I’m finishing up listening to the audio book Quiet by Susan Cain. This is the second time I have “read” this book. I really love the book. I will return to it often.
I have always been introverted. As a kid I felt pressure to not be the way I was. My introversion and shyness always felt like something I had to overcome. “Quiet” is like a weighted blanket wrapped around me telling me that it is okay to be me.
When I was a kid I felt different. I didn’t see all the other kids that were just as scared to do things as me. I thought all the other kids were normal & well-adjusted. I thought nobody else had anxiety at the prospect of interacting with groups of people you didn’t know very well. I’m not sure where I fall on the introversion continuum, but when I was little I thought I was the only one who felt the way I did.
If you are introverted at all I would recommend that you read “Quiet”. It reminds me that I am not alone in my introversion, and that there is actually nothing wrong with me. I’ve come a long way since I was that extremely shy little kid, but in my free time I’m just as introverted as ever. I still need time to myself to recharge and think, and “Quiet” reminds me that is perfectly okay.
The book also reminds me that not everybody feels the same way as I do, and I need to take them into consideration as well. Life has to be a balanced. I may never get it just right, but "Quiet" helps me put things into perspective.
Filed Under: books, Introverted