[Hollow Man]

What is something you are proud of doing?

I feel like sometimes (maybe more than sometimes) ISFJs are embarrassed to brag or even talk about their accolades. Sometimes I cringe when my mom "brags" about something that I did to people I don't know too well in front of me that was "impressive" (she's an esxj, I don't want to stereo-typically call her an esfj because they're "care-givers").

But really, it's essential thing to feel good or proud about something you've done for getting jobs or simply self-esteem. Maybe I think we're scared of being cocky or arrogant too much or it could be any reason really(copying someone else's idea, inferrior Ne, etc.).


It's good to find a balance or means of this bragging and too modest. What is that? I have no idea! Once someone told me that it was nearly impossible for me to seem arrogant (I really liked hearing that). But, why not, say something you're proud of doing? It can be good practice, and it may make you feel good without you feeling arrogant or anything too negative. Because ISFJs may need to boast a little more.

I am proud of starting this thread...It took some thought and courage against inferior Ne and other inner enemies.

 

[stephiphi]

Haha, this thread is awesome!

I'm proud of finishing a self-portrait that took a full year in high school. I'm also proud that it hung in the local museum's young artist showcase.

I'm proud that I've been able to be such an integral part of my college's swing dance club. I'm proud of being elected as president for the next school year.

I'm most proud of my character that I've shown as a summer teacher, swing dance instructor, and friend; knowing that people look up to me is simply the best.

Wow... that was different.

 

[Hollow Man]

Haha, this thread is awesome!

I'm proud of finishing a self-portrait that took a full year in high school. I'm also proud that it hung in the local museum's young artist showcase.

I'm proud that I've been able to be such an integral part of my college's swing dance club. I'm proud of being elected as president for the next school year.

I'm most proud of my character that I've shown as a summer teacher, swing dance instructor, and friend; knowing that people look up to me is simply the best.

Wow... that was different.

Man, a self-portrait! That's so cool! Especially that it was hung up. I am so bad at that kind of art! What's it like? Oil paints?

Those are some great selling points! These things can be on a resume!

 

[stephiphi]

Man, a self-portrait! That's so cool! Especially that it was hung up. I am so bad at that kind of art! What's it like? Oil paints?

Those are some great selling points! These things can be on a resume!

It was all done in pencil. It was lots of fun! And here's a secret (not really): it took a year because I kept procrastinating at shading the hair! It had gotten so boring...

Aw shucks. /blush

 

[Kevinaswell]

Cool thread! Pride is an awesome thing, seven deadly sin and all.

That being said, I genuinely am proud of the music that I make--I spend a lot of time on it. A lot of time. A lot a lot of time. 100% with my laptop too. And it's a lot of time. My last track I finished is over 9 minutes and took over 72 hours (probably over 80).

I won't spam with links, but there are some in my signature if anyone wants to check it out.

But yup--one of the things I'm most proud of--the music I've produced! Just kinda cool that without me there'd be 2 1/2 or so hours less​ music in existence.

 

[Bigbrother87]

Okay...But I'll be including why I don't usually brag about these things too, to perhaps help us figure out why we ISFJs don't appreciated what we ourselves have accomplished.

I'm proud of the fact:

That I wrote a 50,000 word novel in 30 days ...
(But I've only been able to do it the first of the three years I've been trying to do NaNoWriMo, and so many of my other friends have done it faster/better/more times than I have.)

That I ran a successful 20 month Homebrew AD&D campaign in a world of my own making for between 4-8 players, of both genders, ranging in age from 23 to 46 and I was the youngest person ...
(Except that I question my story, how I got there, I see every time I failed, and I don't feel like most people would understand what I had done.)

That I have learned to play Dwarf Fortress with the original interface, graphics, and without mods, and that I enjoy it ...
(But it's just a video game.)

That I was a straight A college student ...
(Just Community College, so it doesn't count compared to the "real" colleges my friends struggle in.)

That I have almost all of the Star Wars novels, all arranged in chronological order on my shelves, no less ...
(Which would earn me weird looks in most circles.)

That I have helped my friends through things, whether it's studying for the Bar, joining the Army, or just a bad home life ...
(But that's what friends are supposed to do, and should be of no special note...)

Hmm. A good exercise, but it feels so much like bragging about small things to me, even though I KNOW that that is just the ISFJ of me minimizing what I've done and bringing it down.

I know that at work, I don't feel like I can celebrate completing something because there's always something else to do. When I finish something I like personally, I don't talk about it much, if at all, because I can think of friends who have done it better/have it worse off right then, and I don't want to take away from their success/make them feel worse, respectively.

Grr, I wish this was easier! Just something I need to work on, I guess, so thank you very much for the topic and the chance to bring it to light.

 

[Inveniet]

Being of value to my friends.

 

[NineTypesOfLight]

I'm proud because I'm the most empathetic person I know.

I'm proud because I genuinely believe all people have the potential within them to be anyone they admire to be.

I know I can look back later in life and think that I tried my best to be a decent, caring, considerate individual, even though life wasn't always fair to me.

I think a lot of ISFJ's might relate to me when I say that it hurts to be taken advantage of or to be treated badly. But in the end when you come out a stronger person it really is something that you deserve to be honored for, by all people. That definitely is the case for me, and I'm so proud of myself for being able to get this far with everything I've gone through on my own at the age of twenty.

And that's the first time I admit that myself.

 

[Hollow Man]

I find there's not an exact correlation of what individuals do and how people react to what's done (achievements) with certain interests or directions. Sometimes it's really too complex or too novel to brag about specific really deep things that IXXX like to do at times. That kind of sucks not to be appreciated by everyone (or be perplexing to people..why do they do that?), but at the same time it's not exactly right to expect people to appreciate certain deep things that aren't interesting to them or go too far. This can be another reason to talk about all these things because they're cool too. Even cooler.

For example, my undergrad degree is in geography, this isn't exactly the degree that makes sense to most people (it doesn't totally make sense for jobs either at the moment). "Geography, it's about knowing where France is" is on occasion thought(maybe more than on occasion) of as what a geography degree is. But really, it's a complex science and art that takes into account a lot of things with the question of why things happen and location. Also, problem solving and a lot of interdisciplinary things. There's really too much to do in geography! :frustrating: Most people aren't really too satisfied with hearing lengthy technical babble or why geography is important and complex. Or this could be my inner perception too. I am proud of doing well on my senior project though and feeling like I knew what I was doing on the cumulative exam! Though I feel like the project didn't really say anything or do anything useful. I question my reasoning for choosing that particular degree sometimes, but it really did teach how to think more, about how everything's complex and connected, and I learned about a lot of things when I didn't know what one thing to choose in college.

Cool thread! Pride is an awesome thing, seven deadly sin and all.

Haha...indeed. You can definitely have too much pride though, but it isn't always such a bad thing. It'd suck not to reward yourself or feel good about something you worked hard on. You'd feel under-valued. I checked out some of your songs. You're inspired and there's a lot going on with some cool melodies in there! Music like that is unique and takes a lot of thought.

 

[teddy564339]

This is always a tough thing for me to do, because I always have a way of second-guessing myself. I start feeling good about something I've done, and then I think about something that makes it seem like it's not that important. Then I'll start seeing the things other people have done, and I'll start feeling inadequate and jealous. So it's something I'm still working on.

For example, I was valedictorian of my high school class, and that's something I've always felt good about. But then I'll read what others think about school, and it'll make me feel like all it means is that I was good at jumping through hoops...that good grades mean nothing, that more intelligent people could have had worse grades, that the school system is built for SJs so I was at a natural advantage...all kinds of thoughts that diminish the accomplishment.


I think I tend to do this with a lot of my accomplishments or strengths. What's worse is that I'll sometimes look at my strengths and think that everyone has them, which makes me feel like I don't have any unique strengths (this is a problem with my Si sometimes).

I still think I have a problem sometimes just being confident in myself and feeling good about my own abilities. I look to other people for validation way too often. It just feels so much better when someone else point out my strengths...it makes it feel real to me, like it's not all just in my head. It makes me feel good, and that just makes my life all that much better.


So I'm going to try to really focus on my strengths in this post to help me work to get past that.


-I am proud that I was valedictorian in high school. I worked really hard and put in a lot of time and effort. I worked hard on a lot of weekends while other people were out having fun.

-I graduated with a math degree from one of the top ten universities in the US.

-I got a Masters Degree in Education, and I have now taught high school math for about six years. I'm by no means a perfect teacher, but I work hard to help out my students. I don't reach all of them, and I teach in an SJ manner, which I know discourages a lot of Ns. But I really do care about my students, and they know that. Many have told me I'm a great teacher, that I helped them out a lot, and that they appreciate what I've done for them.


-I feel like I'm one of the nicest people I know. I get angry sometimes, but in general I'm very nice to everyone. Some people may find me bland or boring, but no one ever hates me. I get along with almost anyone. I listen to people and try to relate to them. I do everything I can not to hurt people's feelings.


-I have a really good memory, and I'm really good at keeping things organized in my head. I can remember all kinds of stuff, particularly old memories.


-I really do have a desire to get to know MBTI types different than my own. I want to understand them and have us get along. I really try to make an effort to step outside of my own type and understand that my own way is just one way of looking at life. It feels really good when others do the same for me and where I feel like they value the ISFJ way of looking at life.

 

[The Martyr Expert]

I resonate with all of you saying that it's hard not to minimize accomplishments, for various reasons.
@NineTypesOfLight You're 20 y.o.?

Earlier this year, I randomly made a Word document and titled it "List of my Accomplisments" because I was so down on myself (all the time, all my life, to this day lol) about what I don't do and what I get wrong. I took two days and typed anything in those two days that was me doing something right, impressive, anything for that matter, to possibly give me a reality check. It helped a lot; the list ended up being extremely long. But it's still my default to always get down on myself about my shortcomings when most everyone I know thinks I'm pretty awesome. So here I go, bragging (it's so uncomfortable ):

I've forced myself to be spontaneous all week, including letting my ESTP sister take me to the strip club last night even though I much preferred to stay in and be on the Internet.

I am a student at an Ivy League university.

I have what I consider to be a great ability to put myself in other people's shoes (i.e. empathy). It's a powerful thing that seems to be grossly unappreciated or reciprocated.

I finally went running a few days ago! I'm also really fast :wink:.

This is getting increasingly difficult, so I'll just end by saying: I'm proud to be getting more involved on this forum.

 

[teddy564339]

I am a student at an Ivy League university.

Whoa...that's really cool! I would have never guessed. I think that's the thing about ISFJs...we tend to be very under the radar about our own accomplishments that a lot of times they can be hard to see. So I think it's cool to have a thread like this to learn a little bit more about what we've achieved.

I've forced myself to be spontaneous all week, including letting my ESTP sister take me to the strip club last night even though I much preferred to stay in and be on the Internet.

I think I've a made a few posts in the past about the concept of ISJs trying new things. What I generally believe is that it's really easy for ISJs to get into ruts and not make a strong effort to try new things....either due to fear, discomfort, or just laziness. And I think by doing that, there's probably a lot in life that we miss out on. So I think it's cool that you're letting yourself loose a little bit and being a bit spontaneous.

However, I've also always felt that as ISFJs, we should always try these new things because we want to. I don't think it does us any good to do it just to please others. Ultimately we should try something new because we want to and have an interest in it. Otherwise, we'll just be trying to satisfy someone else's wishes and get pushed around too much. I don't think there's anything wrong with telling someone we just don't want to do something...and that if they don't like it, it's just too bad for them.

 

[Introvertigo]

I'm proud that I quit my new job after 4 months and got my old job back. It just wasn't the right job for me. But first I went through a lot of dithering about how I was inconveniencing other people, feeling like a failure, being unable to fulfill a commitment, blah, blah, blah. I'm so much happier now. I'm proud of myself for admitting to a mistake and correcting it decisively.

 

[The Martyr Expert]

@teddy564339 Thank you :laughing:. I'm def "under the radar" as much as possible.

 

[NineTypesOfLight]

I am a student at an Ivy League university.

Whoa! If anything, that is something you really ought to feel proud of.

@NineTypesOfLight You're 20 y.o.?

Yes, that is correct.

 

[Cassieopeia]

I'm proud of not crying when I watched my great-grandma die and my mom hugged me because she told me I needed to be strong for her.

I'm proud of getting through a life full of surgeries and hospital visits and coming out of it with a better view of life.

I'm proud of being paralyzed and learning how to walk again, my life's biggest challenge.

I'm proud of being told by my teacher that I'm her hero because of what I've been through and the way I handle it.

I'm proud that the guy I was in love with used me as an "inspirational anecdote" for his speech in class.

I'm proud that my best friend told me I'm the most amazing person he knows.

I'm proud of being described as an "inspiration" by anybody who ever has. I'm proud of any positive difference I may have made in anyone's lives. That's what I live for.

I'm proud of getting 34 on the English part of the ACT, even though I plan to be a doctor.

I'm proud that even though all of these health problems sometimes get me down and hold me back and make my grades suffer, I'm never giving up on my dream of being a pediatric cardiologist.

I don't brag to people, period. I'm glad I can do it on a forum online, because I should be proud of myself. I shouldn't feel inferior and incapable.

 

[Cassieopeia]

Saying all that stuff makes me feel like I'm being extremely conceited... but I often doubt myself and my abilities and the effect I have on people.

 

[teddy564339]

I'm proud of getting through a life full of surgeries and hospital visits and coming out of it with a better view of life.

I'm proud of being paralyzed and learning how to walk again, my life's biggest challenge.

I'm proud of being told by my teacher that I'm her hero because of what I've been through and the way I handle it.

I'm proud that the guy I was in love with used me as an "inspirational anecdote" for his speech in class.

I'm proud of being described as an "inspiration" by anybody who ever has. I'm proud of any positive difference I may have made in anyone's lives. That's what I live for.

I'm proud that even though all of these health problems sometimes get me down and hold me back and make my grades suffer, I'm never giving up on my dream of being a pediatric cardiologist.

I don't brag to people, period. I'm glad I can do it on a forum online, because I should be proud of myself. I shouldn't feel inferior and incapable.

I'm truly amazed at reading all of this. I don't see how I could ever handle all of it. It reminds me of how fortunate I am in life. This is what I meant before about it being really cool for us ISFJs to share what we're proud of, because we're so quiet about it that a lot of it goes unnoticed.

Saying all that stuff makes me feel like I'm being extremely conceited... but I often doubt myself and my abilities and the effect I have on people.

I didn't find a single thing you wrote to be conceited at all. I'm amazed at what you've done and I could never imagine having the ability to do it. You should be very proud.


But I think a lot of us ISFJs have a hard time expressing what we're proud of because we're afraid of it coming across as being conceited. We're so sensitive to other people's feelings that we don't often feel enough pride in what we do.

 

[Cassieopeia]

Aw, thank you I feel a little better about saying that stuff now, lol. I seriously love your picture, by the way. It's so cute. A teddy bear is like the epitome of the inside of an ISFJ male, I think! Haha

 

[The Martyr Expert]

@NineTypesOfLight Thanks hun I only asked about your age because you look far beyond your years (not in a bad way at all).

@Cassie Wow, that's a long list and I couldn't imagine going through all those things either. How resilient you are.

@teddy You're 100% right.