The great Morgan Spurlock recently passed away.
He made history with his very first documentary, Super Size Me. The success of this debut framed an extraordinary career as a writer, director, and producer.
For Super Size Me, Morgan Spurlock ate only McDonald’s for a month. He documented his weight gain and all other side effects. He did all that to expose the dark side of fast food corporations.
It’s important that we remember that Morgan Spurlock was an ENTP. His ENTP talents made him both visionary and memorable.
It’s not an exaggeration to say that his success came about because he used what came naturally to him as an ENTP to make a difference in the world.
Let’s see how he made it work!
If you are an ENTP, follow these steps to find your pot of gold at the end of the rainbow! It’s easy for ENTPs to feel confused about their direction in life. Morgan Spurlock’s life story shows how confusion is part of an ENTP’s journey, and that everything works out in the end.
This is also a guide on how to pick yourself up after hard times.
If you aren’t an ENTP, send this article to the special ENTP in your life!
1. Experimental
The ENTP’s experimental nature comes from their lead function, extroverted intuition (Ne). Extraverted intuition is a crazy function. There’s no other way to put it!
Using extraverted intuition feels like constantly throwing spaghetti on a wall and hoping that something sticks. Because it’s the ENTP lead function, they are excellent at using it.
What people think is crazy is perfectly logical to the ENTP. More often than not, their “unfeasible” ideas turn out to be successful beyond anyone’s wildest dreams. This is exactly what happened with Super Size Me.
When Morgan Spurlock first brought up his Super Size Me idea to his friends and family, he was nearly dismissed. His mother said, “There’s a fine line between bravery and stupidity.” His friend said, “That’s a really great bad idea.”
It’s easy to dismiss an ENTP’s thoughts upfront. ENTPs are one of the rarest personality types in general, making up only 3% of the population. This means that lots of people aren’t familiar with the ENTP’s unique blend of strengths and weaknesses.
ENTPs usually show up to social spaces as the class clown.
It’s hard to take them seriously partly because they don’t take themselves too seriously! They are playful and fun-loving individuals who will try anything once.
Even though extroverted intuition isn’t a “serious” function, ENTPs should definitely take it seriously for maximum impact. This is their domain. Their natural strength. They are king of this jungle!
How to Win With Extroverted Intuition:
- Morgan Spurlock once said, “It’s better to beg for forgiveness than ask for permission these days.” As long as you aren’t harming anybody, be fearless.
- It’s not enough to have a wacky perspective. You must test it out. That’s the essence of extroverted intuition. That’s what Morgan Spurlock did when he made Super Size Me.
- If one idea doesn’t work out, move onto the next one immediately. Momentum is the whole point of extroverted intuition (Ne). Don’t give up. Don’t slow down. You will eventually find the needle in the haystack. Very few people can be as energetic as you are. Your energy is your competitive advantage.
- Have fun. Don’t sacrifice your natural fun-loving nature for professional norms. Having fun is how ENTPs come up with the best ideas.
2. Analytical
Morgan Spurlock’s analytical bent comes from his ENTP second function, introverted thinking (Ti).
Introverted thinking doesn’t accept conventional explanations. Instead, it looks to create new ones. It helps its users find the shortest way through obstacles, doing away with outdated problem-solving frameworks in the process.
The documentary is the most rigorous form of filmmaking. It’s all about asking hard-hitting questions and exposing lies. Introverted thinking (Ti) is about rigor and excellence.
Morgan Spurlock directed more than 20 films throughout his career. Most were documentaries. He took on big corporations and powerful people, investigating everything from elder care to gun control.
Super Size Me is a great example of extroverted intuition (Ne) working perfectly with introverted thinking (Ti). The film was once described as “thoughtfully humorous.” To make his ideas real (extroverted intuition), Morgan Spurlock did lots of research and looked into various viewpoints (introverted thinking).
When the ENTP is at the top of their game, it’s because they’ve learned how to harness both extroverted intuition (Ne) and introverted thinking (Ti). These are the two top ENTP functions.
They are able to find fresh and interesting ways (Ne) of analyzing complicated concepts (Ti).
How To Win With Introverted Thinking
- After throwing spaghetti on the wall (extroverted intuition), commit to what sticks (introverted thinking)! Basically, after trying out lots of ideas, it’s important for the ENTP to find the one that they’d like to see all the way through.
- Morgan Spurlock grew up enjoying all kinds of art and entertainment, but eventually became obsessed by the special effects in films. He enjoyed watching them on the big screen but his enjoyment (extroverted intuition) didn’t stop there. He wanted to know what went into making them (introverted thinking).
- To know how strong your secondary introverted thinking function is, check how granular or specific it’s become. For example, Morgan Spurlock committed to learning filmmaking techniques by going to film school, then committed to documentary filmmaking, a subset of general filmmaking.
- Get straight to the point! Don’t be fancy-schmancy. Introverted thinking is all about cutting through the noise to find the signal. Morgan Spurlock once advised, “Don’t overcomplicate things. You can sacrifice quality for a great story.”
- Don’t be afraid to be the best. Introverted thinking is often direct, competitive, and confrontational to maintain excellence. McDonald’s profits in London went down 75% after the opening of Super Size Me! On the other hand, Super Size Me was nominated for an Academy Award.
3. People-Centered
ENTPs are people-centered. They often ignore their own day-to-day reality to make decisions for the greater good (extroverted feeling). There’s a noble feel to them, especially on their good days.
But extroverted feeling is their third function. It’s not as strong as their top two functions.
This means that ENTPs often ignore other people’s feelings and emotional vulnerability when making decisions. This makes them stubborn and arrogant.
For example, Morgan Spurlock named himself during the #MeToo movement as somebody who had harmed people before, including as a creative leader.
Either way, they are able to draw strong emotional reactions from other people. It’s up to the ENTP to decide how to use this unique ability! Here are some tips.
How To Win With Extroverted Feeling
- If the ENTP is committed to something they know is truthful and wholesome, they should press on despite dissent. They are one of the few types that’s able to do so without buckling under pressure. For example, Morgan Spurlock committed entirely to Super Size Me despite opposition from friends, family, and even healthcare professionals. People come around eventually!
- Because an ENTP can draw strong emotional responses from people, they should seek to cultivate as many “good vibes” as possible while still remaining aligned to their commitments.
- “Good vibes” while remaining truthful is how ENTPs are able to keep relationships that are both honest and encouraging. These relationships will get them to the finish line, and even win them the top spot. For example, Morgan Spurlock’s listening talents made his documentaries excellent and memorable. He got ordinary people to trust him and be vulnerable on camera.
4. Memorable
Introverted sensing (Si) is about our internal physical experience. For Super Size Me, Morgan Spurlock used his body as a subject and canvas. Only an ENTP would put his health at risk to make a point.
Because ENTPs have introverted sensing (Si) as their weakest function, they often experience it in an abstract way.
They want to experience their own internal physical reality as much as they want to affect others’ realities. This manifests as a deep desire to “make a mark on the world.”
How to Win With Introverted Sensing
- Introverted sensing (Si) is about starting from where you are, no frills. Don’t be afraid to start from scratch. Be inventive.
- Go all in and don’t give up. Despite all of Morgan Spurlock’s great work throughout his career, the film that everybody remembers is Super Size Me. ENTPs spend their lives throwing spaghetti on the wall, but once they find the thing they were made for, it’s off to the races. For an initial investment of around $65,000, made when Morgan was broke and in massive debt, Super Size Me grossed more than $22 million! That makes it the 7th highest-grossing documentary film of all time. It doesn’t get more history-making than that.