I Am An Introvert

Yes, I am an introvert. Yes, I am shy. No, I'm not antisocial. No, I'm not retarded or mentally ill. I'm not stuck up. I don't think I'm better than anybody else.

I don't go to parties and I hate crowds. I don't do small talk. I will never be the life of the party. I hate using the telephone. I don't make friends easily, and people who meet me tend not to remember me. I don't have a lot of friends, but the friends I do have are very important to me. I make no apologies for who I am.

During a recent trip to Ethiopia, I was part of a group of 10 people, plus two guides. I was comfortable with these people once I got to know them, and it was easy to talk to them. I once mentioned that I am an introvert, at which point a woman who is most definitely not an introvert replied that I don't seem like an introvert to her.  

Being an introvert doesn't mean I never speak to others. It doesn't mean I sit in the corner with downcast eyes. It does mean that I prefer calm to chaos, a few good friends to a large, noisy crowd, and that I try to avoid the spotlight. It means that I am quiet, even among family members. I am better at expressing my thoughts and feelings through writing than through speaking. That's why I have this blog, and why I wrote a book.

But I worked as a public affairs officer for a major federal agency for 20 years. I did on-camera interviews with news media. I provided live, on-air commentary. I gave a briefing to a group of 200+ people. I gave a briefing to a group of senior agency managers at headquarters. Did I enjoy it? No, I didn't. But I did it. Sometimes I strike up conversations with total strangers in line at the grocery store or while awaiting a flight at an airport. It all depends on circumstances and on how I feel about the situation.

In a world that seems designed for chatty, overly social people who are always on the go and who always have something to say (extroverts outnumber introverts by three to one), there is an important place for introverts. Consider this partial list of famous introverts. It includes scientists, writers, actors, musicians, inventors and social activists.

1. Albert Einstein
2. Rosa Parks
3. Bill Gates
4. Steven Spielberg 
5. Sir Isaac Newton
6. Eleanor Roosevelt
7. Abraham Lincoln
8. J K Rowling
9. Mahatma Gandhi
10. Charles Darwin
11. Meryl Streep
12. Audrey Hepburn
13. Sir Elton John
14. Lady Gaga
15. Warren Buffett
16. Julia Roberts
17. Tom Hanks
18. Laura Bush

Being around large numbers of people or in noisy environments drains our energy. We need quiet and solitude to recharge ourselves. We tend to be deep thinkers who rarely get bored. We are creative, we think before we act, we are a calming presence and we love to read. We enjoy solitude.

Being a shy introvert doesn't make me 'weird' or 'strange.' I am a thinker, a writer, an avid reader and a passionate photographer. In a world full of people who can't stop yammering, it's nice to be with the quiet ones.