Hey, I put some new old shoes on and suddenly everything’s right.
I apologize if the Paolo Nutini song is now stuck in your head. Or should I say, you’re welcome? 🙂
Today’s #FebPhotoADay is “your shoes.” Even though it’s not Chuck Taylor Tuesday (a series from Heather, who just announced she’s having a boy and a girl – congrats!), I wear these navy blue Converse on every day possible. I’ve had the same pair since high school and they are still going strong.
But as much as I love them, the focus of this post is on something much different. Earlier this week, I wrote a post for Pursuing Our Passion titled, “This Post Is For My Fellow Introverts.” I’ve really enjoyed the conversation that followed and thought I’d share an excerpt with you here, in hopes that it will spark further discussion.
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The inspiration for this post comes from my friend Gliding Calm, who often chats about being an introvert on her blog. Recently, I re-pinned a picture from her blog to Pinterest:
Never in a million years was I prepared for what came next. 213 likes. 16 comments. And the big one for me: 503 repins. Five hundred and three people resonated with a single image enough to share it – and one that did not have to do with the stereotypical pins of food, fashion and inspirational quotes. It was by far my most popular pin to date. Yet though the numbers are what originally caught my attention, it was the commentary that inspired me to write this post.
“Hear hear.” “SO true!” “Yes!!!” “I’m an introvert and I agree with every one of these.” “Love it!” “This is good advice.” “Thank you.” “Wonderful. So well said. So me!!” “I need to write this on my forehead.” “Ohhhh dear…this is so me…”
And it’s so ME, too. Which is why I think it is more important than ever to say that introverts are an incredibly vital part of society in a society that places a high value on extroversion – and they are successful entrepreneurs, too.
Susan Cain recently published a book called “Quiet: The Power of Introverts.” In it, she discusses a lot of the issues that introverts face in an extroverted society. She also recently did an interview with Scientific American that is worth reading from start to finish.
Here is one of my favorite quotes from the article:
“Many introverts feel there’s something wrong with them, and try to pass as extroverts. But whenever you try to pass as something you’re not, you lose a part of yourself along the way.”
This post is for my fellow introverts. It’s my plea to you: don’t try to pass for someone you’re not. Embrace who you are and use that knowledge to find a job, a friend, a significant other, etc. that builds you up, rather than tears you down.
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I went on to share more about my personal history as someone who was always called “quiet” as though it were a bad thing. If you’re interested, I would love for you to read the full post and share your thoughts, whether on my other blog or in the comments below.
Does the list above resonate with you? Would you consider yourself an introvert?
At the risk of sounding hypocritical, I encourage you to speak up. I’d love to hear from you.
Abrazos,
I remember seeing that image on Pinterest and thinking how much it described me too. I am an introvert through and through, and I think I am finally getting to a place where I am OK with that. My teenage and even college years were so difficult because I was embarrassed to be introverted. Socializing takes effort for me. I need to re-charge!
Anyway, thanks for addressing this topic, as it is one that particularly resonates with me 🙂
I’m really glad to hear it resonated with you and that you are getting to a place where you’re embracing it! I always need to re-charge after socializing, especially when meeting new people. Thanks for sharing, Caroline!
Jenn,
I love that pin too. CD is introverted, and I wish I could have seen this list years ago. Definitely ver helpful and thanks for sharing. I have my moments too. I love being with my close friends, but often I just want to cave in at home, and I don’t deal very well with change – therefore, I think there is nothing wrong with wearing the same Chucks since high-school. Why mess with a good thing, right? 😉
Thanks for the congrats! 🙂
I agree with all of this! I wish I could’ve had the list during some of my more trying times in high school. And heck yes to wearing the same Chucks. 🙂 Congrats again, Heather!
I’m a wannabe introvert. 🙂 They’re often misunderstood…another reason why I think self-assessments (along with helpful interpretation) should be mandatory. (Pardon the nerdiness here…haha.)
Haha! I couldn’t agree with you more, though – self-assessments are crucial, as well as educating people on the differences between the results (and why there is no “right” way to be)!
[…] to leadership, productivity and also publishing. This post was a very good read, especially after the introvert discussion last […]
I myself am an extrovert, but I have a lot of friends who are surely introverts and I’m sure they would all really appreciate the advice in that image. I feel like some of those things are also simply polite things to do that people often look over now because manners are not emphasized as much as they used to be. I mean, of course you shouldn’t interrupt people (or if you do, immediately apologize and ask them to continue)! These tips would be very effective for tutoring for sure, but it would be extremely difficult to do many of them in a school setting since most teachers do not have the time or privacy as an option. Do you have any recommendations for introverts on how to adapt in situations where many of these things are not an option?