Turns out that introversion is more than needing time to ourselves to recharge. Introversion/extroversion is a temperament we are born with. It determines how we process information, how we respond to stimulation, and explains seemingly quirky things like why we lose energy the minute we walk into a Costco, why we hang back in gregarious group conversations, or why we stare off in space when asked a reflective question. Introversion touches all parts of our lives from our work life to love life.

To better understand a coaching client I picked up the book Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Won’t Stop Talking and quite unexpectedly revolutionized my own life.  I realized much of my behavior could be understood through the lens of introversion and it was like a missing piece of the puzzle suddenly came together.  Instead of viewing certain behaviors as problematic (like preferring to work alone versus in groups) I now see them as part of my introverted style.  There is no right and wrong.  Good or bad.  It just is.  

What I learned over the last year of reading virtually everything on the topic, living in new ways, and approaching coaching clients with the introverted lens – is that introversion touches all parts of our lives from our work life to love life (yes the repetition is on purpose). This blog is a forum for understanding introversion and thus ourselves more deeply.  And this blog is also about stepping into our strengths and power as introverts.  We are not going to urge each other to become more extroverted as was the tendency in previous decades (reminiscent of urging left handed folks to become right handed, women to act more like men, etc).  Instead we are empowered to claim who we are with dignity. And from that place – create the life we want!  That is the Intelligent Introvert.

Welcome!