Article: Creating The Typology Mugs

A few years ago, I took the MBTI® assessment (Myers-Briggs Type Indicator®), and discovered that I'm INTJ (Introverted, iNtuitive, Thinking, Judgement).

Here's a basic description of the type:

INTJ Personality Type:

People with the INTJ personality type are highly analytical, creative, logical, and intellectually curious, with an insatiable thirst for knowledge. INTJs tend to value creative ingenuity, rationality, and self-improvement. They work toward developing their intellectual abilities, and are often driven to master any and every topic that catches their interest.

They are logical, quick-witted self-thinkers, who easily see through phoniness and hypocrisy. Because their minds are never at rest, they rarely encounter others who can keep up with their constant observation and analysis of everything around them. But when they do find like-minded, intellectually stimulating individuals, they form profound relationships which they value deeply.

They are independent, ambitious, goal-oriented individuals. They tend to be well-informed, keeping up on the latest facts and events. And they are also willing to reasonably consider varying points of view, as well as reconsidering their own opinions and positions in light of new information.

And here's a bullet-point summary I eventually developed:

INTJ - "The Mastermind"

• AKA: philosopher, architect, or scientist
• Visionary, problem solver, system builder
• Confident, independent, & self-sufficient
• Innovative & creative, strong work ethic
• Authentic, hates phoniness & hypocrisy
• Prefers logic and facts over emotion
• Questions everything, rule-breaker
• High expectations of themself & others
• Can often seem arrogant & condescending
• Unattuned to small talk and/or flirting
• Prefers a small circle of close friends
• Loyal & committed in relationships

So anyway, once I took the test and read the description, I had to admit, it described me to a tee—I almost expected to see my picture alongside the description!

And, as I often share, it was one of the most valuable aspects of self-knowledge I've ever attained. Why? Because my entire life, I'd always struggled with interacting with others. People always seemed to think I was an asshole, and I always thought everyone else was just being overly-sensitive! Fact is, INTJs are very direct and efficient, goal-oriented, non-traditional, and hate to waste time. So when we interact with others, we're simply trying to get a needed bit of information, or get something done, or accomplish whatever our objective is, and are trying to do it quickly and efficiently—which causes us to come across as insensitive or condescending (i.e., asshole). But it's not personal—we're just being direct and efficient! But people tend to take it personally, and INTJs aren't interested in beating around the bush or walking on eggshells or playing games or drama or politics, we just want to get done what we're trying to get done!

In other words, I learned that is IS me (the INTJ combination is rare, only occurring in roughly 2% of the population), and it's NOT everyone else, and if I wanted to succeed in life, I needed to learn to temper my interactions with others to enlist their cooperation, instead of irritating them and driving them away and making them avoid me from then on...

And I've done so over the years, I think successfully, as I've noticed a considerable improvement in the productivity (not to mention an overall more enjoyable experience) in my interactions with others.

So then I decided a wanted an INTJ mug, and, unable to find something I liked online, I designed my own graphic that said "It's an INTJ thing; you wouldn't understand", and had it printed by a custom-printing company. I loved how it turned out, and used it all the time.

Then one summer day I was taking a coffee break out on my front porch, when an ice cream truck happened by...so I trotted down the street and bought an ice cream sandwich (my favorite!), and, sitting on my porch enjoying it, snapped the below pic and shared it on social media:

Surprisingly, several people noticed the mug in the background, and commented on it, some even saying "I want that mug!" or "I need a mug like that!", that sort of thing.

So that got me thinking...could I develop a full line of mugs, covering all 16 personality types?

I liked the idea, but at the time didn’t have the time or resources to pursue it. So I back-burnered the idea for a while...and then, a couple years later, when I finally felt I was in a position to do something, I spent around six months researching if/how I could do it, and decided to go for it. I then spent several months designing the Typology mugs, which required considerable research, as you can imagine. But after studying the Myers-Briggs personality types for 6 months or more, I was able to compile enough information and data to develop what I believe to be the best, most accurate and informative line of Typology mugs available! (And if course, I started with my own INTJ mug, which is now my favorite!:

As you can see, the front graphic stayed the same as the original, saying "It's an [TYPE] thing; you wouldn't understand", but on the reverse side, these mugs also include the type description, meaning, percentage it comprises in the general population, and a list of common/popular traits, each tailored specifically to the unique personalty profile! Plus, they are all available in various beautiful colors, and in both RH & LH orientation, your choice!:

After creating the umbrella corporation (Eastwood Innovations, LLC, see my bio), I proceeded to develop Lifeology Store (and now my blog has been rebranded Lifeology Blog as well, dovetailing nicely with the store!)

So after 2 years contemplating it, 6 months researching the business potential, 6 months researching/designing the Typology mug line, then 6 months creating/building/launching the business and store, the full line of unique, exclusive Typology mugs are now available for purchase!

NOTE: You can also search for your mug by type using the "Find Your Typology Mug" drop-down menu above!)