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Showing posts with label Motivation. Show all posts

The Art of (taking) Short breaks and why you need one right now?

January 19, 2021

 


Photo by Karolina Grabowska from Pexels


Surfing the Net and Taking Breaks

Net surfing is a favorite pastime for a lot of us (lol, Now I feel less guilty). I came across this youtuber Joshua Fluke. 

I must say it is a very interesting video where he talk about work culture and a software that literally sneaks on people.



I am not going to discuss about the video, you can check it out. But what got me thinking through this video was about work culture.

Besides the bad side of Work Culture, there are positive sides to it. One thing this current situation has taken from us is this one thing that I loved about 9 to 5 jobs, that is taking a break.

Imagine a Software that monitors you every 5 minutes that's horrible. Coffee breaks was one of the important moments in my work life.

I really enjoyed it, it was like a short vacation but only for a couple of minutes. Nice and hot coffee with myself or sometimes a colleague. It was simply phenomenal.

Vacations and Short Breaks

Vacations can be short

The joy of small things can be something really big. I think even during this situation when most of us work from home, we need to remind ourselves that we need to take some timeout.

Please don't think this is unproductive time. You are human, sometimes creativity and problem solving require you to do things differently. Taking a break can be one of them.

So does every break need to be a vacation that is 3 days long to a small coffee break. I think it depends.

It depends on factors like work life balance, your mental health and how you balance personal relationships.

Evaluating these areas of your life can be an important step. Next step would be trying to see the importance of dealing with negative stress.

Work Stress and living

Every Work has it's share of Stress

Every work comes with it's share of stress. We need to strategize ways to deal with it. Just because you are working from home. It does not mean you are balancing you work and life.

Check this article from The Hindu that talks about the stress of working from home.

It does not mean you have no stress. Taking short breaks can be a nice way to deal with stress.

Now the important question. What does one do on a short break?

Here are some ideas you could use:

  1. Have some Coffee (Lol :))
  2. Have some Tea
  3. Take a short walk
  4. Sprint 
  5. Do a stretch
  6. Meditate
  7. Pray
  8. Repeat your affirmations
  9. Evaluate your day
  10. Plan for the Next day
  11. Write an article or a blog related to your work
  12. Research on a topic that interests you
  13. Message your loved one
  14. Tweet
  15. Don't Check social media
  16. Read some scripture or any book or person that inspires you
This is not a comprehensive list.

The art is in how you understand your needs and respond to it. Years ago, when I decided to shift from yo-yo diets to dealing with my personal problems. I took a break and it really helped me see the important things in my life.

Even nowadays as a Self employed Educator and Blogger, I see the importance of short breaks. It has helped me tremendously.

Conclusion

Productivity is important as it is the value we add to this world. Being productive with the other faculties we have and our own personal life is equally important.

Take sometime out and refresh yourself. You deserve it. I hope you liked this post.

Please do comment how you spend your coffee break, I will meet you in the next Blog. Ciao!

Have a Happy Learning Day! Jai Hind! [full-width]


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Self Motivation got me out of my (not so) comfortable zone? Christonanda's rant on self encouragement

January 17, 2021

 

Use Motivation to get you out of your Comfort Zone

Starting Something New

How to achieve your goals? Do this...



Is this another year in your Personal Story? Should this year make a difference to you if not to others. Are things going to get better?

Interesting questions, I always wondered why some projects I started did not work. I realized there were numerous reasons for them.

All of us share this one experience, A new year brings that moment of New hopes and a feeling that this year must be different or simply that thought 'I will commit myself to make this year fruitful'.

We plan, we work on our plans and then comes that painful barrier or that great hurdle comes our way. It could be a difficult situation like a temptation, or a thought to slack on your commitments or may be even the realization that you were simply pepped up.

What happens next also depends on you and not your reason to quit. Don't get me wrong, Quitting is not bad (in some situations).


Could it be your Temperament?


My temperament in my view had an influence on my perception of problems


In my college days while volunteering at a Cultural meetup for Youth, I learnt about temperaments.

It was something I learnt about myself that helped me improve my life situation.

I realized that my decisions and perspective were also influenced by my temperament and how I succeeded or failed in the past  and in how I dealt with similar problems.

Learn more about Temperaments, Check this wiki on Temperaments.
My temperament in my view had an influence on my perception of problems.

My question is 'Does your temperament influence you?' and 'Does your perception about things need an update?'

I am not for uncritical positivity. But sometimes we don't encourage ourselves enough. And sometimes we also don't believe we can achieve things.

Sources of Encouragement


Check this quote on dealing with Uncertainty



I believe we can encourage ourselves, if we can understand our Temperaments and ourselves better.
We can see the limitations of our own experiences and perceptions.

Just because you failed a couple of times, it doesn't necessary follow that it would repeat again.

Sometimes we are not clear about things and what we want to achieve and why.
Let me share with you a situation I faced that will help me explain myself more clearly.

It was joining my local gym taught me this. I wanted to shape up, but speaking to a Personal Coach made me realize the importance of having clear goals.

I wasn't clear if I wanted to be more muscular or just shed the weight or both. Each of these required a different level of commitment.
So do you want to loose weight or may be a promotion or may be something else. Have you thought through the reasons behind why you would like to achieve these goals.

Are you specific about the details? Okay, May be the goal is a bit Audacious, But have you chunked it down into manageable bits.

Clarity on some of these points can be a source of great encouragement. Being clear and concise, Planning and making things manageable for you is truly valuable.

Patience and virtues



via GIPHY


Lol, There are stories from my life I would love to share that are truly embarrassing and have taught me the importance of this great virtue called 'Patience'.

I will not share the story as of now as it is very personal and funny. May be when I start a Podcast or something I will surely share it. (Been toying with the idea...Do comment if you think it is a good idea)
Anyways, May be it's not about our temperament or bad situations, It could be that it is a matter of lack of this virtue 'Patience'.

Some projects take time to bear fruit. Imagine trying to shed all you extra pounds in a month. May be possible for some, But it is very unrealistic for many of us.

Proper Planning coupled with a lot of patience is what we need. We need to motivate ourselves and care for ourselves properly.

Getting out of our comfort zone is important, But sustaining ourselves through with some healthy self encouragement, planning and a bit of preparation for New situations is equally important.

Imagine trying to shed all you extra pounds in a month. May be possible for some, But it is very unrealistic for many of us


Concluding Thoughts


I must repeat this cliché, "Rome was not built in a day". Be a source of encouragement to yourself and others. Get out of your comfort zone by motivating yourself.

We as humans have been masterful creators. We have changed our reality over the ages. You can do it too!
One step at a time with the right effort and patience. I will end this blog with an Affirmation you can repeat to yourself, "I can & I will". God Bless, Ciao!

Meet you in the next blog, Do comment and share with your friends and family! 

Have a Happy Learning Day !

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Further Reading



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3 Things to Remember when the unplanned becomes your plan

December 21, 2020

 

Life Happens, but we can have plans


As an Educator, especially a Management educator I always heard students whine about the fact that they had to learn theory. 

It was like isn't practicality the only thing necessary in a business. It was an obvious thing to them. But the way I saw it was quite different. 

In business and in life every challenge thrown at us seem fresh and each problem may not even be similar to the previous one. How does one deal with that? 

In some cases even what we have learnt and experienced may fall short. Is there some kind of formula or method to get these kind of issues dealt with. I would there could be ways to approach unplanned 'plans'. 

We all know that things change, so we prepare for dynamic situations. As an Educator, I believe this is exactly where theoretical knowledge can be relevant. 

Check this post I wrote on dealing with uncertainty.

It helps us stay abreast with we know, and new issues or situations don't need to be tragic(I don't intend to diminish anyone's experience). It could be learning experiences where have tools to approach new problems.

They could be situations where we learn about new approaches or create our own approach. Let us relate it with a situation. Let's say your are new to Digital Marketing, and you found out it was a powerful tool to help you build your business.

You could hire someone or may be learn it yourself. Now just because you did a course in Digital Marketing would it mean that you would be taught about every situation or case that you would face, Not at all. 

You would expect the course to have sufficient information of the body of knowledge in the field. This would give you the required tools and information to learn and build up good experience in the field.

Interesting ideas to motivate yourself

So the first point I would like to put forth is the idea that you are equipped with resources to help you understand the problem. 

These resources could be in the form of information, people and even groups of people. We don't need to approach situations like we are unequipped and we are helpless. It would wrong thinking, because we already have what we need to deal with the situation.

It is not a requirement that we should be able to solve every problem or matter in our lives or business without help. As obvious as this may seem, we don't remind ourselves about it.

'You are equipped with resources to deal with your problems."

The other day I had forwarded this particular post from Justin Bieber's FB page. I found it really interesting.

 The post was that we are more than our professions or actions. This what I understood from it. A friend of mine was really confused. He couldn't wrapping his head around the fact that we don't need to identify ourselves with our professions.

I think sometimes we can narrow our identities or stories we tell ourselves about 'Who we are' to a limited set of propositions.

I believe we are created unique and special with a God given purpose. Before giving others the right to recognize our contributions to making the world a better place, we reflect and appreciate the good in ourselves.

I think this is where journaling or self reflection can be really valuable. Appreciating yourself can be useful. 

I think this can be a really powerful concept, one in which we don't what we do for the love of it and with the best we can.

"You are more than your profession, appreciate yourself."


This is the last and obvious point, But I need to reiterate it. We hear it over and over again.
But it is something people misjudge and don't expect. They say they do (and they are ready for it great). 

I am talking about 'Failure'. How does one define it? Does your definition change with your feelings and emotions. 

Does it really give a moment to learn and opportunity to try something new? Or is it a line we tell ourselves?

Quitting is not easy, But may be we need to understand our so called failures and learn. Maybe they could help us understand certain aspects of reality that may be we are missing.

"We need to take time to understand the moments we fail at something."


Plans are as important as the goals we make. Expecting things to go wrong should also be a part of our plans.

Adding a certain level of flexibility may be required to deal with new situations or new information.

This should not be discouraging. It can also be a moment where we learn something new. 

This can be a learning experience for yourself and others.

I hope this Blog finds you in the best of health. Wish you Happy Holidays ! 

May the new year bring us all a lot of love and good health.

Further Reading:

Blogging Sites that inspire me

Chris Educator's Guide to Awareness

Journaling beats Stress

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Incredible Power of Self Learning, 10 Steps to Become an Effective Self Learner

December 09, 2020

 

Powerful ideas to be an Effective Self Learner


Introduction

Change is a scary word and one loaded with surprises. We don't know about the twists and turns life can throw at us. But Change always remains our constant companion.

Recently I came across a person from a New religious movement or as some may call a 'Cult'. I was able to treat the person with respect and educate him whilst hearing him. It was a very interesting interaction.

I have been a self-learner for a very long time. It has helped me tremendously, not just professionally or with self-development but also with making good choices in Life.


What is Self Learning?

Self Learning is also called as 'Autodidactism

 

Self Learning is when a learner teaches him/her/zer self to learn a body of knowledge, without a Teacher, Master or an Institution.

It is also called as Autodidactism. Quite a heavy word to learn. I am sure most of may not realise but at some point, we all have been Autodidacts or as we may say Self Taught.

Isn't it really Awesome? To Learn by yourself, Just having your curiosity lead you and Trial & Error be a guide. Can it be heartbreaking, yes it can be.

I personally love studying world religions and different worldviews. It's just a hobby, exploring tough questions can be eye-opening and difficult but transformative at the same time. Sometimes one can misunderstand the information we are reading.

That is where online communities are kind of helpful, but not a good replacement for a Good Teacher.

Personally speaking, I love Self Learning with all the joy and pain that comes with it.


Power of the Internet (and some Consequences)

Internet is powerful for Learning


Over the years, there has been a lot of purposeful disinformation. This can be really dangerous. It can take us on a rabbit trail to a place we don't want to be.

I must say healthy scepticism and critical thinking can really be useful. So one place topic to begin learning or taking a course is on Critical thinking and logic.

Over the years, there has been a lot of purposeful disinformation.

The internet is a powerful tool, but the disinformation part of it besides the many avenues to time-wasting can be quite detrimental.

I would like to repeat the cliché, 'Don't believe everything you read on the internet'. But that is not to say that there are no good or great resources available online.

There are many. I have listed some of them on the Resources page on this website.

So what are some consequences we may face from learning the wrong information? Firstly, it will give us a wrong view on things and in some cases even lead us to bad decisions.


How to Start Self Learning?


So How does one begin teaching oneself? I would say it begins with passion. The next required is a healthy sense of enquiry.

Yes, there are many quick to learn guides and resources available online. Are they good? I would maybe or yes, it depends on the course or book and the topic.

But the way to decide could be by first doing a little bit of research into the topic you want to learn. Then maybe after reading a few articles or books getting deeper into the subject.

Note making is something that could really be useful. I have listed some keys pointers to help effectively Teach yourself.


10 Steps to Effective Learning

Create a Plan to Learn


  1. Scan the topic and related topics: Before you commit to learning something new, read a bit about it. Find related topics and get a basic understanding of the topic.
  2. Do a bit of enquiry: Enquiry is like a shorter version of research. It doesn't need to be professional, but it could be thorough. You could find material related to the subject and try to understand a bit more about it. You will be able to understand the gaps in your knowledge and skills you would need to learn the subject.
  3. Understand your motives before you commit: Remember time is a limited resource. Understand your motives behind learning the subject and how it is relevant to you.
  4. Take Action: Start learning, do what you planned. 
  5. Commit Time: It can get interesting initially and if you do not commit time, it could be a fad that fades away. Don't make it a fad, get serious, commit time to your new Learning project.
  6. Take Notes: I think this is one of the most important skills to learn as a learner. Recording and systematically learning a subject. Note making is a very important skill for any good learner.
  7. Revise your learnings: Take time to evaluate what you learned. Reflect on it and probably do a short project or maybe write an article on it. 
  8. Find a good group or online forum: It's priceless to join a community of like-minded individuals. It motivates you and gives a forum to discuss what you are learning. You could even share what you learned.
  9. Find a good mentor: Find someone who has mastered the subject you are learning. It is very helpful and it could help you get a deeper understanding of various aspects of the topic you are studying.
  10. Read articles or whitepapers published on the topic: Keep yourself updated on the latest research and case studies on the topic you are studying.

Conclusion

I would say learning is life and all of us at some point need to understand the gaps in our understanding. This is only possible if we evaluate ourselves and begin the process of learning.

Learning does not end at a course or with professional Education. It is an ongoing process, it is transformative to learn and share ideas with people

Share your ideas and this article with people if you found this post interesting.

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5 Interesting ways to motivate yourself, Amazing benefits that get you hooked on Life

November 10, 2020
Time to motivate yourself



Let me start this post with a story. I always wanted to act. I love movies and really amazing stories.

One of my favourite pastimes as a kid would be to listen to amazing stories. Stories can be captivating and boring sometimes if it's a drag. But overall it really impresses powerful ideas, thoughts and reflections.

Life can sometimes be like a story and we want a happy ending (pun intended). Lol, But seriously, it can be a real pain.

It can be exhilarating and painful too. I once had a near-death experience of sorts, I missed to drown. That incident pushed me out of my Nihilistic phase.

I began to see life as something amazing. Haha, Life can be amazing. I came across this idea about stories while speaking with a friend.

He is an entrepreneur and blogger too. He was speaking about the importance of stories and fiction books. I must confess I don't read much fiction.

But that conversation made me think that I must begin to read some fiction. It made me think about one more thing. We tell ourselves stories.

Some of us may feel like we are in one. 

Reasons to cheer up

So here is the first reason to feel great about this 'Self-talk'. You are the narrator. Yes, of course, all the incident and events are not completely in your hands. But you get to choose the way you perceive it.

We can practise a kind of Self-awareness. Understanding and living with ourselves. I think this a benefit because we are somewhat in control with the way we behave and act. So we need to take responsibility for our actions and that is empowering.

Another Powerful thought is the idea that we are not our thoughts or actions. We don't need to identify with it. Yes, we are accountable for what we do. This idea can be a starting point to self-development and enhancing our lives.

There could be many more benefits to being in control of our Self-talk, It is we have the ability to cheer ourselves. We can be our own cheerleader. It may seem cheesy, but Nah, it thinks it's awesome. Accepting yourself and working on improving yourself is not cheesy it's transformative.

Benefits

As Humans, we are like onions, multilayered and multifaceted. I am speaking from my experience with life. 

Let's analyse how Self-motivation can be a benefit. I think we all have dreams and aspirations, we work hard to achieve them. We may not able to share what we hope and want with everybody or maybe we can.

But there may be times when we are the only ones who believe in our dreams. So what do we do? We motivate ourselves.

We remind ourselves that we are unique and worth it. We stand up for what we believe, I am not saying you are right or wrong. Everyone has the right to be wrong and the choice to correct themselves. It's God-given.

How this all benefits us? Imagine when you are exercising and you need to complete that extra rep. You motivate and push yourself.

Imagine when you scoreless in a test, and no one thinks you can score better. You motivate yourself. You remind yourself of your dreams and goals. 

You work on the skills you don't have. Because you believe you deserve to achieve your goal. Who is to tell you otherwise?

I believe it can benefit us at different levels.

Motivating ourselves to exercise better, become a better version of ourselves Physically, Spiritually or Emotionally. I think it starts with accepting the way we are. 

Respecting ourselves and staying healthy. Personally, it was very difficult for me, I had gained a lot of weight after going through some health issues. 

It greatly affected me and the way I saw myself. I exercised, but it still didn't help. So I chose to accept myself and love myself by motivating me.

Some Tips I Recommend

Positive Self-talk

You can motivate yourself



Please don't skip over this section and assume you know about it. Hear me out for a bit. Yes, it is about speaking kind things to your self.

But it's more than that, Positive Self-talk can help you understand your thought patterns and the way you understand yourself.

It helps you see yourself and your interior life more critically.  So how do you go about it?

I would say do a self-analysis. Take your list of strengths and goals. Remind yourself about it.

Reminders 

We all need to Remind ourselves. But verbalising it to ourselves is only one way.

How about getting creative about motivating yourself! You could start out by creating a Vision board.

Get pictures of you and the things you want to achieve. You could also include reminders of the things you have already achieved.

Sometimes we tend to forget that we are good and skilled at things we do. This will also help you remind you of the reasons for the things you do. Sometimes Routine can be a dream killer. A good vision board will be a good icon to remind you about the 'Why' behind what you do.

Starting a New Habit

Small Steps to Powerful Habits



Yes, this is a powerful thing. We can change things by starting out small. We do not need to make it grand.

We can sometimes have a huge build-up and expectations around a pet project and it fails. One way to deal with it is to start out small.

You could break a huge task or habit into small mini tasks. For example, you want to exercise. You could start by going for a brisk walk and slowly graduating yourself into more complex exercises later on.

Just working on a new habit and doing it well can be a nice buildup to doing something bigger and better.

Future Truth


Check this video by Patrick Bet-David on Affirmations

I heard this idea from a Youtuber and successful entrepreneur, Patrick Bet-David. He calls it future truth.

Sometimes the affirmation and reminders with all the self-talk can seem like a huge lie. Lol, But believe me it's not. It is simply a future truth.

Journaling

Daily Journal



This is the kind of self-talk where you write as well. You start by writing out what you want to achieve. Then you could also add reasons to it. 

You could describe the motivation behind you achieving your goals. This will add clarity to what you are doing. You will start to express yourself more clearly. I think one major benefit is clarity and the motivation to understand our goals and the motivation behind achieving it.

You could read this article on Journaling and Motivation, Click here.

Conclusion

Sometimes when we think we are stuck and believe that life sucks. Maybe it's different, I am not saying that everyone's situation is awesome or just think positive.

I believe that Life is a journey and being motivated is also our own responsibility. Motivation can build hope and help us enjoy life.  

Small wins could be a build-up to something great. Be motivated and Don't give up.

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4 Blogging sites that inspire me

November 10, 2020

 

Resources that have helped on my Blogging journey

Hi,

As a Blogger there are blogs that have been quite an inspiration to me. I love topics related to Self-help, Web technologies and blogging. 

I would say learning and sharing what you learn teaches you more than you can imagine. It helps us assimilate what we have learnt and it brings out some useful insights whilst we sharing what we learn.

People react to our sharing, they add more information and we grow together. Sometimes it may also help learn new perspectives about what we learnt.

These blogs that I am sharing have helped me Tremendously to be a better Blogger and Educator.

4 Blogging sites that inspire me:

1. Zen Habits

Zen Habits is started by Leo Babauta. He shares free content around improving Life and also has a couple of courses. I like the commitment to sharing ideas and insights regularly and completely 'Free'.

2. Tiny Buddha

Tiny Buddha is another great blog for Life Hacks. It was one of the first blogs that inspired to write on Life and what I love Marketing.

3. Shoutmeloud

This blog is phenomenal for New Bloggers. Harsh can help you with the entire business of blogging. He has great resources and I highly recommend this group.

4. Seth Godin

He is one of my favourite Marketeers. I share the same view of Marketing. He has great resources and a wonderful Podcast Akimbo.

I hope these Blogs inspire you too.

See you in the Next Post

CIAO! 

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Republished from gumroad.com/chriseducator, Oct 7,2020

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How does one deal with uncertainty?

November 10, 2020

Start your Dream project and become a Creator in 14 days with Gumroad

November 02, 2020

 

Become a Creator in  14 Days


I believe one thing that connects us all is the ability to create. This may be anything big or small. It could be something as personal as fulfilling a Dream.

For some of us, we may want to start a business or a simple blog or even a family. It is that quality to create.

One of my favourite platforms to create and for creators is Gumroad. It is an amazing platform. This is not affiliate promotion.

It's just that I love this platform. 

So What you can do on Gumroad?

Face. Everything. And. Rise


You could create and sell a lot of digital and physical goods. I currently don't sell anything, but I offer Two free products. You could check it here.

I must say we all have our apprehensions and self-doubts.

This may be Fears and even shyness. One thing to realise I would say is that all of us have something another person may find helpful. Yes, all of us may not be experts. But we may be more experienced than another.

Gumroad.com

On Gumroad, you can sell E-books, sell a documentary or video, and even sell a course. All for free, Do you want to create a blog or share a newsletter with your audience, Gumroad makes it possible.

Guess what, This is all for free. Are there better tools? Yes, of course. But for beginners or even professionals, it's a simple and reliable tool.

When What and How...

Best time to Start your Dream Project


Gumroad has started a 14 Day Challenge. They will send you content to guide you step by step to help become a creator.

If you create something and list it Gumroad. Do let me know I would like to share what you created with the readers at Chriseducator.com.

Click here to join the Challenge. Do drop a comment if you joined...




In Conclusion

One question could be, "What if I don't like what I created?". I would say at least you have created something that can be reworked and refined.

This challenge will start the process to help explore Creation and working on your dream project.

Is it going to be easy? We all know the answer, Maybe not. So what? It could be an experience of self-discovery.

If you like the content I share don't forget to Subscribe to our Newsletter.

Join Now!

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Monday Motivation: Finding your Joy in your daily work

October 25, 2020

 

Service is Life

Another Monday, another week. I just thought of sharing some interesting quotes to motivate us and bless ourselves with an amazing week.

This is the week you get to apply the tasks and plans to fulfil your Goals. Believe there is no perfect situation or time.

The Perfect Time is right now. Rabindranath Tagore was an amazing Indian intellectual and poet. I would like to share this interesting Quote with you.



Service is a way of life. We add to our experiences and help others succeed. It is an amazing value chain.

Making the world a better place can simply start by doing what we do and doing it well.  Making a difference doesn't need to be something over the top and super amazing. It can simply be doing your work well.

I wish you an amazing week.

Ciao!

Do follow me on Instagram, @officialchriseducator

Further Reading

Check this interesting Article on Zenhabits


Read the List of Books I like on Life Hacks

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Strengths of Introversion in the Workplace

September 26, 2020

Understanding the Strengths of an Introvert

The Funny thing about introversion is that a lot of people can misunderstand them. Being somewhat of an introvert I found it rather funny when (some) people think that it is a bad quality to have.

Some even think it to be a kind of handicap. Let me burst that bubble right on...You are confusing Introversion with Shyness. Yes and some people can be both Shy and with introversion.

So Before we dive into the Strengths of Introversion we must understand what is Introversion?

Who is an Introvert?

I have always had a close circle of friends. But College changed a lot of things for me. My School friends went to other institutions. Public speaking situations left me confused about whether I was Shy or Introverted.

After years of trying It was a relief to overcome a Fear that can be very stifling. I believe self-expression is an awesome human quality. Having irrational fears can grip us and may keep us from making the best of various opportunities and situations. 

Getting back to the College Story, I was determined to understand myself. I took a part-time course in Psychology. I joined a local Cultural Association. I was determined to change things. After spending a year with the Cultural Association (I don't want to name). 

I was asked to present a 45 minutes talk. I prepared and prepared, I delivered the talk. It was a bad experience, but I had overcome my fear of Public speaking. I just jumped into doing what I feared the most.

That was the beginning for me, the opportunity to overcome my Shyness. I gradually understood that it was okay to introverted and that shyness was something that I had to leave behind. It was not helpful.

So how does one Define Introversion, According to Introvertdear, "The definition of an introvert is someone who prefers calm, minimally stimulating environments.". Whereas According to the American Psychological Association, "Shyness is the tendency to feel awkward, worried or tense during social encounters, especially with unfamiliar people". They are markedly very different. 

Now in the next section, I shall look at some of the Lies and Myths behind Introversion.


Some Lies & Mythbusting

I have just collected some lies and Myths around Introversion. It is not a complete list, but it is quite small, But could be longer :)

  • They don't enjoy
  • They have nothing to say
  • Aloof and proud
  • They are shy
  • They don't take risks
  • Extroverts are happier
  • Introverts get mental illnesses
  • Extroverts are much more confident
  • Introverts and Extroverts don't get along
Without getting into the Science of it (I cover it in the next section), Let's pick a couple of the obvious wrong ideas. Introverts don't enjoy themselves and are proud. This is quite presumptuous and it generalises people.

Introverts don't get along, this one sounds stupid as well. Just a bit of observation and reflection would help us understand that so many people we interact are with introversion and extroversion as well... every day. They both get along.

Now let us look a bit deeper into the science behind Introversion or Extroversion...


Introvert vs Extrovert

Introvertdear has a beautiful article on the difference in Introversion and Extraversion with respect to their brains.

But I would like to stress on some key points. Extroverts and Introverts brain react differently to Dopamine. Dopamine is a hormone and a neurotransmitter that plays an important role in motor control, motivation, arousal etc. According to Psychology Today, it is known as a feel-good neurotransmitter.

Video by ASAP Science

So Introverts are more sensitive to dopamine and may feel overstimulated to too much of it. Another point in the article is the way Introverts are more prone to overthinking. This again is due to the way the brain is wired. 

You could read the article here.

Basically, we all enjoy differently, and our experiences are different. To me, this is such a beautiful insight to see how different and unique each one of us is.


Introvert strengths in the workplace

So what are the strengths Introverts bring to the workplace? Let me bring some powerful qualities I see in Introverts.

  1. Thinkers
  2. Reflective
  3. Creative
  4. Thoughtful
  5. Good Listeners
  6. Quiet Role models

You may say there are a lot more qualities. Yes, We overlook them sometimes. These qualities are required in so many life situations and professions. Workplaces require long and thoughtful work. 

They need people-oriented as much as task-oriented people. As Professionals, we have to bring out the best in ourselves and in others. Competition is all good. But when we work together we need to be understanding and make work a good experience. At some level we all are unique but in a way quite similar as well.

If you are an introvert, you are in good company

Bill Gates
Albert Einstein
Abraham Lincoln
Warren Buffet
Michael Jordan
Meryl Streep
Eleanor Roosevelt
...Many more 

Conclusion

“Reflecting the prejudices in our culture, both introverts and extroverts chose extrovert as their ideal self and their ideal leader.” (Marti Olsen Laney, The Introvert Advantage)

I don't know if this is true. But I may be guilty of thinking Extroverted is somehow better or vice versa. Now I just think they are both humans with certain propensities and they are making the best with their life situations and dreams.

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References:


Further Reading

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