice anything about the details in my environment. It will often happen that I will have gone to a certain place dozens or even more times, and I will fail to notice some very obvious thing. Suddenly, for no apparent reason, I will notice these things and say, "Is that new?" Then, I find out it had always been there, but I hadn't noticed it before.

Another key thing: I will wake up, and suddenly it is spring. Where the hell did that come from??? The flowers are there - holy crap how did that happen?

People will walk by me, and I will not even notice they walk by....until they say, "HEY RENEE!!!!" It's like, "Holy crap."

My husband notices things I would never have seen. For example, we'll walk by an alcove, and he'll say, "I wonder what's behind there?"

"Where?"

"There!"

"WHERE?"

"There!! MY GOD THERE!!!!"

I wonder what's behind there???? Well, I will dream up some crazy fantasy, and he will think more practically. Though, now I have taught him to imagine that is some kind of leprechaun forest ;) where they have contests and parties and things.

He asked me today, "You know what? At work, people think you are so professional and they think you know everything because you appear so knowledgeable. But then, they do not interact with you on a daily basis in everyday life, so they do not see that when it comes to daily things, you are COMPLETELY OBLIVIOUS. WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT???? I see these things, and so does everyone else, so they would assume YOU see them. But no. You don't notice these obvious things. You just walk by, dreaming in your head; thinking, contemplating, pondering the world, but you cannot or do not notice normal, ordinary things everyone sees??? Why is that?"

Damned if I could answer. I simply said, "Pfft. In case you hadn't realized by now, my brain is wired a bit differently than most people's minds."

How can I improve this ability???? I feel like a retarded dumb ass!!! Why can I not see the things most people see??? Is there something wrong with me??? How can I change it???
How I do it is by putting my glasses on. Not kidding. I have thickass ones that make me look like Urkel.

Other than that? Focus? Concentrate.

I have this problem too, because I can be totally oblivious about my surroundings, especially when it comes to parking spots. I'm tired of paying fines simply bc I don't notice detail and 'signs' posted randomly in places.

Oh- and sometimes, I'd rather not notice the details- I can't stand the thought of having to 'clean' things.. lol. I'm still waiting on the robotic housemaid invention.:nerd:
41.jpg
"Oh, Rosie..":wubbie:
 

Esoteric Wench

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I have a terrible weakness: I never notice anything about the details in my environment.

So far all I've read is the original post. I had to stop and make this comment before reading the rest of the thread...

Praise be! Am I glad Little Linguist posted this topic. I completely suck at noticing details. And only in the past couple of years since I started paying attention to the downsides of Ne, have I realized how much this affects (and oftentimes hinders) me as I go about my life. So THANK YOU Little Linguist!!!!

:hug:

... Now off to read the rest of the thread for some ideas. Then I'll post some of the things I've tried to do to counteract this Ne shortcoming.
 

CrystalViolet

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Do you know what my family used to do to me? They would shift pieces of furniture and ornaments ect to see how long it would take for me notice. It took me three weeks to notice a table had been moved, so my mother, in the interests of tourturing me started moving stuff, around for a period of six months, every day, because she found it embarassing that I never noticed stuff. So I'd come home from school and have to figure out what had moved. Who cares, if an ornament has been moved from the mantle piece to the display cabinent. Grrrrr. Anyway, it seems it has helped me later in life, as mostly no-one notices how completely oblivious I am to such things for the most part.
 
D

Dali

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Tip: make a concerted effort, everyday, to notice physical details about people you come into contact with on a daily basis. The colour/cut of their hair, their eyes, their garb, their gait...


O/T:
The person with the most developed Se I have ever seen is my INFJ. He walks into a room and he subconsciously assesses everything so, in his words, "I don't get any surprises". He compounds that by having killer Si. The best photographic memory I've personally encountered. He could tell you every detail of the interior of a restaurant he visited three months ago (and only once at that) or, seemingly effortlessly, recount, (almost) word for word, from memory, an interesting news article he had seen a few days prior.

Frankly, after all these months, I'm still a little amazed. Do any other INFJs identify with this?
 
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gromit

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Do you know what my family used to do to me? They would shift pieces of furniture and ornaments ect to see how long it would take for me notice. It took me three weeks to notice a table had been moved, so my mother, in the interests of tourturing me started moving stuff, around for a period of six months, every day, because she found it embarassing that I never noticed stuff. So I'd come home from school and have to figure out what had moved. Who cares, if an ornament has been moved from the mantle piece to the display cabinent. Grrrrr. Anyway, it seems it has helped me later in life, as mostly no-one notices how completely oblivious I am to such things for the most part.

Ha ha ha... that's great. Your mom sounds funny.

I think I had the opposite problem. I used to rearrange the furniture on my mom, but I think it was mostly to make my chores like vacuuming the living room fun (i.e. I would do that instead of vacuuming), and because I would get bored when things were the same for too long...
 

Quiet

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Stand still or sit on a bench somewhere and just really study your environment with a calm and quiet mind. If anything, it will be a peaceful way to spend some time, but try not to spend it in thought with your mind wandering. Just "be".
 
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