A couple months ago, someone posted a link to Susan Cain’s TED introversion presentation on Facebook. I clicked on it and watched it. As the presentation continued, I knew she was talking about me. She and I have a lot in common. No, I did not go to Princeton and Harvard, and become a corporate lawyer. I went to Illinois and played at grad school (Vanderbilt) for a year before enlisting in the Air Force. I made a mental note to read her book, “Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking.”
So I bought the book for my Nook, and after I finished the book I was reading at the time, I started reading it. It only took me a few days (it’s not that long a book), and it changed my life. I had always known I was an introvert, but I didn’t really understand what that meant. Like many introverts that Susan interviewed, I thought there was something wrong with me. My family and friends were always trying to get me to be more extroverted. It held me back in my Air Force career. I made it as far as I could through taking tests (E-7), but I had to be more outgoing to get promoted again, and I just could not fake it well enough to make that happen.
I am finally more at peace with the person I am. It helps that I have my own office at my current job. I work with a lot of software engineers, many of whom are also introverts. Now I understand why I don’t like meetings and almost never say anything unless someone asks me a direct question. It doesn’t bother me as much as it used to when I get brain lock and cannot think of anything to say to the person with whom I am speaking. Now I am trying to educate my wife to help her understand me better, and make my life a little easier.
I don’t know if I will be able to relate any new information about being an introvert, but I hope that my experiences will resonate with others and help them understand that they are not alone, and there is nothing wrong with them, they’re just a bit different.
Musings of an Introvert 