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Outrageously Successful Introverts

by Chris
September 3rd, 2013

Laura Schocker of The Huffington Post has given us a list of outrageously successful introverts, some of which may surprise you.

emma watson2

 Emma Watson  “It’s interesting,  because people say things to me like, ‘It’s really cool that you don’t go out and get drunk all the time and go to clubs,’ and I’m just like, I mean, I appreciate that, but I’m kind of an introverted kind of person just by nature, it’s not like a conscious choice that I’m making necessarily. It’s genuinely who I am.”

eleanor3 Eleanor Roosevelt  “Friendship with oneself is all important, because without it one cannot be friends with anyone else in the world.”

 

christina2

 Christina Aguilera   “Because, besides being petite, she is, it seems, shy. She tells me that she has always been ‘intense and introverted’ and that, as a result, she’s felt like an outsider her entire life.”   (Gaby Wood)

lincoln2

 Abraham Lincoln  “In the nation’s earlier years it was easier for introverts to earn respect,” Susan Cain said. “America once embodied what the cultural historian Warren Susman called a ‘Culture of Character,’ which valued inner strength, integrity, and the good deeds you performed when no one was looking. You could cut an impressive figure by being quiet, reserved, and dignified.”

xx2a David Letterman  used to marvel at “the aerodynamic properties of toast.”

 

y2

 J.K. Rowling   “The Harry Potter author has described herself as an introvert, particularly when she refers to her childhood.” (Susan Cain)

g2 Bill Gates   “Bill Gates is quiet and bookish, but apparently unfazed by others’ opinions of him: he’s an introvert, but not shy.”  (Susan Cain)

 

c2Courteney Cox  “I’m a homebody. I like to have people over, but I’m a little socially not — I don’t love it. David — he doesn’t drink anymore, he’s completely sober — but he likes to go out and dance. He really is a very gregarious guy. He’s very outgoing. I’m much more of an introvert.”

e2

 Albert Einstein  “The monotony and solitude of a quiet life stimulates the creative mind.”

 

ga2

 Mahatma Gandhi  “In a gentle way, you can shake the world.”

 

 

laura2

 Laura Bush  From USA Today: “For an admitted introvert, Laura Bush remarkably has evolved into a very effective speaker.”

 

rosa2 Rosa Parks  “When she died in 2005 at the age of 92, the flood of obituaries recalled her as soft-spoken, sweet, and small in stature. They said she was ‘timid and shy‘ but had ‘the courage of a lion.’ They were full of phrases like ‘radical humility’ and ‘quiet fortitude.‘”

a2

 Audrey Hepburn   “I’m an introvert … I love being by myself, love being outdoors, love taking a long walk with my dogs and looking at the trees, flowers, the sky.”

 

wb2 Warren Buffett  “Success in investing doesn’t correlate with IQ. Once you have ordinary intelligence, what you need is the temperament to control the urges that get other people into trouble in investing.”

 

roy2 Roy Rogers  “I’m an introvert at heart. And show business — even though I’ve loved it so much — has always been hard for me.”

 

cb2 Candice Bergen  “I’m an introvert and my husband is like the mayor.” 

 

gs2 George Stephanopoulos  “Despite my job chatting people up, I’m an introvert.”

 

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Categories General, Introverts at Work, Movies and TV, Sensitivity, Social Anxiety & Shyness
Tags : abraham lincoln, albert einstein, audrey hepburn, bill gates, business, candice bergen, career, christina aguilera, courteney cox, david letterman, eleanor roosevelt, emma watson, george stephanopoulos, j.k. rowling, laura bush, laura schocker, mahatma gandhi, popularity, power, rosa parks, roy rogers, warren buffett
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Robin Williams – Flaming Introvert

by Chris
June 22nd, 2013

Robin Williams is an introvert! Am I the last to discover that? Of course I rushed all over Google trying to verify this and I came up with:

Robin Williams Inside the Actors Studio

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=AHOErukoKcI#at=12

At 7:30 of the interview, James Lipton (the interviewer) tells Robin Williams that Mike Meyers describes himself as a “site-specific extravert and an introvert for most of the rest of the time” and asks if there’s an introverted Robin Williams. Robin says yes. He uses the introversion to “absorb” things around him for his comedy. He calls himself “introverted, quiet, and absorbent.”

I really couldn’t be more surprised – of all the flaming extraverts to turn out to be an introvert! And yet, I’ve done that myself. Maybe you have too. I like that phrase: “A site-specific extravert.”

As I think of it, it occurs to me that the comedy of Robin Williams might not have such depth if he didn’t have a quiet, internal place to bring all that he has “absorbed” and process it, coming up with points where we might see ourselves (or others?) and burst out laughing.

I have to admit, stand-up comedy is not something that leaps to mind when I think of jobs for introverts. But Robin Williams shows us how it’s done. Here’s another, if you like –

Robin Williams: The Introvert Dictator – Set List,  Stand-Up Without a Net

What a flaming introvert! And a wonderful example of the creative power of introversion.

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Categories General, Introverts at Work, Movies and TV
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Earth Hour 2013

by Chris
March 24th, 2013

Yesterday, as you know, we observed Earth Hour at 8:30pm. This is my introvert’s dream as far as demonstrations go. I mean that literally – I turn everything off, shut down my power bars, unplug the microwave, assure the dog that we’re fine and then daydream or think or plan for an hour or so. I didn’t have to go out in crowds. I didn’t have to wave a sign. I didn’t have to yell or chant. I didn’t have to roar approval of speeches.

 

And yet, I made a difference. As I looked out my apartment window, I could see lights flicking out all over the city. That’s the part I like best – immediate gratification – I can see that we’re actually accomplishing something.

 

But I got a surprise. My upstairs neighbours are not introverts. Their first choice is not gentle silence and dream weaving. Their first choice is inviting great crowds to celebrate Earth Hour with them. I got the impression it was their entire extended family – certainly those were children dancing, or maybe jumping on and off sofas.

 

The great event began early for them, at 7pm. They turned their sound system super-loud; my walls and floor were vibrating, not only with the bass but also with the lyrics, which is unusual. They laughed and caroused and be-bopped until 8:30pm – the Earth Hour. Then they turned everything off  – and got out their own instruments. They sang and laughed and partied and jumped on and off sofas for an hour. At 9:30pm, they went back to carousing with electricity. Mercifully, at 10pm they turned everything off and went home (10pm is the cut-off point for noise in my building).

 

So I didn’t get to dream weave during Earth Hour. I pondered the different approaches of introverts and extraverts and wondered how we could enjoy each other.

 

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Categories General
Tags : celebrate, crowds, earth hour, noise, party, quiet-time, silence.
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Don’t Want to Talk Buttons

by Chris
March 7th, 2013

In response to requests, here’s where you can get those “Don’t Want to Talk Buttons”
http://www.etsy.com/listing/117009082/the-headphones-mean-i-dont-want-to-talk

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Categories General, Introverts at Work, Social Anxiety & Shyness
Tags : badges, buttons, buttons talk badges
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Introvert Badges

by Chris
March 7th, 2013

How I wish I owned a stack of these!

But still people would not understand –

“Don’t want to talk” does *not* mean “I don’t like you!”

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Categories General
Tags : badges, book, headphones, laptop
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Party Survival Tips

by Chris
November 24th, 2012

The holidays loom on the horizon. Holidays are great but many are also party days. Too many parties in a row can be a challenge for an introvert.

Susan over at Quietly Fabulous has eight great ideas for party survival:

  1. Plan ahead.
  2. Find another introvert.
  3. Hide.
  4. Escape plan.
  5. Be patient.
  6. Say No.
  7. Have a sense of humor.
  8. Be yourself.

For more details and additional resources, read 8 Tips For Introverts To Survive The Holidays.

What do you do when you find your energy flagging at a party?

Have you found ways to leave a party briefly, to recharge and return?

 

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Categories General, Introverts at Work, Social Anxiety & Shyness
Tags : cocktails, crowds, party, re-energize, survival
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Creativity

by Chris
October 8th, 2012

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Categories Contemplation, General
Tags : Oscar Wilde, self-esteem
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We Are The Introverts [infographic]

by Chris
September 29th, 2012

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Categories Books, General, Introverts at Work, Relationships
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Quiet: The Power of Introverts

by Chris
January 31st, 2012

Introverts may get mistaken for loners, but they are actually just differently social, says author Susan Cain.

Do you enjoy having time to yourself, but always feel a little guilty about it? Then Susan Cain’s “Quiet : The Power of Introverts” is for you. It’s part book, part manifesto. We live in a nation that values its extroverts – the outgoing, the lovers of crowds – but not the quiet types who change the world.

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Categories Books, General
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Kindle!

by Chris
January 2nd, 2012
Amazon's e-reader

At last, an infinity of reading.

Oh Kindle, my Kindle! At long last, I own a Kindle. For those of you who are not bookaholics like me, Kindle is an e-reader from Amazon. It can link up with Amazon and sell you books, which appear on your screen in a few seconds. Best-sellers are $9 but old-faithfuls are $1. Collections of five classics cost a buck.
I was like a kid let loose in a candy shop. In my mind, I was running from treasure (Whitman!) to treasure (Wuthering Heights!), picking and choosing and downloading, reading, rejoicing, and going back for more. I felt bright and happy and active.
But what did I look like? I looked like I was sitting in a chair, staring at a tablet, pressing buttons. I’m an introvert, you see. All of this takes place on the inside. People who don’t know me will mistake this as a good time to interrupt, because if they were sitting silently pressing buttons, they would be bored. But I am not bored, I am enthralled and having the time of my life! This is a very Do-Not-Disturb time. After all, I wouldn’t interrupt you when you’re watching the Super Bowl, would I?
It doesn’t last forever, any more than the Super Bowl does. Although that first time with the Kindle, exceptionally, lasted all night.
Are you an extravert? Do you worry about introvert friends or relatives who go inert? Relax. They’re having fun, on the inside.

 

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Categories Books, General
Tags : Amazon, books, e-reader, Kindle
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