Stephen Shore | Fort Worth, Texas in 1976
“Are you an introvert or an extrovert?”
How many times have you gotten this question in the past few months? If you work in corporate America or spend any time on Twitter, I’m guessing you’ve read an article, read a book, or had a discussion relating to this question in the past few months.
Our selection for August’s book club was New York Times bestseller Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Won’t Stop Talking, and I have to tell you it’s spurred A LOT of conversations over the past month. So many, in fact, that my husband is now reading the book, one of my best friends is reading the book, and I’m still just a teensy bit sassy about authoress Susan Cain’s portrayal of extroverts despite the fact that according to her little quiz I am a quintessential ambivert. (I blame any and all of my introverted tendencies on being an only child, but birth order is soooo last decade so we probably shouldn’t even go there.)
I won’t give you my entire rant about Susan Cain’s book. (Although Caity Weaver basically covered everything on Gawker last week if you’re interested). Instead, I will ask two questions:
1. What are you doing to expand your thinking?
Are you reading anything that is making you slightly uncomfortable? Are you having conversations with people that have opposing views from your own? Is there anything in your life right now that is making you think through the why of what you believe?
I have loved how many conversations and debates this book has prompted. It’s challenged me to really think through what I believe about myself and also my relationship to pop-psychology.
2. How are you trying to relate to the people around you?
Yes, I have totally made cracks over the past month like, “If introverts are so quiet, why are their complaints all I’m reading about on Twitter?” But it has seriously been helpful to realize just how different people can be. I really love meeting new people and learning what makes them tick. This book is a great reminder that everyone has their own strengths and their own needs–by recognizing both, I can be a better friend and a better partner to everyone around me.
The gentle reminder I’d like to give Susan Cain: We need everyone. The quiet ones, the talkative ones, the inquisitive ones, the funny ones–people come with different personalities, hobbies, and interests for a reason. One isn’t smarter than another or more valuable. We need them all.
End of rant.
