Introverted and Loving It

I was reading my buddy Lisa’s blog and came across a post about her blogging addiction, so I decided to take the quiz.

I’m not surprised, nor shocked at the results, except to say that I was convinced I was at least 95% addicted.

85%How Addicted to Blogging Are You?

Seattle Singles from Mingle²

I like to blog and I do it frequently on the 6 blogs that I operate. I’ve often been asked why and how I can keep up with 6. My reply is simply that I find solace in the therapy that it provides me.

My husband jokes around alot saying that blogging is his answer to therapy. I get concerned when I see more than 3 posts per week on his blog. It’s not that he’s not funny or a great writer, but because I know deep down that he’s stressed out and I don’t like to see him at that point. Towards the end of last week and this week as well, he has been churning out about 2 or 3 posts per day NOT per week but per DAY. But alas I digress because if he doesn’t post to his blog then I’m on him for that. Men just can’t win sometimes.

Becki

OK, I admit it…my name is Becki and I’m a geek. I’m not a closet geek either, but one who embraces my geekiness, maintains a geek-tionary and someone who gets “hot” when reviewing open source programs.

About two months ago, I told Sally, a good friend of mine and fellow introvert, about a Geek Fest called Word Camp 2007, which happened to be in her neck of the woods, San Francisco. Sally decided to purchase her ticket post haste, while I searched for the best airfare which happened to be $550.00 which was a little out of my budget at the time. So I left my green hat of envy at the door and encouraged Sallly to go without me (which wasn’t that hard ). To my surprise, Sallly turned geek…read more about it at her blog.

She sent a You Tube video clip of her local news which highlighted a bit from Word Camp. If you look closely you can see her at the end of the clip.

Get geek-a-fied!

Becki

The BFF has gone absolutely MAD I tell you…MAD! Heather is giving aways loads of FREE stuff on her blog this week including:

FREE copy of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

A HUGE lot of scrapbooking materials

and………..

She is hinting around about a little BLING BLING on Friday.

Don’t miss it!!!!

Becki

I got into an interesting discussion tonight regarding introverts in business. Some were blaming their “introversion” for the “fear” they have of networking in-person for their business.

Definitions:

Introversion – the act of directing one’s interest inward or to things within the self (American Heritage Dictionary)

Fear – a feeling of agitation and anxiety caused by the presence or imminence of danger (American Heritage Dictionary)

Just because you are introverted, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you are shy and dislike people. It means that you draw energy and relief from your inner self. Now when networking in-person, I can totally understand the “fear” that many possess and it can cripple you if you aren’t careful.

Take a moment to assess the situation. Do you not want to attend the event (that is necessary to grow your business) because you are introverted? Or are you hesitant to attend the event because you are fearful of the outcome? I once heard that fear stood for “F”alse “E”vidence “A”ppearing “R”eal. What a true statement that is!!

Becki

Do you ever see yourself as the main character when you read a book or watched a movie?

A few months ago my BFF loaned me The Devil Wears Prada. After 4 chapters I called her and told that I couldn’t read it anymore because I was overcome with panic attacks and flash backs of my days in the corporate world. But being the glutton for punishment that I am, I finished the book because I just can’t leave a book that I started sitting there unless it sucks with a capital S. In all honesty it was a well written piece, but I truly was frustrated during the experience.

As it turns out The Devil Wears Prada is the HBO movie of the month, so my husband and I sat down to watch it. The panic attacks started again as I watched the movie…boy you would think that Andie was me and that Miranda was ______ (like I’m going to tell you who I worked for …she is pretty well known in a certain industry). I felt like I was placed in a time in the not so distant past without any hope of recovery.

Much like Andie, I learned many valuable lessons during my stay. My business savvy and business sense are a direct result of my having worked with “Miranda”. I would not be where I am today without her teachings. While my “Miranda” wasn’t quite as bad as the real Miranda, the parallel between the two is astonishing.

Thanks “Miranda” for helping me learn the savvy that makes me what I am today.

Do you think I could use this as my reason for not posting lately?

Breaking News: All Online Data Lost After Internet Crash

I haven’t been paying much attention to this blog for the past two weeks, so please forgive me. I have been working on several projects and for some reason, mine always take a back burner.

Yesterday was the 4th of July and we attended what I thought was going to be a family get together of the immediate family of my husband’s. When most people think of a family get together they think 5-10 people. Well our immediate family on my husband’s side totals 20 if we are all available at one time. Our “intimate” family get together of 20 turned into 45 and was so not what I bargained for. Couple the 45 with the fact that it rained like cats and dogs the entire evening and you have one little introvert who was totally out of her comfort zone.

I tried to make the best of a bad situation (in my mind) and really stretch myself and get to know others. So I scanned the soaking wet yard and focused on those standing alone, away from the crowd. On the outer edge of the crowd, I met Earl, who is a furniture salesman in York, PA and he had alot of wisdom about life in general. Then I met Angel, a single mother of two, who works full-time and attends college full-time. She was a hoot and when we talked about her life and her future plans, her eyes lit up brightly.

While I could have stewed over my anger of my intimate immediate family get together of 20 turned 45, I decided to make the best of a bad situation (in my eyes). I took some time to get to know others and I was blessed by the experience. But when I came home, I crashed and burned and sleep came more quickly than usual. But you know…it was worth it.

Some final thoughts…not only was the company of fellow introverts fantastic, but the fireworks were spectacular and the caliber was totally unexpected, considering we were in someone’s backyard. My husband and I usually take our son to a professional fireworks display every year on the 4th of July, but from now on, I think I am going insist on attending this intimate family get together of 20 turned 45. Who knows…maybe next year we can up it to 70!

While surfing You Tube, I came across this cute video about introversion.

The description on You Tube is: Survive-in UST Introvert VTR. However, I think this leaves little be desired but the video itself is a cute little take on and explanation of introversion.

Enjoy!

My husband and I often hear from well meaning people, “come on level with me, you guys can’t be introverts, you’re so friendly and outgoing, you have to be extroverts!” One of the biggest misconceptions that introverts face is that they can be outgoing and social when need be, but it does not mean that they don’t feel it later. Let me explain.

Yesterday I was talking to a fellow INFP who gets the same response when she is out networking. Gobs of fellow networkers stare at her in disbelief when she tells them that she is an introvert. Their first response is “NO WAY!” Yes way! Like us, when she gets home she is exhausted and spent. Her energy is only replenished after of time of decompression and alone time.

As an introvert, when you are out networking, be sure to take the time to decompress and regain your lost energy. It is perfectly normal to feel very tired after a day or evening of constant socializing. When you are at the event, keep a pen handy and make notes on the backs of business cards because as the day or night goes on and the tiredness inevitably sets in, it is going to get harder and harder to remember what you want to say to each individual. Going to in-person networking events are a necessary evil when you are an entrepreneur or an employee of a company.

Remember to take each event in stride and prepare ahead of time for your alone time and decompression after the socialization period.

Becki

If there is one burning question that introverted business owners have, it’s “how do I market my business and get clients?”

The simplistic way of answering is, “you have to put yourself out there.” So what do I mean by that? You have to network, both online and in person. Many shudder when those words are spoken. It’s ok. Stop. Take a breath. Close your eyes. Take another breath. Inhale deeply. Exhale.

I found an article written by Nancy Ancowitz that appeared in the Wall Street Journal called Self-Marketing Rules For Successful Introverts, which sums up my feelings in a very eloquent way.

Later this week, I’ll add my take on it. But in the mean time I would love for you to answer the following:

1. How do you network?

2. What’s your preference? Why?

You can leave comments here or you can email them to me directly.