2021, despite presenting its own trials and challenges, still felt like a restart after the events of 2020. So consider continuing all the new (or renewed) beginnings you were able to do this year to help push for more positive changes in 2022. If you’re unsure of what to commit to, look no further than your Myers-Briggs (MBTI) personality to guide you through your 2022 resolutions.
What resolutions are you looking to make for 2022? (Photo from: Sincerely Media via Unsplash)
INTJ
Take more risks. As INTJs, you tend to be calculating and overthink your every action. This is because you want everything to go precisely your way, the way you foresee it. This leads to you usually sticking to your comfort zone, turning down opportunities that come your way. However, with change being your constant contender, you must learn to navigate through these changes and accept that risk-taking does not equate to recklessness.
Start with: taking up an unexpected challenge or activity by 2022 that you think would contribute to your growth in the long run. We highly suggest taking up a class as a fixed schedule and an idea of a commitment would give you a sense of certainty and stability while facing a new venture.
INTP
Be more compassionate and mindful of others. Given INTP’s analytical nature, you tend to value actions more than emotions. This leads you to dismiss the feelings of other people in your quest to accomplish goals. Since 2021 was a trying year for everyone, you learnt to try and become more understanding of other people’s emotions and work together with them rather than dismiss their feelings. This is a trait you’d want to develop come 2022.
Start with: reconnecting with a peer group online. Expand beyond professional relationships and reach out to a more casual and friendly peer group that will help you further improve your introverted feeling.
Your relationships — professional or personal — are some of the first things to re-evaluate for the new year. (Photo from: Imam Muhaimin via Unsplash)
ENTJ
Work on your work-life balance. ENTJs are hardworking individuals who tend to over-focus on one thing too much. As someone who fits this category, 2021 really tested your ability to draw the line between work and play given the hybrid remote setup. Since the first half of 2022 might still encourage this kind of behaviour, rethinking your approach is necessary to avoid burnout.
Start with: forcing a habit of restraint. The combination of your extroverted Thinking and Judging makes you a person of habit and order. You like things that have a certain process in them and therefore should also apply the same principles when it comes to your downtime. Set an alarm that will prompt you to take breaks or drop what you’re doing at the end of work hours. Create plans like a video call with friends or movie time with your family to give you a sense of commitment away from your desk. If anyone can make it work, you can.
ENTP
Find a focus. ENTPs are wild-chasers when they set their mind onto something. But sometimes, they tend to become aimless and overly enthusiastic. As someone who fits this MBTI type, you slowed down and looked at things with a more steady perspective in 2021. You learned to attack goals slowly and surely this time around as compared to your random bursts of energy from before. 2022 will serve as your stepping stone to finally put this new mindset to work and make bigger things happen.
Start with: setting two major goals for 2022 — one for mid-year and one for the end of the year. You’re not the type who will be satisfied with just one major goal because you are a go-getter. Having two that are grand yet attainable fits your personality better. Think of these two goals as a two-step process where the reward at the end of the year will be fulfilling for you to work towards in the coming year.
Productivity, impulsivity, and more — what are the values you're taking with you in 2022? (Photo from: Brooke Lark via Unsplash)
INFJ
Take care of yourself more. INFJs are natural carers and tend to carry the burden of others along with their own. Being the resident wise sage of every group you’re in, you often forget to look at your own struggles and get too focused on helping others. 2021 made you realise that in order to extend a hand to other people, you must also prioritise yourself.
Start with: creating a self-care plan for each month of 2022. You can’t take away the carer in you so you’re bound to worry about other people’s problems no matter what. So the next step is to fit your own well-being into the same plane. Schedule a day off where it’s going to be all about you and what you want — be it a lazy day, a ‘for my passion’ day, a self-pampering day — and put that on your monthly planner.
INFP
Do and be more. Ever the creative spirit, INFPs always yearn for something that feeds their artistic nature. As someone who fits this type, being restricted is your biggest enemy. During the stay-at-home period, you realised that you can do and be more when you put your mind to anything as long as you have the luxury of balancing work and free time. 2021 allowed you to master this and you’re ready to greet 2022 with this newfound skill.
Start with: restarting a passion project. We’re sure our current setup is here to stay (especially with Omicron being present). Use this liberty of time axed from commuting or going to outdoor events to revisit an activity that you genuinely love and enjoy. This will make your new year feel more fruitful and satisfactory and may even bring new related ventures.
Any new ventures you're looking to start this 2021? (Photo from: Ankhesenamun via Unsplash)
ENFJ
Let loose and take notice of life’s necessary detours. The combination of their extroverted Intuition, Feeling, and Judging sensors make ENFJs a complex bunch. This is because you are driven by both thought, passion, and order, making them completely fuelled once you set their mind to something. While this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, this often makes you forget your own wellbeing in the process and miss out on the ‘lessons’ imparted by the journey because you are so set on the destination.
Start with: considering small wins in the course of attaining a big one. Whether it's a big project for work or a personal goal you’re working towards, divide it into smaller goals to help you reach the bigger goal faster. Allowing yourself to celebrate and even get rewards for these little yet necessary steps will allow you to savour bigger goals in the long run.
ENFP
Control your impulsivity. ENFPs are probably one of the most impulsive types because you tend to chase after everything that excites you. While it is good that it takes very little to amp up your motivation towards something, you usually end up going after goals that don’t have a definite endgame because you rushed into it too quickly. If you’re an ENFP, 2021 may have amplified your impulsivity.
On one end, it may have exhibited itself in your sudden online purchases made to pass the time. On its flip side, it might have inspired you to pursue a hobby or start a business that was born out of a spur of a moment. Either way, use this new year to reflect on these actions and evaluate which areas could be improved on.
Start with: listing down things that you’ve done impulsively for the year and create an action plan from there. You’re not exactly the most organised type so lists are out of your area, but it’s exactly what you need to put things into perspective.
Which path are you thinking of taking given this opportunity to start anew? (Photo from: Simon Rae via Unsplash)
ISTJ
Reevaluate the rules that 'run' your life. This MBTI type loves rules and following them. But given the sudden shift in how things work when the pandemic happened, ISTJs may have found themselves in a rut on how to deal with this shift in many structures. Given the inevitabilities that the situation has caused, you might have learnt to be a bit more versatile as an ISTJ. Working on improving that should be part of your 2021 action plan.
Start with: saying yes to a couple of unplanned activities. Saying no to unprecedented plans usually throw you off base, but take this new year as an opportunity to use them as breathers instead. It doesn’t have to be something completely major, but maybe an unexpected Zoom call from a friend or an unscheduled trip to the grocery is just what you need to slowly prepare you from being more flexible towards unforeseeable changes.
ISFJ
Get better at saying no. Similar to INFJs, people who fit this type are also natural carers who usually find it hard to reject requests, especially when they are made by their close circle. If you’re an ISFJ, 2021 taught you that distance — while it is still necessary for this period — should also apply in our lives outside the context of the pandemic. Take this new resolve in mind and bring it to 2022.
Start with: clearing out your calendar with plans that are unnecessary. You won’t have the pandemic as an excuse forever for cancelling out plans so practice saying no to commitments that tax you physically, emotionally or mentally (or all of the above) just because you’re not up for it. It’s never childish to say that you’re opting out from something because you’re tired or you need time for yourself as long as you’re not driving away company completely. Remember, balance is always key.
No matter what type you have, introspectiveness is the foundation to make it all work. (Photo from: Sincerely Media via Unsplash)
ESTJ
Be more open to dialogue. As natural leaders, ESTJs adapted to the uncertainties the past two years brought in with a sound mind. But even though their headstrong and confident attitude makes them effective in de1ision-making positions, listening to their peers may be one of their biggest areas for improvement. 2021’s mix of remote and limited face-to-face setup allowed them to see their relationship with their peers (professional or not) from a different perspective. The joint struggle renewed their sense of camaraderie, which becomes a great foundation for them for 2022.
Start with: letting the people in your life know that your lines are open. You may not know it, but people within your circle may not be emotionally engaging with you on purpose because you know you’re simply not up for it. Assuring them that you’re also open to reconnect and talk about things when you matter will help strengthen your relationships even more.
ESFJ
Cut off toxic relationships. This type is known for having some of the biggest hearts. You give even to people who don’t value it as much as they hope. With 2021 allowing you to literally distance themselves from an unnecessary company, ESFJs learned which ones to keep and which ones you can live without. The only thing left to do is to work through keeping this pattern up for good because you also tend to forgive easily.
Start with: clearing out sentimental mementoes from people you’ve cut off from your life. They’re called ‘keepsakes’ for a reason but sometimes, you have to deal with physical traces of a past relationship to completely move on from it. It seems harsh, sure, but with someone who has a tendency to take toxic people back into your life because of your kindness, sometimes drawing clear lines is much needed.
Claim it! No matter what it is, your mindset in chasing after things will make a difference. (Photo from: Valentin Petkov via Unsplash)
ISTP
Know when to ask for help. Your extroverted Sensing and Thinking attributes give you the tendency to do things your own way. This makes external help feel like a nuisance, especially since factors can go beyond your control. Still, with new beginnings and bigger goals in your future, asking for help is one of the skills you need to hone. 2021 led you to crack this shell a bit. What you need to know now is how to reach out further when things get even more trying without seeing it as a sign of weakness.
Start with: seeking advice on the little things. We often see ‘help’ as something physical or immediately actionable. But the truth is, even the small act of asking someone for advice on simple choices and decisions counts too. Seeking guidance from someone else even for the most mundane things will allow you to see value in getting a different take on a problem you’re tackling, which makes doing so for bigger things a lot less intimidating.
ISFP
Develop a bigger sense of self-pride. Pride is often perceived as a negative thing, given its association with arrogance. But for ISFPs whose main drive in life is to advocate for others and provide goodwill and harmony between their social circles, losing their unique identity can be a big part of the process. The isolation that came with the past two years allowed ISFPs to see that even as individuals, we have the power to make a difference in our communities. It gave them a sense of self-appreciation, which can further into a positive kind of self-pride in 2022 if they continue having this mindset.
Start with: pledging to reward yourself for your efforts. You feel like such things negate your altruism, but 2022 is the year to realise that a little self-gratification is also necessary. Self-rewards need not be purely indulgent but can come in the form of buying yourself a ‘good job’ cake or allotting undistracted time to finish that drama you’re currently binging.
Reach out, speak out or just DO. What are you committing to next year? (Photo from: Johann Lc via Unsplash)
ESTP
Commit to something indefinitely (or at least for the rest of the year). ESTPs may be reliable, but their sense of commitment is definitely questionable. If you fit this type, then you know the struggle of losing interest in something after you’ve already exerted so much effort in it just because. Still, it’s admirable that you have the initiative to address this, which is why you’re probably reading this in the first place.
Start with: subscribing to a paid program with a friend who will motivate you in seeing the finish line. Investing in something won’t exactly deal with your commitment issues, so you need another active player in the mix that won’t let you make excuses. Find your toughest and least doting friend to sign up with you on a project or a program and have them inspire you to power through.
ESFP
Learn to connect and not just mingle. ESFPs’ lives are some of the most exciting to watch because you know how to live life to the fullest — at least on the surface. Because of your fast-paced take on everything, you sometimes fail to make deep-rooted connections which leads to feeling lost in your most vulnerable moments. 2021 helped you to take a second look at what you are missing and got you hoping for deeper relationships. 2022 is just the beginning you're looking for.
Start with: analysing your relationship with your immediate circle. Is there anyone in your family or ‘constant’ friends whom you feel like you’ve lost touch with recently? Use 2022 as your starting point to reconnect with people that matter. It wouldn’t feel off if you start checking in on these people given the occasion (not that you’ve had a problem interacting with people before) and it’s simply the perfect time for any reconciliations to happen as you have the rest of the year to make new memories.
Need an extra dose of inspiration to make your resolutions happen? Add these books to your reading list.
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