The Comprehensive ENFP Survival Guide

by Heidi Priebe

there is an ocean that moves within me! Sometimes, it moves so strongly and so powerfully, that it can toss me around a bit!

you often feel introverted when you’re processing your emotions but extroverted when you’re planning ideas.

you can switch into no-nonsense, get-things-done mode but you also have a soft, deeply compassionate side.

you find the beginning of everything fifteen times more exciting than the middle or the end.

you are good at accomplishing your goals, even if they are driven by pure emotion.

you have a hard time motivating yourself to do basically anything that you can’t see the immediate benefit of.

you are surprisingly resourceful when you want something.

you are impatient with social norms or pleasantries and feel resentment towards ‘The man.’

you don’t want to lead a traditional life.

your anxiety may manifest itself physically.

you distrust authority and traditional methods of getting things done.

On the surface, ENFPs appear to be bubbly, confident, personable and enthusiastic. They are fiercely engaging personalities who care passionately about the world that surrounds them and the people who make it up. They have a particular knack for riling people up and making those around them feel comfortable, appreciated and loved. What is less apparent about the ENFP is the rich inner world that exists beneath their surface. ENFPs feel and experience life on an incredibly deep level – they are constantly picking apart new experiences to decipher their meaning and determine their significance.

ENFPs are often extremely driven individuals.

For the ENFP, experiences are not ends in themselves but vessels through which they can uncover deeper, more complex truths about life. Therefore, the more experiences they draw in and process in a meaningful way, the more fulfilled the ENFP feels.

This type possesses a unique mixture of emotional intelligence, critical thinking skills and pure mental strength which, when combined, will get them to just about wherever they’d like to be in life.

ENFPs place a high value on authenticity and we must constantly ‘check in’ with ourselves to ensure that we are living life in accordance with our internal system of morals and ideals. This causes us to require significantly more alone time than almost any other extroverted type.

For ENFPs, actions precede feelings. They tend to jump into new situations enthusiastically, as soon as a new idea occurs to them, and then withdraw to process their feelings about the situation after having acted on it.

“Where there’s a will, there’s a way,” is basically the ENFP motto.

they are searching for a specific, intense relationship that both challenges and grows them.

ENFPs feel their lows just as intensely as they feel their highs – they just aren’t as comfortable expressing negative emotions as they are positive ones.

Though their values are liberal and their methods unconventional, ENFPs are incredibly driven folk who almost always have a clear-cut goal in mind. They don’t want to go wherever the wind blows them – they want to embody the storm.

ENFPs claim to identify with either Enneagram Type 7 (The Enthusiast), Type 4 (The Individualist) or Type 2 (The Helpers).

Type 7 ENFPs are all about pursuing the next great adventure.

At their best, Type 7 ENFPs are bold, adventurous, decisive and capable.

The ENFP Type 7’s fatal flaw is escapism. This type may be particularly prone to flakey behavior as they move quickly between jobs, relationships and situations that do not suit them.

They dislike dwelling in negative emotions and avoid them at absolutely all costs. This type of ENFP may have been raised in an environment where emotional expression was not appreciated or encouraged. They experience extreme difficulty processing negative emotions and may be particularly prone to physical manifestations of anxiety or stress.

The Type 7 ENFP’s route to personal growth is through their introverted feeling. In order to become a more stable individual, Type 7 ENFPs need to learn to fully process their emotions and decide what they think o...

Early adulthood is usually a time of excitement and vast exploration for the ENFP. They are finally granted the independence they have longed for and they want to waste no time getting out and experiencing the world in full force.

ENFPs will always be the passionate, eccentric, idealistic inspirers they were born as.

“Don’t waste your time trying to live an average life. You aren’t average. And that is your greatest advantage.”

“Never be ashamed of being passionate about everything. Or getting excited about all of the things. Fall leaves? EXCITED. Animals? EXCITED. My enthusiasm is invigorating. Those who can’t handle it will eventually stay away and that’s 100% okay.”

“For some people it IS better to do a hundred things with mediocrity than one thing to an exceptional level.”

“It’s okay, nay, essential to live by who you are instead of conforming to other’s perceptions of what you should be. Being scattered doesn’t mean you’re messed up, being excited about everything doesn’t make you shallow, and wanting to go everywhere doesn’t make you short-sighted.

“It’s OK to be a big feeler. You don’t need to learn to ‘feel less’, but rather how to effectively manage feeling everything in life on a big scale.”

“You will be restless your entire life… and that doesn’t make you crazy.

“It’s okay to not want stability and to long for excitement. It’s also okay to crave stability deep down. It is possible to find a balance, it just may take a long time to achieve it.”

You can achieve more by inspiring and supporting your peers and subordinates than by trying to bite off more than you can personally chew.”

“It is possible to find peace within the chaos of your mind.”

“Don’t ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” –Howard Thurman

ENFPs approach work the way they approach everything else – with optimism, enthusiasm and determination.

ENFPs find it difficult to choose just one career path and they may elect to change fields various times over the span of their professional lives.

Because they are motivated by challenge and authenticity, the ENFP is likely to excel in just about any role that they feel strongly about.

The ENFP in particular may experience a great deal of confusion over which field to choose, as many of them tend to be a “Jack of all trades, master of none.”

Because they are incredibly self-motivated, the single most important aspect for any ENFP to consider while choosing a career path is whether or not their chosen profession excites and inspires them.

ENFPs despise feeling constrained or controlled in any way,

Many ENFPs choose to enter into entrepreneurial fields and work as their own bosses.

ENFPs are incredibly adaptable and can pick up a wide range of new skills with ease.

ENFPs love a challenge and will work tirelessly toward absolutely any goal that inspires them.

When a job needs to get done quickly, creatively and effectively, you want an ENFP on your team!

In positions of management, the ENFP may struggle to provide an adequate amount of structure to subordinates who require a high level of instruction and supervision.