Cognition is the result of where you naturally focus your attention, your desires, and your interests.  Regardless of what your momentary desires or interests may be, each of us has certain deep, secret hopes that mean more to us than anything.  While moods and opinions may change, these deepest desires are such a pure reflection of who we really are.  In a world where there is so much to do, so much to experience, so much need and so many discoveries waiting to be found, we each inadvertently focus the most on some things over others.  The things that we focus on most of all reflect what we want most out of life, deep down.  This comes out through cognition, as the unique specialization of your cognitive type.

As the ISTP Weapons Specialist, perhaps nothing is more important to you than getting the best use out of every detail in each moment.  Cognitively, you focus on the use (T) of details and situations (IP) as they already are (S).  This causes you to think of everything in terms of how it applies to theoretical people, to the lives of the human race overall.  What matters most to you, deep down, is doing the absolute best you can at what you do, when you’re doing it.

 
 

This causes Weapons Specialists to specialize, choosing a few related disciplines that they pour their whole selves into.  By becoming a true master of their weapon of choice, whether that weapon be clever banter, technical expertise, or any other useful skill, they can be sure to always be prepared to make the best use of every situation.  Rather than trying to be a moderate jack of all trades with diverse interests, ISTPs get a thrill out of excelling beyond excellence in their chosen passion and everything closely related to it.  They love to push themselves to the limits of what’s possible in a situation, armed with sufficient skill to question and explore what can be done in any immediate moment.  The sense of security offered by such aptitude allows Weapons Specialists to relax into accustomed snark or outright silliness, as long as they feel that their specialized skill is needed and wanted.  As an ISTP Weapons Specialist, you find the most use in straightforward application of your skills, insights, and experiences, applied here and now as each situation demands.

None of this means that your specialization of such surpassing, zoomed-in mastery comes easy for you.  You have to work at it, just as much as anyone else would.  The difference between you and other types is that you care to work at this, above all else.  Some may say that it’s just easier for you to be so good at what you do, but that’s not true; you simply care enough about finding how to put your skills to the best use, that you’re willing to work much harder at it.

No cognitive type has it easy; every type has to work just as hard at their specialization as anyone else would have to.  And every type has to deal with social pressure that tries to make them feel ashamed or embarrassed of their unique specialization.  This pressure results in unhappiness and deep, internal conflict, as people feel tempted to ignore their specialization in an effort to not stand out, rock the boat, or look foolish or make anyone else uncomfortable.  When we try to ignore our own deepest desires, the reflection of who we really are and really can be, we feel torn, frustrated, and unfulfilled.

This is why understanding our own cognition is so important!  As we come to understand what we already wanted in the first place, we learn how to get out of our own way.  We learn to let ourselves shine, rather than hiding our light.  The world needs what each of us can uniquely offer.  We need all the strengths of all the types; each is special at the same time, because each is special in a different way.  You don’t do anyone any good when you hide your unique strength, even if you’re afraid it will make others feel uncomfortable.  Let yourself be the Weapons Specialist you are, be proud and snarkily flaunt your sharp expertise, and do it in your own personal way.  As you do, you’ll implicitly give others permission to excel in their own chosen disciplines, all while giving them greater appreciation for the work you’ve put into yours.