Being an Introvert in a World of Extroverts

Last week, we talked about the difference between introverts and extroverts and gave a quiz to help you figure out if you were an introvert or an extrovert. We’ve been blown away by the amount of you that are actually introverts like Seamus and me. It’s really, really interesting to see. Especially since a lot of us didn’t know the difference between introverts and extroverts. We all probably just thought that we were shy, a little bit strange and a little bit awkward in social situations. The truth that we’re not. We’re quite happy in our own thoughts and in our own company. It just seems awkward in contrast to the chatter and outgoing nature of extroverts. So it’s actually empowered a lot of you.

So Many of Our Teammates Are Introverts

Many people have messaged us and said that they were surprised to learn that they were introverts. While we were surprised to learn that there were so many introverts on our team, we also weren’t surprised that introverts are drawn to work at home opportunities. We’ll get into that later in this post. We’ll also talk about a few resources that you can read to learn more about being an introvert and how to focus on your strengths instead of your weaknesses. It doesn’t matter if you are an introvert or an extrovert, you are valuable IF you bring your strengths to the table.

Many of You Have Started to Recognise How Social Situations Affect You

If you are more of an introvert, you’ll probably find that yourself recognizing the effect that certain social situations can have on you. Maybe you find that at events or parties you are excited at the beginning of the night. As the night wears on and you’ve been speaking to people over and over again, you might notice that your energy starts to fade. The only way to recharge it is to actually leave the party and spend some time alone. I (Mary) was definitely one of those people. I’d always try to sneak off early before the party was over because my battery was running on empty and I needed time by myself to reset. I used to feel like there was something wrong with me. Now, I know that that is just how these situations affect my energy.

Hopefully, This is Empowering to You Too

You are not a little bit odd or a little bit strange. You are perfect exactly as you are! Just become comfortable with it, embrace it, and own it. Understand that it’s okay not to be the loudest person in the room. It’s okay not to speak just for the sake of speaking. At the same time, we want to empower you to speak up for yourself. In the future, if someone says, you’re very quiet. You can respond and say, I’m not quiet. I’m just thinking about things in my head rather than saying them out loud.

You Can Really See the Difference Between Introverts and Extroverts on Clubhouse

For those of you who haven’t been on Clubhouse, individuals set-up rooms at certain times for people to gather and chat about a topic. It’s sort of like live talk radio. I’ve been in a few rooms where the people who were hosting were definitely extroverts. It’s very difficult for people to get a word in edgeways because everyone is speaking at the same time. In fact, they’re speaking over one another.

Then Seamus and I went to a room that was led by an introvert and it was such a different experience. If anyone started to speak at the same time as someone else, they both said oh, I’m so sorry, someone else is speaking. Then they both went quiet and listened. They were so respectful. It was just a different sort of energy.

I’m not saying that one is right and one is wrong. Both are incredible people that are and have incredible gifts to share.

Extroverts Could Take a Page From the Introverts Playbook

I do think that Introverts and Extroverts CAN learn from each other. Extroverts can definitely teach introverts a thing or two about how to engage people in conversations. Introverts do a better job of listening first and allowing those around them to speak and be heard. (As long as we aren’t too stuck in our own heads to pay attention.)

Realise That if You Are An Introvert, Your Voice is Important

Growing up, maybe you were the type of person who really felt that you weren’t valued. This may be because you didn’t speak as much as others did. Maybe it was because you didn’t speak loud enough to be heard over everyone at the dinner table. You may have felt undervalued if your voice wasn’t heard.

You may have heard over and over again that you were really shy. Over time, you came to actually believe that. I have a secret for you. You aren’t shy. It’s just something that you’ve adopted as part of your personality, but you can change that. You can learn to honor yourself and realise your value.

“Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking”

If you are an introvert (or even if you are a parent or spouse of an introvert), I recommend that you read “Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking,” by Susan Cain. It’s a really good book. We’ve been reading it and it was amazing to understand more about ourselves as introverts. We learned why we act the way we do. I’d highly recommend this book for any of you that think you’re an introvert. It will really open your eyes.

Susan Cain is a great speaker on this subject. She has a TED talk on it. You can watch the whole video here. It’s just 14 minutes long and it’s amazing.

Why Do We Care About This Topic?

We’re interested in this subject because a lot of the people that we work with are introverts. They love the idea of being able to create an income from home without having to go into an office environment. Many of them find office environments draining and they just don’t find it fulfilling. That’s why they absolutely love being able to build an income around their life at home. Sometimes though, this same nature can also hold them back from the success that they really want and dream about.

What's Next

Next week, we are going to expand on this topic. There are lots of things that we can do as introverts to succeed and use our strengths. If you want to get ahead on this topic, check out this article. It has some great tips on succeeding as an introvert. It’s a short read.