Want to be Feel Good and Be More Productive? Then Take a Sabbatical

Posted on July 7, 2015 by

Dear Intelligent Introverts,

It’s been a few weeks since I posted anything. Like a bear I needed to pull inward and hibernate for a while. There was a strong urge in me to push through this feeling and write a blog anyway. But that was pushing against what was real for me and it just wasn’t coming together. So I honored the need for pulling inward and took a two-week sabbatical https://experience.tripster.ru/experience/Moscow/36788-kanal-imeni-moskvy/. It was the right decision as now I am coming back to writing with new ideas and renewed energy.

When I was growing up in Germany there was something called the Kur, a place prescribed by a doctor for you to retreat from everyday life in order to rejuvenate and nourish your mental and physical health. People went to the Kur in wholesome towns in stunning places like the Black Forrest. Continue reading →

Posted in Introvert overstimulated, introverts in life, Introverts in the work place | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Nourish Yourself with a Day of Silence and Stillness

Posted on June 17, 2015 by

SONY DSCHow would you enjoy a break from the boot camp, quick-do-it- now, approach towards life? Satisfy your desire for space and ease with a few hours of quiet stillness.

Sound like a slice of heaven?

If so then joinSeptember_morning_path_to_Lodge me and others just like you for a Day of Silence and Stillness where you are provided with an ideal context for inner space and ease.   Continue reading →

Posted in introverts in life, Quiet, What makes introverts happy | Tagged , , , , , , introverts bring balance, | 1 Comment

How do I know if I’m an introvert?

Posted on June 15, 2015 by

Close-up shot of golden candy in between of purple candies.

This is one of the most common questions I get and now I have a good answer.  This Huffington Post article describes 23 Signs You’re Secretly an Introvert.  Of all the articles I’ve read on this topic – this one hits the mark in an easily digestible way.

This week we will take a closer look at a few of these 23 signs starting with #3.

You often feel alone in a crowd.

Continue reading →

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When to let go of doing it all by yourself

Posted on June 12, 2015 by

After writing the post Learning from Falling Rocks a friend shared how much it resonated with her.  We both reflected on how introverts often do not realize we could use support and how this plays out in our lives.

A few days later I left hred-phoneer a voice mail saying “I know you’ve got it together – yet I also know you are human and there may be something in your life you could use support around. I wanted you to know that I am here for you.”

She was blown away by someone offering her support out of the blue. No one had ever done that before and it felt so nourishing. Turns out there was something she had been grappling with for weeks or months that we talked about.  The 30-minute conversation offered fresh perspective and a shift.

Meanwhile I was silently wrestling myself.  I had to choose between going to a dear friend’s wedding or attending a once a year week retreat with my daughter.  I was trying to make it all work but the logistics weren’t coming together.  I spent hours, days, weeks thinking about it and trying to land on the best choice.

Then I thought – I will call my friend Meredith and hash it through with her.  She was awesome.  She gave me plenty of space and support to do the retreat and not worry about her.  Yes they wanted us there and yes it was okay to go on the retreat.

Funny thing happened after our conversation.

Flight prices and itineraries, rent-a-cars, getting to and from the retreat without missing days – and all the many details suddenly came together with ease.

I will be enjoying a fabulous wedding and then chilling in the NY mountains afterward!

What one conversation can do!!!!!

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Need an Open Receptive Leader? 7 Qualities that Make Introverts Great Leaders

Posted on June 5, 2015 by

Leadership Concept text on background

Francesca Gino from Harvard University and her colleagues are classic renegades as they  turned a long accepted belief on its head.  After decades of research showing that extroverted traits were considered synonymous with good leadership qualities, Gino poked a hole in that finding.  Upon looking more closely she found that the research connecting extroversion with ideal leadership was measuring perception rather than actual performance.   When you ask people raised in an extrovert-oriented culture to describe their version of good leadership is it any surprise they will describe extroverted qualities?

So what happened when Gino measured actual performance?  A whole different story emerged.  Continue reading →

Posted in Introverts as Leaders, Introverts in the work place, Quiet, Understanding what it means to be an introvert | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Lean on me! Learning from falling rocks

Posted on June 2, 2015 by

This week-end I went to Omega in Rhinebeck, NY to learn from a fabulous spiritual teacher, Pema Chodron.  There is so much to share with you!  Today I will focus on one point – what I learned from falling rocks.

I had spent a delicious hour meditating in the Sanctuary, which is a stunning room that is virtually sound proof offering an ideal context for sitting.  On my walk down this big round rock by the trickling water called me to build a Zen rock sculpture.  So I did.  How beautiful!

photo-28

Continue reading →

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No introverted child left behind!

Posted on May 28, 2015 by

Little adorable boy in sitting park with book in handsImagine this scenario.  A dozen kids are running around, playing and chasing, screaming and laughing.  A 7 year old boy is sitting in the grass engrossed in a book.  Mom goes over to him and says “Okay – honey that is enough reading.  Why don’t you go play with the other kids now.”  He reluctantly closes the book and walks up to the gaggle of kids.  The well-intentioned mom wants to support her son to be social, enjoy others and feel included.

Now let’s imagine another scenario.  Your child is playing outside with a group of friends, jumping, climbing, playing hide and seek.  Yelling and carrying on.  You intercept her and say “Ok – honey that is enough playing with other kids.  Why don’t you go in your room and read or do some other activity by yourself.”  Your intention underneath this action is to help your child be comfortable in her own skin, enjoy alone time more, and balance activity with downtime.

Both parents have good intentions.  Yet how many of you have witnessed the first one but never the second? Continue reading →

Posted in introverted children, introverts and parents | Tagged , , , , , , parenting introverted children, | 1 Comment