I'm absolutely an introvert. My wife has been gone for a few days so I've had the whole house to myself during the day and it's been glorious. No one to ask me questions when I'm taking a break to think about a problem. I get to sit quietly once the kids are in bed and read a book without interruption.
Yes I love my wife and can't imagine a life where I didn't have her, but I also love me some alone time.
In Quiet introduces us to the concept of the Extrovert Ideal1. The extrovert ideal is most in your face with the social media influencer's that bombard us with all the amazing events they're attending. They show us how outgoing and adventurous they are with photos of lives that are unlikely to share anything with the reality they live in.
Introverts see all the outgoing people around them and begin to wonder, if something is wrong with them. Maybe they wonder this, and stress about being extroverted, until they get old enough to decide that they don't give a fuck anymore and allow themselves to be the person they want to be.
Thing thing we miss when we push everyone to be outgoing, and network, and collaborate is the power that introverts can bring to the table.
Because introverts spend far more time by themselves, they're more likely to become experts in their field2. Introverts hit that fabled 10,000 hour mark faster because they sit down and do the work without distraction, because they don't need the distractions. In fact, Eric Barker claims, that the more extroverted you are the worse you are at your job.
I suppose that Barker is talking about specific jobs, because if you're a salesperson that being extroverted is one of the things that makes you good at your job. Though I'm introverted and was an excellent salesperson at shop that sold canoes and kayaks because I knew pretty much every technical detail about every piece of gear on the show floor. I would happily sit down and read manuals for hours on end.
If you're introverted, there is nothing wrong with you and I'd highly recommend reading Quiet to help you understand just how valuable you are.
