What do Rosa Parks, Gandhi, Eleanor Roosevelt and Steve Wozniak have in common? Despite all the accumulated and amazing life accomplishments, they all describe themselves are introverts!

I recently stumbled upon this TED Talks video of a lecture delivered by author Susan Cain; it was so poignant and so well delivered I had to share it.

In a world where we are so forced to be ‘out there’ and to push our wares onto anyone who will listen; this speech was truly refreshing and well worth the 20 minute watch time.

“What I’m saying is that culturally, we need much better balance (between introversion and extroversion); we need more of a Ying and a Yang between these two types. Now this is especially important when it comes to creativity and to productivity, because when psychologists look at the lives of the most creative people, what they find are people who are very good at exchanging ideas and advancing ideas but who also have a serious streak of introversion in them and this is because solitude is a crucial ingredient often to creativity.”

I can speak from my own experience and have known so many creative’s who will concur with Susan’s message that most creative people have an introverted streak, which needs to be accepted rather than forced toward extroversion. Given that I work primarily as a performer this seems a contradiction of sorts, but most entertainers and creatives alike will agree; they create as a means of expression and because they love it, they don’t actually love the attention. (Is it any wonder that those that reach a level of fame often suffer under the pressure celebrity?).

Though in past articles I have encouraged creative’s to be more proactive in their endeavors, this video is a wonderful contrast and a great example of how a balance must be found within the individual. A lot of creatives love doing the work but struggle when it comes to sharing the work.

Moreover the discussion veers toward a collective change in the direction of understanding the positive attributes of those with an introverted nature, as well as the avoidance of overlooking introverts for leadership roles.

Hope you enjoyed today’s post. I love reading and responding to everyone’s comments, so feel free to leave a comment of your own.

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