I speak now after decades of bottling up my thoughts and words...
I was honored to have lunch with a former co-worker and fan of the blog this week. It was great to catch up and talk about old times, retirement plans, and blog ideas. Blog feedback is ALWAYS welcome.
Some of the tabletop discussion focused around how I could be so open and vulnerable in my blog? And was I concerned I would run out of material for the blog?
I've thought about these questions over the past few days. How can I be so vulnerable? Well, as the pictures above comically, yet poignantly, note, I felt in my past that I was bottled up. That I was not free to share my true thoughts or feelings. This was most prominent at work. I should be clear, it wasn't really due to an overly repressive company, organization, or boss, though on occasion that did have something to do with it.
My restraint 🤐 really centered around my poor self-esteem which derived from my shyness, introversion, rough social skills, and therefore my fear of putting myself out there...of saying something wrong! Some managers (you know who you are 🤩 ) created more relaxing and supportive dynamics than others (you know who you are too!😵).
But I think I needed to go through the journey I am on to gain comfort and confidence in speaking out📣 . To be sure, I haven't crossed the finish line 🥇 on this, but just being aware of the situation and some of the bottlenecks I've faced, is helping me to move forward.
And now that I'm on this journey and have retired from any of the pressures of corporate life, I am discovering a lot of thoughts I must get out. Some are quite personal and revealing, but that's really the whole point. I hope such a path and my sharing will also help others that may be struggling with their own thoughts and voice to skip some of the torment I've withstood.
So am I concerned I will run out of material for my blog? Unequivocally, no! I have decades of material.
Over lunch my friend shared some positive, uplifting feedback. I am always thrilled that my stories and struggles can be inspirational or light a path. He also shared some ideas for blogs...topics he is interested in and curious how I've tackled them. I loved the conversation. I hope to hear from each of you.
Ironically, us introverts tend to shy away from sharing our deep thoughts, especially if others may discover the introversion which has a grip on us. I certainly understand that feeling. I've lived with that restraint, that embarrassment, for way too long! I respect that many may not want to acknowledge their introversion to themselves much less to co-workers or even family. I "faked it til I made it" for a long time. Perhaps others saw through my facade though more have seemed surprised with my public revelation.
Therein lies our challenge, to get to the place where we can embrace our introversion! Champion it! Shout for joy about those things which we had bottled up!
Would you like to share your story, feedback, questions? You may do so publicly on our Facebook page or confidentially via email or Private Messenger
Sneak PEAK for Thursday's Blog
I'm excited to announce our first guest blogger this Thursday... Susan Morton, MSW, LICSW. Susan has over ten years experience working with kids, teens, and families. One of her specialties is anxiety based disorders. She will be talking about the differences between introversion and clinical diagnoses such as social anxiety and depression. Susan will also talk about her personal experience in realizing she was an introvert and how she learned to care for the introvert in her. Don't miss it!
WE ARE MOVING...TO WEDNESDAY STARTING IN SEPTEMBER!
Starting next week I will be consolidating our Monday and Thursday blogs into one blog per week...on WEDNESDAY.
There, I will continue to pursue our original objectives:
Honest, raw, personal reflections
Challenges, experiences, and tips for introverts to live BEYOND INTROVERSION
A bit of the funnier and the lighter side of life
The best way to ensure you continue to enjoy our blog after moving, subscribe to our blog on the websites.
To entice and reward our subscribers, our EXTRAS will move to a Member's Only section on our website:
Our Day: saluting a nationally recognized day that celebrates an aspect important to us introverts
INTROVERTLink: a weekly link to insightful news and views for Introverts
Climbing KILI: an update on my journey with my daughter in preparing to climb Kilimanjaro, the tallest mountain in Africa, in 2020
Aspects in Art: an introvert’s perspective on a new piece of inspirational art each month
Occasional notes, essays, book excerpts etc.
To be a member, all you need to do is leave your email and setup a password. Membership will always be FREE and confidential. You can become a member starting Wednesday, September 4th. I hope to see you all there!
Same great themes, on hump day starting September:
WEDNESDAY BLOG THEMES EACH MONTH
1st LEISURE LEARNING - 2nd INTROVERTS ARE LEADERS TOO!
3rd HAPPY & HEALTHY - 4th WRITE ON, DUDE!
5th GUEST BLOGGER!
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