Introverts N Business

Recently, January Jones from the popular TV show, Mad Men, talked about being in introvert when she appeared on Live with Regis and Kelly, and how this characteristic didn’t stop her stop her from pursuing her goals. The hosts asked her about life when she was in high school, wanting to know if she started acting then.** Not really, she said. To help explain she mentioned that she was pretty much an introvert.

One of the hosts picked up on the fact that though she was introverted it didn’t stop her from moving away from her home town in South Dakota – on her own – to New York. She readily agreed, and noted that even though she’s an introvert, she’s also adventurous. Introversion wasn’t a reason to keep her from her dreams.

She’s right of course. Introversion does not always equal shy, nor does it say anything about courage. For many on the introvert side of the spectrum, it is quite simply a trait that indicates we  enjoy – and need – our time alone and that we often prefer to think things through before expressing our thoughts out loud. (Prefer might even be inaccurate; it’s most likely unconscious.) It’s just that many of us do better in some situations with a bit of time to reflect first, speak later.

I think you’ll agree that there are some situations that are likely to stop you in your tracks, at least for a short time while you think about the goal or opportunity vs. the “risk” of stepping out of your comfort zone. That’s OK. In a way, your hesitation may serve you well. Because introverts are not as  likely to leap into the middle of something without a bit of forethought, we may have an advantage our extrovert friends do not.

One of my friends, most definitely an extrovert, tells me with some frequency that there are some things she has said yes to without much thinking that she really wish she had not.

When we decide to screw up our courage and go for something that scares us a little – yet we really want – we are likely to do it with a clearer picture of what we’re risking, and what we might gain in return. Sure, smack in the middle of it we may wish that we hadn’t (oh why oh why did I say yes?) but we keep going anyway. Collapse and head for the covers later? Probably.

What about you? How many times have you been afraid to do something, yet knew you had to? Looking back, can you see that being introverted did not stop you, and may have even helped you?

Extroverts: do you tend to leap before your look, or is that only true for some? What else comes into play, and how does courage look to you? Is it the courage to say no?

=====

** Note: It’s been a few days since I watched the episode so I may not have laid out the sequence and specifics of the conversation between January and Regis and Kelly with complete accuracy. It’s so rare to hear a public persona talk about being an introvert I wanted to share it with you.