Shhh … Don’t tell anyone, but I’m an introvert. Sad, isn’t it? Yet, don’t introverts everywhere feel like they need to hide the fact that they are an introvert?
Years ago, I sat in a staff meeting where my director had everyone complete an MBTI. I am certified in the MBTI and wasn’t overly surprised as it can be an effective tool to help teams work cohesively. I was shocked and surprised when everyone on my team believed I was an extrovert. I was more astonished when my director fought with me about whether or not I was an extrovert.
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In this crazy world, introverts have had to adapt. It is nothing more than survival of the fittest or Darwinism for the introverts. If you want to succeed at a career, you simply must be an extrovert and in order to survive, even thrive. I did exactly that for my career. The truth was ever present though. I’d go home from work exhausted. I could hardly stand to deal with some days and longed to be hiding, unnoticed, by others. (In fact, the first opportunity I got to work from home as an online faculty, I took it!)
Later in my career, I had a boss who encouraged learning about others -cultures, learning styles, historical aspects, etc. We would choose a book to read and discuss it during lunch once a month. It was one of my favorite things about my job -even if it was ‘completed’ on my time. It was also a huge CON when I thought about leaving for a new position. I hated the idea of giving up on those conversations, experiences and getting to know things that were different than me. My favorite book during those conversations was Quiet. I wanted to stand up and scream, ‘Hallelujah. Someone gets it!’
The Quiet revolution has yet to hit the general public. So, for now, I will struggle through and pretend to be the extrovert. I will continue imitating my husband, a true extrovert, and attempt to ignore the side comments about how I’m too stuck up to communicate with the lowly inhabitants of my world.
By Tracy Harrington-Atkinson
Tracy Harrington-Atkinson, mother of six, lives in the Midwest with her husband. She is a teacher, having taught elementary school to higher education, holding degrees in elementary education, a master’s in higher education and continued on to a PhD in curriculum design. She has published several titles, including Calais: The Annals of the Hidden, Lemosa: The Annals of the Hidden, Book Two, Rachel’s 8 and Securing Your Tent. She is currently working on a non-fiction text exploring the attributes of self-directed learners: The Five Characteristics of Self-directed Learners.
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