Wednesday, June 20, 2012

The Life of An Introvert

I found this little gem on pinterest the other day and just had to share. As many of you know, I am indeed an introvert -- which is part of the reason I love blogging.  It lets me express my innermost feelings without ever having to say anything out loud.  Sometimes it is tough to be an introvert in a world full of extroverts. I just added a book called Quiet by Susan Cain to my Kindle queue from the Seattle Public Library. I can't wait to read it {hurry up, 96 people on the waiting list}! 

Via eatupwhatsgoodforyou
From the book description on Amazon: "At least one-third of the people we know are introverts. They are the ones who prefer listening to speaking, reading to partying; who innovate and create but dislike self-promotion; who favor working on their own over brainstorming in teams. Although they are often labeled "quiet," it is to introverts that we owe many of the great contributions to society--from van Gogh’s sunflowers to the invention of the personal computer.

Passionately argued, impressively researched, and filled with indelible stories of real people, Quiet shows how dramatically we undervalue introverts, and how much we lose in doing so. Taking the reader on a journey from Dale Carnegie’s birthplace to Harvard Business School, from a Tony Robbins seminar to an evangelical megachurch, Susan Cain charts the rise of the Extrovert Ideal in the twentieth century and explores its far-reaching effects. She talks to Asian-American students who feel alienated from the brash, backslapping atmosphere of American schools. She questions the dominant values of American business culture, where forced collaboration can stand in the way of innovation, and where the leadership potential of introverts is often overlooked. And she draws on cutting-edge research in psychology and neuroscience to reveal the surprising differences between extroverts and introverts.

Perhaps most inspiring, she introduces us to successful introverts--from a witty, high-octane public speaker who recharges in solitude after his talks, to a record-breaking salesman who quietly taps into the power of questions. Finally, she offers invaluable advice on everything from how to better negotiate differences in introvert-extrovert relationships to how to empower an introverted child to when it makes sense to be a "pretend extrovert."

This extraordinary book has the power to permanently change how we see introverts and, equally important, how introverts see themselves."

I remember during my freshman year of college, I was having a rough patch and started going to a counselor for a few visits.  As a result, I ended up taking the Myers Briggs personality test. I am not quite sure why they thought that would be the perfect solution to all my problems, but it did help me understand why I am the way I am {or why I was the way I was?}.  I don't remember where I came out in the other categories... so maybe I will take the test again. Couldn't hurt, right?

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