This is not an article to get you to change who you are. We already have enough outlets out there shoving us into a box and telling us this is who we ought to be, how we ought to look like and how we are compelled to behave in society. Frankly, I have had enough of those type of vibes.

This article is something I hope you would look at as an INFJ and be inspired to grow, evolve and learn. I hope it can carry you in your new year and that it will motivate you whenever you find yourself doubting who you are and what you stand for.

Please be advised that this list will not be as fickle and artificial as all the others we often try to adhere to. Do not get me wrong, I understand that we all want to be a success, we all want to look and feel good and we all want to be more open to adventures with a bunch of friends. Those are all great New Year’s resolutions. But that is what everyone else out there wants and let us be honest, we are not always like everyone else.

We care about the essential in life and our success is grounded in the fact that we get to understand and possibly help others, building an idealistic life one person at a time. We want to observe, understand, serve and support.

It is thus that I will not waste your time on New Year’s resolutions you can find on any website or magazine out there, this list is something personal for your development and for mine – we are the teachers, the counselors, and the protectors.

However, in order to teach, support and protect others, we need to be able to first take care of ourselves and we can do so by making the following New Year’s resolutions:

1. Do not dissipate due to fear, flourish in who you are

INFJ’s are often described as chameleons due to their ability to quickly analyze a social setting and then blend into that setting. It is not that they are pretending to be something or someone that they are not, it is merely the way they meet the other person at his or her level, finding something that they have in common with each other and working with that.

However, from personal experience, I can tell you that this often brings about sprouts of insecurities within the INFJ. They get so involved in the other person’s life that they can often get extremely distraught in their own lives, often ricocheting between what is really their identity and what is not.

For 2017 try and remove the proclivity to change the face and the fear of being labeled and rejected. Be who you are and flourish in it. Recognize that you have been given a special set of gifts and talents, then use them.

See your gifts and talents as tools that will help you be a guiding light for others in their growth and development. Find your role, not as another sheep in the pack, but as a shepherd that guides and protects others. Sometimes your needs can come first.

Read also – What Your Myers-Briggs Type Says About Your Relationship Troubles

2. Work on the problem areas

The universe works in such a way that everything balances out; with any good there usually is some bad to follow it. With no “difficult” we would have no “easy.” INFJ revel in their strengths but often ignore their weaknesses – we hate being seen as weak and meager, after all, we are “The Protectors.”

However, the only way we will be able to grow from the place we were in 2016 is to learn from our weaknesses and mistakes. We have to refuse to be defined by them and the only way we can do that is to face up to our mistakes, reflect on what possible weaknesses we have and what triggers them and then we brainstorm an action plan to ensure victory in 2017.

It is important to remember that everyone has weaknesses. No one is perfect, so even if we feel downtrodden because of it, we should not allow it to overwhelm and drown us. We can still break through the surface and swim to a safe harbor.

3. What does success mean to you?

INFJ are driven by the thought of helping the oppressed in the world; to defend those who cannot defend themselves. If we can do that, we feel a sort of serenity seal our hearts – content and happy to move on to the next person or cause. This is what we define as success.

Yet, what is it that makes your heart beat vigorously? It is wonderful to be able to help others and see that as your success. If that is all you dream of doing, do it with everything in you. Nevertheless, many INFJ’s are driven by various ideas and dreams within them; they have a longing to absorb and be changed by all the good that life can offer them.

If this is you, then in 2017 you need to find what ideas and dreams you would like to pursue alongside your super-hero profession. Remember that as an INFJ you have the ability to generate all kinds of solutions and opportunities – cease that gift and use it to your and the world’s advantage.

As an INFJ you are not afraid to work hard for what you believe in, so it is extremely important that you find out what you want to achieve in 2017 or the next five to ten years and then redirect your energy accordingly.

Read also – Here Are the Weirdest New Year’s Resolutions People Are Making

2016 has not been an easy year for many out there. When asked, the majority of my friends just claim that the only thing they are happy about is that they survived this year and that 2017 is only a month away.

This is a really tragic mindset, but it is, unfortunately, the truth for a lot of people in the world. Let us make sure 2017 contains magic, kindness, compassion and love for all out there – the animals and planet included.

Hang on to the truth in your soul and respect others, forgive and choose happiness, be bold and adventurous. Be a voice for the voiceless and live with an honesty and integrity that will inspire others. Happy New Year!