Why is it that only extroverts get to enjoy professional success? Extroversion is only one side of the same potentially valuable coin of personal energy utilization, and discouraged introverts are falling to the wayside. Rise up, introverts! Here are some of the most effective ways in which your unique perspective can help you become more professionally successful.
Self-reflection
Being an introvert immediately gives you a greater capacity to reflect on yourself and figure out more valuable things about the way that you fundamentally work as a human being. In your solitude, you can come to a greater understanding about the machinations of your mind and how they can culminate into the kind of habits that are conducive to success.
Productive down-time
The time that you spend on your own doesn’t have to be time that you spend just sitting on your hands and staring at the wall. While you are recharging and alone with your thoughts, you can productively use that time to get things done that you may not have been able to during the bulk of the day. From chores around the house to personal creative projects, indulging your introversion with a little bit of alone time can be great for getting more done.
Better listening skills
Because introversion means that you are less focused on just getting all of your words out into the air, being a good listener will come more naturally to you. While a lot of extroverts are talented at getting people engaged in their interesting stories, people appreciate a person who makes them feel interesting even more. As an introvert, you have an innate power to validate people with the feeling of being around someone who really cares about what they have to say; in many cases, this will make them want to interact with you even more.
Mindfulness
Though many extroverts can have a very energizing aura, one of the downsides of always being “on” as the center of social attention is that it can steal attention away from the little important things. Introversion lends itself to mindfulness, giving you a greater ability to step back and become fully cognizant of the minor elements in your surroundings and your state of mind. Through mindful inward analysis of your environment, you can potentially gain an even greater ability to thrive in it than you would if you tried to actively control it with overwhelming outward energy.
Summary
Nowhere in a set of leadership program requirements will you find extroversion as a prerequisite for career success — only a “drive for upward career mobility” (WGU). Mindfulness, productivity, listening skills, and self-reflection are all powerful tools of the successful introvert. Just as extroverted people can utilize their personality to leverage more connections in their careers, introverted people are just as capable of using their unique disposition to benefit themselves professionally.
Shae Holland is a single mother and professional copywriter. She’s passionate about healthy living, loves hunting, and adores her two springer spaniels.
Today, if you want to earn a master’s degree there are several ways to go about it. One option is to take courses online. For an introvert who works at a full-time job, taking classes online may seem like a dream come true. Consider five reasons why earning an online master’s degree is an excellent option for an introvert who’s holding down a full-time job.
Eleanor Roosevelt “Friendship with oneself is all important, because without it one cannot be friends with anyone else in the world.”
David Letterman used to marvel at “the aerodynamic properties of toast.”
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)
Courteney 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.”
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.‘”
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.”
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.”
Candice Bergen “I’m an introvert and my husband is like the mayor.” 
George Stephanopoulos “Despite my job chatting people up, I’m an introvert.”