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[ENTP] ENTPs, did you find your motivation in life? If so, how?

BlahBlahNounBlah

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I don't believe in finding yourself and your true motivation/purpose. There's nothing to find. Whatever you're doing is where your self is. And then when you do something else, your self is there. Whatever you want to do, do that because you'll be better at it than you would if you weren't really interested. Then when you're no longer interested in that, do something else.


Lucky for you, you're an ENTP, so you'll be good at nearly anything you want to do. Not everyone has it so easy.
 

entropie

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I am sorry but I see no way in that way, doesnt mean tho that it couldnt be there
 

Fluxkom

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To all those avatar starers, yes that is me. Contact me for a postersize picture. Shipping is 15€ in Europe, Oversea people will need to pick it up at my place :devil:

If it can't be made into playtime, don't bother. You won't do well anyway if it feels like work or like something you're being forced to do against your will.

This is only so much true, because I know, that I'm trying to play Jedi Mind Tricks on me. In the end it is work, whether you love doing it or not. And at the point where you are doing something you love and you recognize it is still work you just don't love it anymore and it could be really anything else instead.

What could work, is that if I get money from somewhere and don't know to which of my activities it is related. In this case I would be truly free in doing what I want and it won't feel like work at all.


Motivation sounds too much like a goal or plan.

Outch, I think you hit a soft spot here. I think at some point you have to overcome your Pness, especially true for me, as I'm in the deep 90s with my P, and get mor J'ish. It is hard to hit invisible targets, isn't it? (Well you could hit them, in the end it is just a function of weapon size I guess. ^^)

I will give you one example. Some years ago I decided to learn japanese, just for the fun of it. I got into courses at University and did really well. Then someday I noticed that with this knowledge I would come one of my dreamjobs significantly closer. (Nintendo has their european Headquarter about 500m from my current place, and I'm really into games, gaming and would really love to work there. They are constantly looking for people able to speak japanese for all different kind of jobs.) But the moment I realised that a real plan emerges from that I stopped doing it. I totally dropped japanese from one second to the other and sabotaged that dreaded "PLAN".

I just realized I did this when writing these lines. OK, this does not surprise me, that is how things have been forever for me.
You could call that stupid or whatever, but that is just the way it is. Like Jenocide says it is just a way of life.

Entropie mentions it is just
entropie said:
an excuse for everything more serious requiring dedication.
I hear that A LOT from my wife (INTJ, although she got a lot more P'ish since she knows me, lol).
I think there is some truth in it as well. For me it is really easy to abandon something because I know I'm able to pick up anything new of similar interest for me in the blink of an eye.
But I don't know if I should give into this. I have been able to resist the urge for the constant new in my relationship. This has been somewhat easy, as we are soulmates and she is able to constantly surprise me. But nevertheless it is a struggle every now and then, because there are just too many interesting women out there, and I'm really flirty. But in the case of my relationship I really feel that being consistent is worth it.
I think it might as well be for working. I'm just so unsecure about it. Underestimating myself much?

End of text. Avatar starers you can stop now :shock:
 

CJ99

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I'm sitting in work really wanting to be in my bed! This really ain't helping! ahhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 

LucrativeSid

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I've never had any interest in dedicating 50 years to one career or mission in life. (I doubt ENTPs ever do.) I want to do a little bit of everything. Write a book, make websites, make investments, create inventions, release an album, produce albums, do a documentary, start an organization, build a giant statue of myself just for fun, etc... (That sounds egotistical but that's the beauty of it. Only an ego would fear doing such a thing.)

My problem is that I'm so interested in so many things and have so many big ideas that I'm not dedicated to any of them. A highly productive individual with a lot of drive could do all of those things in lifetime easily, but I'm not highly productive or driven. I'm an easy-going pleasure seeker who gets distracted easily and suffers from extreme bouts of laziness. I also give up easily because I don't have very much self-discipline.

Now, I'm only speaking for myself here, not other ENTPs, but if I even just accomplished 3% of my big ideas, I'd probably feel deeply fulfilled about my purpose in life and how I'm spending my time. The need to be so open has completely squashed any chance of me feeling fulfilled because I don't do anything to a high enough degree to actually feel proud of myself.

So, for myself, I agree that I should do what I love and to not make matters unnecessarily complicated. Who wouldn't? But I should also still kick myself in the ass as hard as I can so that I don't fall short of my true potential with each of my inspired endeavors. So far I'm terrible at this, and although I can enjoy myself and go with the flow, whenever I sit down and think about my progress in life I'm very disappointed.

I kind of believe that once I'm better as a person, everything that I do will be done to a higher standard. And that higher standard, that excellence, would be my consistent purpose, not the individual things that I do.

Yes, I do judge myself harshly and expect a lot of myself, but not so that I can cry about it. It's because truth and optimism are always tied together. I'm not even within a million miles from where I want to be.. but I am excited to be where I am now because I know that I still have the rest of my life ahead of me, however long or short that may be. And the only moment I can ever conquer any challenge is this present moment. If I fail, I'll fail gloriously and with style.
 

thisGuy

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get at least 1/4th of everything you want

it really must suck not to have anything to dedicate yourself to
 

the state i am in

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I don't believe in finding yourself and your true motivation/purpose. There's nothing to find. Whatever you're doing is where your self is. And then when you do something else, your self is there. Whatever you want to do, do that because you'll be better at it than you would if you weren't really interested. Then when you're no longer interested in that, do something else.

BlahBlahGuruBlah. dj?

i'm hearing some serious indian drone- samples- and maharishi chanting. but the obvious hip-hop percussion stands, if you want it to be a little bit cliche.

also walt whitman invented this when he named his best "loafing."
 

Fluxkom

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I've never had any interest in dedicating 50 years to one career or mission in life. (I doubt ENTPs ever do.) I want to do a little bit of everything. Write a book, make websites, make investments, create inventions, release an album, produce albums, do a documentary, start an organization, build a giant statue of myself just for fun, etc... (That sounds egotistical but that's the beauty of it. Only an ego would fear doing such a thing.)

My problem is that I'm so interested in so many things and have so many big ideas that I'm not dedicated to any of them. A highly productive individual with a lot of drive could do all of those things in lifetime easily, but I'm not highly productive or driven. I'm an easy-going pleasure seeker who gets distracted easily and suffers from extreme bouts of laziness. I also give up easily because I don't have very much self-discipline.

Now, I'm only speaking for myself here, not other ENTPs, but if I even just accomplished 3% of my big ideas, I'd probably feel deeply fulfilled about my purpose in life and how I'm spending my time. The need to be so open has completely squashed any chance of me feeling fulfilled because I don't do anything to a high enough degree to actually feel proud of myself.

So, for myself, I agree that I should do what I love and to not make matters unnecessarily complicated. Who wouldn't? But I should also still kick myself in the ass as hard as I can so that I don't fall short of my true potential with each of my inspired endeavors. So far I'm terrible at this, and although I can enjoy myself and go with the flow, whenever I sit down and think about my progress in life I'm very disappointed.

This. Exactly this. Seems our souls were separated at birth...
 

entropie

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I just figured some point in my life some time ago, lamenting about what I've could done or what I could do doesnt get me anywhere.

I too have traces of laziness and periods of outer worldyness but I have learned, you need to accomplish things to reach goals, especially if you are going for a career in Academics.

I know some people, especially males, who discover at age 35 that they havent really accomplished anything in life so far. They had a lot of ideas, ofc, but didnt make anything of it. I dont want to end there and especially I dont want to teach that to my kids.

Tho I am no big fan of clichés, the spelling you wont get to your desired goals without dedication applies in a lot of fields.

I dont say you guys here dont know that or suffer from this illness, I am just saying I am allergic to the sentence "I have a lot of ideas, I am just too lazy to do anything."

That's an oxymoron in so many ways in my eyes.
 

Asterion

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You need a purpose, to distract yourself from such useless, depressive contemplation. Set some new goals, and aim high. Don't forget to shred anything that holds you back, but be careful, because sometimes you'll destroy something stable and be left with nothing.

All through school and that, I was just following others. Suddenly I ended up in uni and slowly lost motivation, so I started trying a few new things out, I switched unis (ditching any friends I had there), and completely changed everything, and gave up on the difficult subjects, because I wanted more, and I felt like I could see it just around the corner. I tried to get a job to support myself and possibly live on campus. I was bursting with energy... and eventually I realized that nothing went how I dreamed it would, it was all just a dream, and in following it, I destroyed everything I already had, and then ran away from the solution with more dreams. I'm pretty sure that I've miss-typed myself enneagram wise, that's some pretty clear 7 behavior.

The thing is, to find motivation, and keep a hold on it, you can't be a sheep, you can't rely on competition to drive you, you have to drive yourself. The main thing want is focus! I remember watching an interview with a famous chef who's father told him when he was young, that to get the gals swooning, you have to have money, you have to be successful. That was his motivation. Everyone has triggers like these, seek them out and manipulate them, and the whole world will bend at the knees before you ;)
 

entropie

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You too suffered from lemming-syndrome ? Just in the second you thought you were cool in high school, following the masses everyone disappeared ! :D

Lemminge_02.JPG
 

Asterion

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You too suffered from lemming-syndrome ? Just in the second you thought you were cool in high school, following the masses everyone disappeared ! :D

Lemminge_02.JPG

Bingo! Bastards! No worries, I'm not dead and never will be!!! bahahahah!!! :devil:
 

Valuable_Money

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Stood in firelight, sweltering. Bloodstain on chest like map of violent new continent. Felt cleansed. Felt dark planet turn under my feet and knew what cats know that makes them scream like babies in night. Looked at sky through smoke heavy with human fat and God was not there. The cold, suffocating dark goes on forever and we are alone. Live our lives, lacking anything better to do. Devise reason later. Born from oblivion; bear children, hell-bound as ourselves, go into oblivion. There is nothing else. Existence is random. Has no pattern save what we imagine after staring at it for too long. No meaning save what we choose to impose. This rudderless world is not shaped by vague metaphysical forces. It is not God who kills the children. Not fate that butchers them or destiny that feeds them to the dogs. It’s us. Only us. Streets stank of fire. The void breathed hard on my heart, turning its illusions to ice, shattering them. Was reborn then, free to scrawl own design on this morally blank world.
 

lamp

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Stood in firelight, sweltering. Bloodstain on chest like map of violent new continent. Felt cleansed. Felt dark planet turn under my feet and knew what cats know that makes them scream like babies in night. Looked at sky through smoke heavy with human fat and God was not there. The cold, suffocating dark goes on forever and we are alone. Live our lives, lacking anything better to do. Devise reason later. Born from oblivion; bear children, hell-bound as ourselves, go into oblivion. There is nothing else. Existence is random. Has no pattern save what we imagine after staring at it for too long. No meaning save what we choose to impose. This rudderless world is not shaped by vague metaphysical forces. It is not God who kills the children. Not fate that butchers them or destiny that feeds them to the dogs. It’s us. Only us. Streets stank of fire. The void breathed hard on my heart, turning its illusions to ice, shattering them. Was reborn then, free to scrawl own design on this morally blank world.
:party2:
 

substitute

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I figure, rather than try to stick at doing one particular thing, it's more effective for an ENTP looking to establish some consistency and achievement in their life, if you figure out an underlying principle that you want to underpin all the different things you do.

That's motivation.

For me, what tends to drive most of my ideas is the desire to improve things. For me, it's the lot of marginalized people, that's what I'm always anxious to improve. But there are so, so many different things a person can do in order to affect that. From simply being a friend to someone who has nobody else, to simply seeking out public fora (internet or anywhere else) where you can give a voice to people who're misunderstood and promote better understanding, to voluntary work, to philanthropy and paid careers in the humanitarian sector (which can range from admin to medical, legal to construction and so on), I can be doing a dozen different things and yet, at the same time, it's all led by the one connecting interest or passion.

So if somebody asks me that dreaded dinner party question: "what do you do?", I don't feel like I have to awkwardly list the various different fields I've worked in, none for long enough to call it a career, and feel and look like a failure. I just say "I'm into the humanitarian aid sector, helping the marginalized in our society". Whether I do it for pay all the time or not, I'm still doing the same thing, the way I see it. Even in a non-charity sector job, I can still use my eye for improvements to tweak and change things to make life better for others - particularly when it comes to unfair or inefficient hierarchies that need some impertenent chap with little to lose, to challenge and shake them up in a way that benefits the underdogs. I've ended a few reigns of terror in my time :alttongue: although on paper I was "just a cleaner".

So yeah, you do need to establish some consistency and learn dedication, but being an N, don't fool yourself with trying to direct it at the S world of Things, Places and Stuff. Do it in the N world of ideas and principles, and make what you do in the S stuff serve those ideas, once you've established the ones you're gonna live by (keep it simple - for me, just 3 words: "make a difference"). Otherwise you'll always just feel trapped and resentful.
 

Tamske

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I recognize my true passions as the recurring ones.

Eg. science-literature-music-Latin-science-technology-literature-science-research-literature-teaching-science-literature-MBTI-literature

So far, I've got my degree in science and teaching and I'm a working teacher now. My writing has been on hold for a few days, but it's now gaining momentum. I'm not afraid of not finishing my story, even if I'm currently too interested in MBTI to take care of the story. I'm confident my writing passion is a recurring one.

The same actually holds for story ideas. Like any good NP, I've got more ideas than I can manage. Right now, a new story idea is trying to worm his way in my head and suppressing the novel I'm writing now.
In the past, I was afraid of letting that new, good story idea go, abandoned my current project and started the new one. Result: a thousand unfinished stories.
Now I've built a good defence mechanism - the recurrent idea. If the new idea is a good one, it will come back. I'm not going to forget it. I can finish the current project, and when it's finished, I'll take a look at the new ideas and I'll choose one I recognize as a recurrent one.
 

Gerbah

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>> And all the time I have this gut feeling that I'm meant to do something with my life that is remarkable and worthy. I just can't put the finger on it and nail it, as there are, as you all know, way too many interesting fields out there to start on. <<

My husband is ENTP and he also talks about wanting to do something remarkable and worthy. For him, this is related to his social conscience. He wants to have a job that reflects his social values and through his work create lasting, positive change in the wider world and other peoples' lives. He would suffocate in a job that is too repetitive and mechanical or something where he has to use his skills to execute someone else's vision, e.g. he could never be an interior designer and do what other people tell him to do for their houses, he has to express his own vision and creativity. He's at the moment in the right field for his abilities and interests but not the right specific job and place.

Maybe that helps you and rings a bell somehow?

Good luck with your search. Otherwise, you've always got the video games :)
 
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