QUIET POWER
Quiet Power :
INTROVERTS VS . EXTROVERTS
I ’ VE COME to realize not only how important it is to follow my instincts and interests , but also to express my feelings and explain my actions to others . Here ’ s an example that might be familiar to you : Say you ’ re walking through the hallway , from one class to another , deep in thought or possibly overwhelmed by the noise and crowds . You pass a friend or classmate and glance at her briefly , but you ’ re so preoccupied that you don ’ t manage to stop to say hi and chitchat . You haven ’ t meant to be rude or hurtful , but your friend thinks you ’ re angry about something .
Be on the lookout for moments of misunderstanding such as this one , and do your best to explain what you were thinking and feeling . An extroverted friend — and maybe even an introverted one — likely won ’ t guess that you were distracted by your thoughts or by too much sensory stimulation , and your explanation will make all the difference .
Not everyone will understand your nature , though , even if you try to explain it . When Robby , a teenager from New Hampshire , first learned about introversion , he felt a great sense of relief . He had a tendency to turn quiet in large groups , and although he ’ d always felt comfortable talking and joking with his closest friends , he had a limit . “ After a couple of hours I ’ m like , ‘ Whoa , I can ’ t do this .’ It ’ s draining . There ’ s a wall that goes up and I don ’ t want to talk to anyone . It ’ s not physical exhaustion . It ’ s mental exhaustion .”
Robby tried to explain the differences between introverts and extroverts to an outgoing friend , but she couldn ’ t understand his perspective . She thrived in loud , busy places and didn ’ t see why he needed to be alone so often . Another friend of his , Drew , grasped the idea immediately . Drew was more of an ambivert . He wasn ’ t as outgoing as his younger sister , but he wasn ’ t as reserved as his parents , either . The more he talked with Robby about what it was like to be introverted , the more he wanted people to understand both sides of his own personality .
As an amateur filmmaker , Drew had been experimenting with a new animation style , and after researching the
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