If you’re an ESTP you’re probably a little underwhelmed with the available online resources for your type. ESTPs are greatly underserved in many type circles, largely because intuitives tend to dominate the type community, and also because many ESTPs mistype as ENTJs or ENTPs (as a practitioner, I see this ALL the time). If you relate strongly to all ten of these statements, maybe you should consider the fact that you might be one of these adventurous, daring individuals!

Let’s see what the ESTP is all about…

Not sure what your personality type is? Take our new personality questionnaire here. Or you can take the official MBTI® here.

10 Things You’ll Relate to If You’re An ESTP

1. You’re the Realist of all Realists

Sure, those INTJs out there might call themselves “masterminds” but while they’re concocting a strategy for a plan that will take place in 50 years, you just happened to notice that they’re driving 20 miles below the speed limit and their right turn signal is still on even though they got into their lane 5 minutes ago. Okay, all joking aside, as an ESTP you’re incredibly in tune with reality and what’s practical right now. You take in the current environment in all its detail and respond more rapidly than most types do.

2. You’re extremely attentive to opportunities

You’re constantly scanning your environment for what would be fun, exciting, and advantageous. You know how to jump on opportunities quickly and make fast decisions that optimize the moment.

3. You’re an extrovert, but talking all day holds little interest to you

You’d rather be doing something and taking action than sitting around engaging in small talk. Long, drawn-out conversations can make you feel bored and restless. Where’s the activity? Where’s the excitement? Let’s DO something!

4. You relate to Jason Bourne.

Maybe you’re not quite as stoic as he is. But when you’re in a room you can be completely attentive to the conversation you’re having while also noticing when people come and go, what they’re wearing, eating, whether there are any threats in the vicinity (and how you’ll respond if there are). You do this without even trying, it just comes naturally.

5. You’re outdoorsy

Getting into nature and interacting with it gives you a natural high. You want to feel alive, and one of the best ways to do that is to engage with the physical world. You enjoy recreation and getting in tune to the sights, sounds, and textures of nature. You’re always daring yourself to greater and greater physical feats. In fact, according to the MBTI® Manual, ESTPs are overrepresented in “playing sports” as their preferred leisure activity.

6. You crave independence

Your autonomy is very important to you. You hate rules and structures and routines that disrupt your ability to be spontaneous and flexible. This doesn’t mean (like some stereotypes imply) that you’re unable to make a commitment or be reliable. But it does mean you need more time to think things over before making a long-term decision.

7. You’re always sorting through data to figure out what’s important and what’s worthless.

You are always refining and re-refining the data you take in to classify and organize it into the most usable and accurate categories. You’re constantly asking yourself “is this true? why? is this usable? why?”. This is usually done internally and other people may not realize you’re doing it.

8. Rules are made to be broken….many times anyway.

You don’t like generalized rules or following “one size fits all” guidelines. Your logic is precise and has to apply to the context of the situation. You can debate an issue from almost any side and you find that rules only work in specific situations.

9. You hate nothing more than being micro-managed

You like to figure out your own way to do things and hate following a prescribed rulebook or guideline.  People tend to underestimate you because you don’t externalize your thought process, your logic is very internalized (thank you, introverted thinking!).  You’re a master of efficiency and quick to find shortcuts that other people miss.  People who tell you what to do, how to do it, and look over your shoulder are just slowing down your process…and maybe they really need to be pranked to learn a good lesson 😉

10. You’re a thinking type, but you also have charm.

You can usually tell how people are feeling based on their body language. You’re very attentive to non-verbal cues and are pretty quick to respond. You know how to lighten the mood when things are getting too serious, and you know how to make someone laugh when they’re feeling sad. You’re good at getting people to loosen up and take life a little less seriously!

What Are Your Thoughts?

Do you relate to these ESTP traits? Let us know in the comments!

Find out more about your personality type in our eBook, Discovering You: Unlocking the Power of Personality Type.

Other articles you might enjoy:

The Top 7 Gift Ideas for ESTPs

10 Signs That You Might Be an Extraverted Sensor

Understanding ESTP Sensing

5 Ways to Annoy an ESTP