Photo Credit: Abe Kleinfeld via Compfight
At work I take the stairs. I can’t say that I’m the most athletic person at my job, and I can’t say that I take the stairs to get a work out, but I enjoy taking the stairs in the morning as I prepare myself to begin my day, and I enjoy taking the stairs as I wind down my day and go home.
I’ve noticed that there are many people, like me who enjoy taking the stairs, who may not necessarily enjoy working out, but nevertheless enjoy taking the stairs. Who are these people? Why introverts of course!
See the beauty of the stairs is that, most people don’t take the stairs because it takes effort, which gives the introvert some extra time alone. Then for those who take the stairs, they are either too busy panting up the stairs, or they are introverts as well and would rather not talk anyway – giving the introvert the extra peace and quiet they crave…
See for many years I fought with the idea of being an introvert because I thought that introversion meant you were shy and socially awkward, which I am neither. But I recently learned that introversion is about where you get re-energized. Some people when they feel depleted need to be around people to get re-energized (these are extroverts), and some people, introverts, need to be alone to get re-energized.
It’s not that introverts don’t like being around people, they do. It’s not that they don’t like meeting new people, they do. It’s not that they don’t know how to be extroverted when they need to, they do. It’s more that introverts socialize and meet new people in a different way. We are not inferior or superior (except that introverts rule the world), we’re just different, and that is okay.
I recently read the book Quiet: The power of introverts in a world that can’t stop talking by Susan Cain, and it changed my life. All of a sudden many things in my past made sense, my decisions began to make sense, and for once it was okay for me to decide to spend the weekend at home reading and writing, instead of out partying, it was okay for me to have a free trait agreement with myself, and decide to go out once in a while in exchange for me spending many weekends alone, doing things that strengthen me.
And yes you may ask: “If I never go out, how will I meet a man?” Ahhh, that will have to be a conversation for another blog post…
but in the mean time, I give you permission to take the stairs, to cross the street if you don’t feel like talking, to stay away from the big social groups in church, to spend time only on committees (or church groups) that you’re passionate about, no matter how guilty other people try to make you feel.
Being yourself is the best way to meet the kind of man that would be most suitable for the lifestyle you would rather have. Because if you meet a man while you’re pretending to be a party animal, he may feel cheated if he later learns you would rather spend your weekends reading than dancing the night away…
Want to learn how to deal with the loneliness? Click here