I always saw my quiet/shy personality as a handicap.... But it never stopped me from going for it.
I've read several books on shy, quiet, and introverted personalities, and heard a lot about this book "Quiet" by Susan Cain. It was a "NY Times Best Seller". However, I found it to be a book about introverts rather than for introverts. It has a lot of true stories and scientific information about introverts, but it doesn't necessarily solve the problem. It describes and examines the wounds rather than allowing me to walk.
My favorite book is still "The Introvert Advantage" by Marti Olsen Laney. It gets right to the point and gives tips on how to live an introverted life in an extroverted world. You can open up the book anywhere and find something useful out of it, rather than having to start from the beginning. (Something I like in particular, because I am not a strong reader.) Some might see introversion as something to overcome or get rid of, but understanding that it is a part of you and something you have to embrace and work with, is what has helped me throughout the years.
As a painfully shy little girl to a still shy 30-something female, I've learned to embrace it, challenge it, and at the end of the day, knowing that I have the courage to try different things -- from going on random dates, to taking a solo trip overseas, to becoming an Uber driver and having to talk to strangers every day. I look back and realize how far I've come. Not to mention my career in the male dominated industry of construction management. This is all another story I can save for another blog. Til' then, that is my quick review and conclusion from reading Susan Cain's "Quiet"... At least she made it mainstream for us silent underdogs.
Sunday, July 17, 2016
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