The Gifts of Introversion

Ever Heard of Rodney?

If you’re an introvert, you may feel, at times, like Rodney Dangerfield, the comedian who started every gig with the line, “I get no respect.” Let’s face it…you’re not an extrovert…never will be. You’re not the one dancing on top of the tables. 

Now, no one is totally an extrovert or totally an introvert. It’s a scale. A lot of people define themselves as part introvert and part extrovert. 

The Upside

But here’s the cool thing about introverts. First, they’re good listeners. Listening is a skill so important that part of my counseling requirements was to demonstrate “Active Listening”. 

After all, in a normal conversation, how many times are you half listening and half planning what you’re going to say next? That’s not actually listening…that’s conversational sparring. When you find someone who actually listens to what you have to say, you feel heard. You feel acknowledged. That person is a keeper.

Introverts are deep thinkers. Therefore, they’re capable of intimate relationships on a deep level. For this reason, they have fewer friendships, but probably know these friends more intimately. 

Introverts are rarely bored. Their active brains are constantly percolating. 

They’re naturally creative, and are usually full of ideas. 

 I once asked my ninth graders, “How many of you can entertain yourself when there’s no one around?”

I looked at the raised hands in the room. “You are the lucky ones,” I said. “You’ll never be bored.”

More Contributions from the Introverts!

For all the above reasons, introverts also make good CEO’s, and many are heads of companies and corporations. They’re good leaders. They make smart decisions because they listen to the opinions of their employees, and don’t make judgements in haste. They deliberate before deciding. Impulsivity isn’t a part of their toolbox.

If you’re an introvert, you have the power to make changes in the world. If you don’t believe me, here are a few famous introverts, and these are just the ones we know about… Eleanor Roosevelt, Abraham Lincoln, Albert Einstein, JK Rowling, Mahatma Gandhi, Rosa Parks, and Steven Spielberg, Steve Jobs may not have been an introvert. This fact is still debatable, but he was smart enough to partner with Steve Wozniak, who definitely fit that bill.

So, claim your gifts and embrace your nature.

You go, introverts!

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