My Introvert Advantage

I finished reading The Introvert Advantage by Marti Laney about a month ago in hopes that I would be able to pick up lessons on how to suppress my introversion when it's necessary. I agree with a lot of things said in the book. I get drained when trying to be social. Don't get me wrong, I can be social when necessary, but I need time to myself afterward to recharge my energy.

However, the farther I got into the book, the more I realized that my introversion doesn't even compare to some other people's. I never realized that I could possibly be more of a moderate introvert. On the scale of extrovert to introvert, I must fall somewhere close to the center. There were several statements in the book that just didn't quite apply to me.

Introversion must be a product of one's natural genes and the environment in which one grew up. I get the sense that I could've been a very different person had it not been for the friends that I've decided to surround myself with or for my nature to want to continuously challenge myself and push myself outside my comfort zone. Without those, I do think my laziness and awkwardness could've left me as one of those who sat at home and spent way too much time on the internet in order to avoid social situations save with very close friends. Instead, I discovered that I love meeting new people, and the more I go out and experience new things, the more open I am to new ideas.

I think a great example of the type of introvert I am comes from the pitch to a pretend client that my entire department at work had to participate in. The pitch was to win the digital advertising business of a fake new cigarette that's non-toxic, non-addictive, and healthy. Like many introverts, I'm not one to outwardly display my emotions. In fact, I'm pretty sure no one could tell I was extremely excited about the project unless they really knew me. I couldn't even tell just how excited I was until I volunteered to be one of two people presenting the pitch in front of the entire team and a group of judges (three very senior-level people). I was completely out of my comfort zone. The presentation made me quiver just thinking about it, but my excitement, the adrenaline, and my love of taking on new challenges helped me overcome my stage fright.

While I might not be the huge introvert I once thought I was, I was still able to take away one lesson from the book - I can't become who I want to be by simply reading a book. I was privileged to have the environment to push me to do the steps in the book pretty early on in life, and if I continue to be myself, I'll end up satisfied with who I am. I'm already pretty happy with the person I'm shaping up to be.