Tag Archives: introvert

Solitude is where I place my chaos

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“Solitude is where I place my chaos to rest and awaken my inner peace.”

—Nikki Rowe, American Author

Image of woman sitting on a mountaintop

Image from Unsplash by Caleb Frith

In the book QUIET: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking, Susan Cain indicates that about one half of the population fits into this group.

For a wide variety of reasons, introverts prefer, and often function better, when the volume of life is low.

It appears that all people – not just introverts – need to withdraw into periods of solitude and quiet, to rest and awaken their inner peace. Without such moments, we all wear out and burn out, and that isn’t good for anyone.

EXERCISE:

In what way can and will you start carving out more moments of solitude and quiet to discover greater calm, balance, and peace in your life?

The Very Best Ideas

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“The very best ideas can very often come from the quietest voice.”

-Sir Johnathan “Jony” Ive, Chief Design Officer of Apple Inc.

We are living in revolutionary times.

I am not referring to political, social or even global revolutionary activities.

Instead, I’d like you to consider that there is a revolution occurring in which the quiet voices and ideas of about one-half the world’s population—the introverts—are being heard for their insight and value.

Take a close look at yourself and those around you. Where do you/they fit on the introvert/extrovert spectrum? Pay particular attention to some of the quieter voices around you. What extraordinary ideas can you now discover, appreciate, and realize?

EXERCISE:

To dig deep into this concept, go to www.quietrev.com  to see where you can more fully take advantage of the quiet revolution, based on the work of Susan Cain.

“The bias against introversion leads to…”

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“The bias against introversion leads to a colossal waste of talent, energy, and happiness.”

—Susan Horowitz Cain, American writer and lecturer

Image from christiehartman.com

Image from christiehartman.com

We’re all familiar with the phrase, “Out of Sight, Out of Mind.” To gain anyone’s attention these days, it is critical to be louder, bolder, and more outrageous than ever.

Look at those who have the attention of traditional media, and of course, social media. Looking into our organizations and institutions, we also see a good bit of bias toward extroverts rather than introverts. In some cases, introverts have been encouraged to “fake it till we make it.”

EXERCISE:

Consider exploring the book Quiet by Susan Horowitz Cain. I love the subtitle of this work, which is, “The power of introverts in a world that can’t stop talking,” to see what is being wasted.

Cain also has a TED talk you will find revealing if you have 15-20 minutes.