A Healthy Introvert?

[ScottK]

I think there's kind of a degenerating cycle that can happen with introverts and I was caught in that earlier in my life. Introverts would tend to have a lack of social confidence because it's not their primary motivator. Others who are more extroverted pick up on that lack of confidence, and avoid the introvert, which then leads to the introvert being more self conscious and isolated. And from there, the cycle continues downward.. It's of course complicated by the way that many feel the need to put others down to seemingly make them feel better about themselves.

Through a sequence of trial and error attempts, I learned how to break out of that cycle. I had, for some crazy reason, taken a job as a salesman, so at that point, I was kind of forced to learn to relate to others.

The most important things I learned in doing that were the power of a smile and simply getting into the habit of saying positive things to others about themselves or what they have created. When you do that, it makes most interactions more pleasant and enjoyable and puts the other person at ease - it sends the message that you respect them.. When you respect them, they respect you. It's really simple.

Learning how to do this didn't happen overnight, but I've really enjoyed the process of figuring this out, and it has made me understand the Law of One better in the process, surprisingly.. Being an introvert is not a death sentence to poor social interactions with others - it just means that if you want to have solid interactions, you simply have to work on it because it doesn't come naturally to you..