SQJ Taipei

I hadn’t really thought of this before, but she’s totally right. January 2nd should be Introvert Day!

Yes, from mid-December through New Year’s Day, those of us with an introverted nature live in a state of perpetual dread. The weeks of office parties, neighborhood potlucks, and open houses drain all our energy. But today we can relax; we made it through.

I speak from experience. My name is Diane, and I am an introvert. It surprises most people because I’m outgoing and friendly and, in fact, very far from shy, but I prefer one person and one conversation at a time. I fought this for years, always trying to be someone else. I made myself go to parties; I tried to fix what I thought was "wrong" with me. It didn’t help that other people would press, "But you’re so good with people," as if being introverted meant living on the dark side. But I finally got it.

This is also one of the blessings of maturity, a wisdom that brings a "What you see is what you get" self-acceptance, or perhaps for introverts it’s, "Who you don’t see is what you get." It is a great relief to stop trying to be who you’re not.

I don’t face this issue quite as much here in Taiwan since the holidays are celebrated differently, but it is not absent.

In my ongoing battle against "introvert discrimination", I’d like to quote this part of the article for those of you who have to live and work with us (introverts):

Here’s what introverts are not: We’re not afraid, and we’re not shy. Introversion has little to do with fear or reticence. We’re just focused, and we prefer one-on-one because we like to listen and we want to follow an idea all the way through to another interesting idea. That’s why small talk annoys us. So does pretending to be happy or excited or anything that we’re not.

Happy Introvert Day - Yahoo! News