The Introvert Advantage

Each month, I'll  be reviewing a book that I think is a worthwhile read for introverts. Here's the latest:

Since I started this blog back in February, I've had a number of people recommend "The Introvert Advantage: How to Thrive in an Extrovert World," by Marti Olsen Laney. I finally got around to reading this book recently, and I found it fascinating. It's well worth the time - It confirmed that being introverted is a good thing, I learned why some things are so difficult for introverts and why others can be so comforting, and I now have an eight-step plan for revising my priorities in the New Year.

"Introvert Advantage" covers what exactly an introvert is; how being an introvert affects our work environment, relationships, and parenting; and tips on how to survive living among all those extroverts. After reading about research into how the brain works and the differences between extroverts and introverts, I can finally see why phone calls make me so nervous, why I'm such a procrastinator, and why my memory can be so bad at certain times (they are NOT senior moments).

The book really is a "How To." It's packed with some great ideas for getting by when you have to live or work with extroverts. There are memory joggers, tips for ironing out the bumps in a "mixed marraige," and ways to keep your sense of humor.

I felt better about being an introvert, and I came away with a plan. Not a bad takeaway! Let me know if you've read this book, and what you thought was the best part.

Comments

[Joanne Fritz]

Oh wow! I'm glad to find your blog! What a good idea...I am an introvert but have always had to function in very extroverted fields...like public relations and teaching. I look forward to reading more of your insights.

[Marcy Phelps]

Thanks so much for stopping by and for your kind comments!

Yes, many of us spend our days faking it in the extroverted world...

[Eppu]

I've long been aware that I'm an introvert and that it isn't a bad thing at all. I've struggled with coping, though, and didn't really think to look to literature before I ran into your blog. The tips in Laney's book were incredibly helpful for me as well. I thought especially valuable was the section where she explains the difference between introvert, shy, schizoid, and highly sensitive. Being introvert and being shy are so often just lumped together that it's starting to actively irritate me. Now I have some ammunition to combat that!

[Sunny]

I received this book from a counselor after completeing the Myers Briggs... Wow! along with being an introvert I also have ADD this book was such a major help at a time of major discovery in my life.