There's a line of dialogue from the pilot of Bones that I have to tell myself sometimes, especially when I'm around people who haven't known me very long. Angela tells Brennan, "Offer up a little bit of yourself every once in a while. Just...tell someone something you're not completely certain you want them to know." When taken with a grain of salt, I think this is a scary but true thing that introverts need to do, especially with people they love or anyone they're trying to build a relationship with in any category of life (e.g., friendly, business, or romantic relationships).
In 2008, Michael Gatlin was the weekend guest speaker at the Vineyard. During a brief tangent away from his main points, he plugged a book called The Introvert Advantage, which I soon afterward ordered from Amazon. This book has helped me understand myself better, and it has opened up a lot of conversations in my family about personality types. It also offers a lot of practical suggestions, and it helped me understand how extroverts think. Even though I knew it was a really beneficial book when I read it, I'm pleasantly surprised that my family members are also getting a lot out of it and passing it on to others in their circle. Dr. Marti Olsen, I can effectively say that your book has changed my life. I genuinely recommend the book to anyone who is an introvert or who knows an introvert. (Which is probably most people in the world.)
Do you guys feel like it helps to know more about your personality type? Have you read any good books about it? Do you have any interesting stories (or eternal questions) about your experiences communicating with the various personality types?
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Has the book changed how you interact with others? How is the South Beach Diet going? Keep posting.
ReplyDeleteThat book sounds very interesting. I have never been introverted, but I have to carve out time for myself to be alone and have always enjoyed having private space. Introverts are commendable and deserve lots of attention and praise for their calm demeanor and their listening abilities...plus, they're gentle, which is something extroverts struggle with at times.
ReplyDeleteI used to be so into personality quizzes and those kinds of things, but I don't take them anymore...
@Betsi: Thanks for sharing your perspective. The other interesting about this book is that it's helped me see how I'm perceived by extroverts and how I can leverage and work with the way I inherently operate in social and work situations. I'm still not sure which Meyer's-Briggs type I am--I always second guess myself on those answers.
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