DOES NOT PLAY WELL WITH OTHERS

People often ask about my choice to work from home.  For some people, this arrangement simply would not work.  For me, it is a perfect fit.

 

I’m not shy or anti-social, but I am a fiercely independent introvert.  So not only do I like to do things a certain way, I also prefer to do them alone.  My husband and I joke that if I were to receive a report card on my current work habits, it would clearly state “Does not play well with others.”  I’m having t-shirts made.  How many would you like?  We also have travel mugs.    

Understanding the Introvert

Nine years ago I became a parent to a child who is my complete opposite.  In an effort to understand this alien being, and to gain some insight into why she was so adept at draining my life-force, I read stacks of parenting books.   I discovered that, while I have conquered my childhood shyness, I am definitely an introvert.  My daughter is an extrovert.  And those two characteristics are about so much more than being shy vs. being outgoing.  An extrovert is someone who is energized by being around other people.  An introvert is someone who recharges by spending time alone.

 

So it’s got nothing to do with social skills or popularity.  It’s about energy, and where you find it.  For some of us, that is through collaborating with co-workers in a busy work environment.  For others, it is in quietly tackling our daily to-do list in the quiet of our own office.

The Quiet Revolution

Author Susan Cain recently published her book Quiet: The power of introverts in a world that can’t stop talking.   In her Ted Talk appearance, she talks about her journey to understanding the place of introverts in history, and in our modern world.  Watch the video.  It is excellent and you will, if you in any way consider yourself to be an introvert, find yourself nodding in agreement from beginning to end.