cascadeco
New member
- Joined
- Oct 7, 2007
- Messages
- 9,080
- MBTI Type
- INFJ
- Enneagram
- 9w1
- Instinctual Variant
- sp/sx
So I'd like to attempt to start a thread without any reference to type, or cognitive functions. I'd like for people to look at the title of the thread, think of a few examples of major life decisions you have made in the past, and the thought processes around how you made the decision and concluded what you did. Could be about anything - relationships, college, religion, buying a house, dropping out of school, quitting a job, starting your own business, whatever.
Obviously each person who posts will have an mbti type associated with themselves, and the readers of the posts will come to their own conclusions on whether what the person describes is something that lines up with their personal conception of what that type is 'supposed' to do, or whether it goes against what that type is 'supposed' to do.
But my aim in this thread is to just let people describe what THEY do, and why they do what they do, or think how they think. Forget about using cognitive function descriptors, forget about referencing your type, just be real. (**and please, don't feel compelled in the slightest to follow my format - not that you would, lol - because I tend to write a lot in the first place, and if people actually take this thread seriously, I would expect to see many different types of responses)
So I'll start.
First example - going to college and choosing a major. First off, it never really entered my mind to NOT go to college as a child. It just made sense, and I thought it was necessary to be able to get a 'real job'. Also, I didn't have any grand life plans, so unconsciously I probably was relieved that I had my life planned out until at least college graduation, and I didn't have to worry about coming up with my own plan. Growing up, in some ways I sort of just floated along - not terribly sure what I wanted to do, not having a solid footing on my identity, or confidence around who I was. This probably impacted my difficulty in choosing a major. I was highly talented at music, and my piano teacher and grandmother both wished I would have pursued music, and thought it would be a shame if I did not. However, I was also good at math and science, and I thought it would be a shame if I didn't make use of my intellectual capabilities/gifts. I didn't want to throw that away, so to speak, and I thought it made the most logical sense in going to school - pursuing a career in something that would use my abilities, and that would guarantee a job. My dad also heavily influenced my decision, as he urged the more practical career - suggesting stuff like actuarial science (ick), and encouraging engineering. So I started out in engineering. It was something most of the people I tended to relate to in high school were pursuing, so it seemed a natural thing to do. After 1.5 yrs though, I realized it just wasn't 'Me', and I looked around at all of my peers and couldn't see myself in the engineering world with my temperament - I simply didn't care about dead things, and computers, and electricity. It was boring to me, and I also learned that it wasn't something that I naturally grasped - I could have majored in it and done it as a career if I had the will, but I didn't have the will, and I also don't think I would have excelled at it either. I would have just done 'ok'. Nothing brilliant. I then debated what to major in instead, and ruled out business and most of the liberal arts majors because I didn't want to do business and I wasn't interested in languages or the humanities or anything like that, so I thought long and hard and chose biology, specifically Ecology, because I liked the topic, cared about the subject matter, and thought of any of the jobs out there, a job related to the environment or naturalist work would be the most up my alley. Switched majors, graduated.
Another example - quitting my job recently and deciding to upend my life and move to a different state in the spring. I had ended up working for a company beginning 6 yrs ago, because at that time jobs were scarce, I had become disillusioned about realistic prospects in the environmental field, was tired of temping and competing for short-term assignments with 100+ other over-qualified people, so sucked it up and joined a corporation in a crappy job, just to have some semblance of stability. 2 yrs or so into being at the company, I felt stifled, hated the menial work I was doing, and nearly quit to go travel the world for 6 months, but I also thought that was an escapist maneuver and it was possible to 'conquer' my view of my life and change my perspective on it, and find a way to achieve peace despite a job I didn't like. I actually kinda did that, and then found the job I DID like within the company that was much better suited to my skills, and was fine at it until I learned the ropes, it became too routine, wasn't much of a challenge anymore, and I felt I could 'predict' the company decisions/dynamics/projects enough that there wouldn't be any surprises or challenge any longer. The stagnant feeling started creeping up again. 5 yrs or so in a corporation had made me feel that my *overall* life was rather humdrum and repetitive. The thought of having the same sort of day, and existance, every year for the rest of my life, in the same sort of role and company, made my stomach churn and the thought depressed me. Simultaneously I realized there was the simple fact that I didn't even WANT to be in Minnesota for the rest of my life, so why in fact was I still here? What was keeping me here, besides my own fears and uncertainties? And finally, a 'life is short' realization...just that now was the best time to make a change and act, because logistically things would only get harder as I grew older, and if I didn't act now, I'd come up with more excuses later on. I couldn't think of a really good reason not to do it. I don't want to 'fold' when it comes to my life, as I think it's possible to have a fulfilling, rich existance.
Anyone else want to describe how they come to decisions?
Obviously each person who posts will have an mbti type associated with themselves, and the readers of the posts will come to their own conclusions on whether what the person describes is something that lines up with their personal conception of what that type is 'supposed' to do, or whether it goes against what that type is 'supposed' to do.
But my aim in this thread is to just let people describe what THEY do, and why they do what they do, or think how they think. Forget about using cognitive function descriptors, forget about referencing your type, just be real. (**and please, don't feel compelled in the slightest to follow my format - not that you would, lol - because I tend to write a lot in the first place, and if people actually take this thread seriously, I would expect to see many different types of responses)
So I'll start.
First example - going to college and choosing a major. First off, it never really entered my mind to NOT go to college as a child. It just made sense, and I thought it was necessary to be able to get a 'real job'. Also, I didn't have any grand life plans, so unconsciously I probably was relieved that I had my life planned out until at least college graduation, and I didn't have to worry about coming up with my own plan. Growing up, in some ways I sort of just floated along - not terribly sure what I wanted to do, not having a solid footing on my identity, or confidence around who I was. This probably impacted my difficulty in choosing a major. I was highly talented at music, and my piano teacher and grandmother both wished I would have pursued music, and thought it would be a shame if I did not. However, I was also good at math and science, and I thought it would be a shame if I didn't make use of my intellectual capabilities/gifts. I didn't want to throw that away, so to speak, and I thought it made the most logical sense in going to school - pursuing a career in something that would use my abilities, and that would guarantee a job. My dad also heavily influenced my decision, as he urged the more practical career - suggesting stuff like actuarial science (ick), and encouraging engineering. So I started out in engineering. It was something most of the people I tended to relate to in high school were pursuing, so it seemed a natural thing to do. After 1.5 yrs though, I realized it just wasn't 'Me', and I looked around at all of my peers and couldn't see myself in the engineering world with my temperament - I simply didn't care about dead things, and computers, and electricity. It was boring to me, and I also learned that it wasn't something that I naturally grasped - I could have majored in it and done it as a career if I had the will, but I didn't have the will, and I also don't think I would have excelled at it either. I would have just done 'ok'. Nothing brilliant. I then debated what to major in instead, and ruled out business and most of the liberal arts majors because I didn't want to do business and I wasn't interested in languages or the humanities or anything like that, so I thought long and hard and chose biology, specifically Ecology, because I liked the topic, cared about the subject matter, and thought of any of the jobs out there, a job related to the environment or naturalist work would be the most up my alley. Switched majors, graduated.
Another example - quitting my job recently and deciding to upend my life and move to a different state in the spring. I had ended up working for a company beginning 6 yrs ago, because at that time jobs were scarce, I had become disillusioned about realistic prospects in the environmental field, was tired of temping and competing for short-term assignments with 100+ other over-qualified people, so sucked it up and joined a corporation in a crappy job, just to have some semblance of stability. 2 yrs or so into being at the company, I felt stifled, hated the menial work I was doing, and nearly quit to go travel the world for 6 months, but I also thought that was an escapist maneuver and it was possible to 'conquer' my view of my life and change my perspective on it, and find a way to achieve peace despite a job I didn't like. I actually kinda did that, and then found the job I DID like within the company that was much better suited to my skills, and was fine at it until I learned the ropes, it became too routine, wasn't much of a challenge anymore, and I felt I could 'predict' the company decisions/dynamics/projects enough that there wouldn't be any surprises or challenge any longer. The stagnant feeling started creeping up again. 5 yrs or so in a corporation had made me feel that my *overall* life was rather humdrum and repetitive. The thought of having the same sort of day, and existance, every year for the rest of my life, in the same sort of role and company, made my stomach churn and the thought depressed me. Simultaneously I realized there was the simple fact that I didn't even WANT to be in Minnesota for the rest of my life, so why in fact was I still here? What was keeping me here, besides my own fears and uncertainties? And finally, a 'life is short' realization...just that now was the best time to make a change and act, because logistically things would only get harder as I grew older, and if I didn't act now, I'd come up with more excuses later on. I couldn't think of a really good reason not to do it. I don't want to 'fold' when it comes to my life, as I think it's possible to have a fulfilling, rich existance.
Anyone else want to describe how they come to decisions?
)
