On being an Introvert

By Chandler - 2/10/2014

Welcome to Monday! This weekend was just what I needed: lots of relaxing, good coffee, good company, good music, and some lesson planning thrown in there for good measure.

"I have to be alone very often.  I'd be perfectly happy if I spent Saturday night until Monday morning alone in my apartment. That's how I refuel." --Audrey Hepburn
I also spent a good portion of my weekend reading up on some new (to me) blogs.  And I have fallen in love with the writing style of so many!  While I don't believe in changing myself due to the work of others, I have been inspired.  Inspired to put more of myself back into my blog.  I don't like to talk about myself, my life, my problems.  But sometimes those make the best stories.  Humans are social beings and I am not different.  I am just quiet, reserved, and thoughtful.  I am an introvert.

I found this really great blog post over at Witty Title Here about being an introvert and the real meaning behind it.  She provides the prompt, "just because I'm an introvert doesn't mean..." and I feel the need to share and to explain what being an introvert means to me.
via
Just because I'm an introvert doesn't mean...

...I am not friendly. I am. I just take time to warm up to people. I actually prefer close interactions, but I don't believe in wasting time on relationships that won't go anywhere.  I'm drawn to people who tend to be introverts themselves.

"Introverts tea sure the close relationships they have stretched so much to make." --Adam S. McHugh

...I hate to talk. Actually, I'm quite the opposite. I love to talk, about things that matter.  I don't do small, idle conversations well. I am perfectly content to sit with someone without filling every second with speech.  But if you're down to chat about my interests, you'll find it hard to shut me up.

...I can't have fun. My idea of fun is probably just different than yours. I don't wanna go out to a party and be surrounded by people who I don't know.  I'd rather go someplace small and intimate, with a gathering of that people I love.

...I am not paying attention.  In fact, I am most definitely paying attention.  I pick up on small details and little things that most people over look. I tend to sit back and observe a situation that is happening right in front of me.  I am in tune with other people's emotions and I like to help whenever I can.  I am absolutely paying attention, probably more so than the people who seem to be engaged.

"Our culture made a virtue of living only as extroverts. We discouraged the inner journey, the quest for a center.  So we lost out center and have to find it again." --Anais Nin
Introverts get a bad rep because we are quiet.  We judge ourselves just as hard as you do.  Society believes that introverts are a problem; some of us believe it as well. I have worked so hard to become who I am today.  And finally, after years of trying to be someone I'm not. I can say that I am more comfortable knowing that other people think and feel the same way that I do.

"Don't think of introversion as something that needs to be cured...Spend your time the way you like, not the way you think you're supposed to." --Susan Cain

I am trying to be proud to be an introvert. And one of my main purposes of this post is to express myself.  To finally state who I am and to reach out to other introverts who don't always feel comfortable in their own skin.

"Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom." --Aristotle

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6 thoughts

  1. you and i are cut from the same cloth. i am most definitely an introvert even though i love my friends and being social. i just need downtime to reenergize myself. if i don't have at least 1-2 nights a week with no plans, i feel super drained by the week's end. and all of your "doesn't mean" statements are right on! my idea of "fun" involves coffee and/or wine depending on the time of day, a good friend, crafts surrounding me, maybe a chick flick playing in the background? sounds pretty perfect to me!

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    1. I absolutely love my friends but I need my “me time” as well. I am all about your idea of fun :) I’m thinking we would make really great friends!

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  2. I'm the same way! Obviously, you know because you read my post. But I AM friendly, and I DO like to talk, and have fun and pay attention to things and whatnot. Although sometimes I don't pay attention. But that's because I'm an introvert with ADD and the two are difficult to manage at times. I enjoyed reading your post, and thanks for stopping by my little nook. :)

    Sarah
    http://coffeeringsandsouthernthings.com/

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    1. Aww thanks for stopping by and for the kind words! We are one in the same :)

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  3. Love this post! So glad you joined in. You've more or less described me here too, haha. You should absolutely be proud of your introverted self. We have a lot to offer. :)

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    1. Thank you so much!! It is so great to know how many other people feel the same way that I do :)

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