If Corporate Life Isn't For You, It's Time for a Remix!

Are you one of the many INFJs that are stuck in a corporate job that you hate? It’s so easy to fall into that trap. You need the money, right? You can’t not work. So you take the corporate job with the intention of figuring out your purpose later. But then you get wrapped up in too much work and then you find the right guy and before you know it you have 2 kids that need to go to school and practice and making dinner and washing clothes seem to take up all of your time.

What happened to all that time you were going to spend figuring out what to do that would make you happy?

Last year at this time, I was living on my own, working a job I hated and spending a lot of time trying to figure out my business. I felt like I was making some progress, even if it was slow. In April, my 18-year-old niece came to live with me. And not too long after that she got a dog. Now, my days are filled with making dinner and making sure the dog gets enough exercise through the cold and wet New England winter. It’s a daily struggle for us. I’m constantly busy with little time to focus on the thing I really want to do: write.

I love my blog. I love writing and helping other people write too. But it’s hard to find the time with all of the responsibilities. It feels selfish to stop and say, “What about me?” It’s not selfish though. It’s important that everyone in your family is taken care of and that everyone includes you.

Meaning and purpose

Last week we talked about how INFJs need meaning and purpose in our lives. It’s something that I talk about a lot and have developed a lot of resources for because I’ve struggled with it a lot and a lot of people ask me about it too. Make sure you go to my website https://infjwoman.com/purpose/ and check out the latest resources that I have available. If you’re still unsure of what your purpose is, there are quite a few things there that will help you define it.

Need vs. want

A lot of us INFJs get stuck in corporate jobs because we need them. I’ve been talking to my niece a lot about jobs lately because she’s in that hectic time between high school and a job. She has a job, but it’s not what she wants.

I remember that feeling. I was in college and getting a lot of pressure to figure out what I wanted to do with my life and finally pick a major. I changed it about 12 times and to this day have never had a job where I’ve used the actual degree that I graduated with. I really just wanted to be happy, to feel useful and hopefully to help people in some way.

But being happy didn’t pay the bills. So I took one job after another that did pay the bills so that I could keep the lights on while I looked for happiness.

Corporate life

I got a new job last year for a big, global company. It’s the best job that I’ve had, but it has the same problems. There are people telling me what to do who don’t understand my job. There are people who make decisions that don’t understand what decision they are making. And there are things that the company is engaged in that I don’t believe in and don’t want to be involved in. While it’s better, it’s not perfect.

What do you really want?

I find myself asking what do you really want a lot? I ask my niece and while she struggles to answer I think about it for me too. She wants to be happy, as do I, but is that all? And what would make me happy?

In the grand scheme of things, I like solving really big problems. I like setting an impossible goal and knocking it out piece by piece. I like doing things that people tell me I can’t do. That’s the most fun for me.

Having my own business felt impossible until I did it. Building my first website felt like it was never going to happen until it was done. Writing my first blog post was just a dream for a long time, but now it’s something I do all the time.

What are the impossible things that are on your to do list? The things that you’ve wanted to do for a while, but haven’t been able to do?

If blogging is one of those things, you’re in the right place! I started a blog in 2018 because I wanted to get some practice writing. I had no idea it would become the thing that consumed my thoughts, plans, ideas, hopes and dreams for the next 4 years and then some!

A lot of people ask me about the process of writing and even more people have told me that it’s their New Year’s Resolution, that like me, they’re starting a blog now or are planning to in January. So, I decided to put together a free 5-day bootcamp to talk about what I went through with starting my blog 4 years ago, share all of the good, bad and ugly, and help you plan what you should be doing without making all of the mistakes that I did.

You can join by going to https://infjwoman.com/challenge/. It’s called Write for your Life. All of the fun starts next Monday, January 9, 2023.

The freedom that comes from doing your own thing

The freedom that I’ve gotten from blogging is really hard to describe. It’s so freeing. It’s amazing to know that you’re doing something that you’ve wanted to do for a while that will help people and that you can make a living doing. It’s purpose and meaning and income all in one place!

The best part is, how much money you make is really up to you. If you’re looking for a side hustle to supplement your income or if you’re ready to kiss your corporate gig goodbye and go all in, you can! It’s completely up to you!

I’ll be giving you all of the details during this 5 day bootcamp, so make sure you go to https://infjwoman.com/challenge/ and sign up today!