The Personal Website of Mark W. Dawson

Introverted

Having been Introverted my entire life, progressing from extreme to milder as I became older and wiser. I thought it might be helpful to include these insightful cartoons to help other people understand introversion.

Introversion can be overcome, but it takes a considerable amount of effort by the introverted person. In my own case, I was so introverted that I could barely have a conversation with a man, let alone a woman (the scariest creature in the world for an introverted male is a female). As my job required that I work 2^nd or 3^rd shift, either by myself or with one other man, I had no means to break out of my introversion. My life revolved around working, eating, sleeping, viewing the heavens through my telescope, and listening to classical music. I eventually became so lonely that I vowed to correct this situation. I, therefore, decided to correct this situation by forcing myself to be involved in a public forum. I ended up volunteering at the Franklin Institute as a Science Instructor running the Observatory. As I was very knowledgeable about astronomy I felt comfortable discussing this subject. It also meant that I had to initiate a conversation or respond to a conversation, from the general public that visited the observatory. I also became friends with the other science instructors, both male, and female, and learned how to socially interact with them. After learning how to handle my introversion I started to become more involved in other social arenas. I also obtained employment in which there were many people with whom I had to interact. In one of my jobs, I even had to give presentations to groups of people that I did not know. I learned how to be a public speaker which stead me fast until this day and helped with my introversion. Eventually, I was able to control my introversion in social environs. But I am still introverted. When in a small closed social environment, or the confines of my own house, I will often settle into an introverted state. In larger social environs I still tend to be introverted.

Even today before I enter a place where I need to be more extroverted (my client offices, a party, and any group effort), I take a deep breath and remind myself that I need to be more outgoing and friendly when I am with the people that are present. I also must continually remind myself during the course of this effort to be less introverted. After these encounters, I exhale and try to calm myself to relieve my nervous stress. I then think about what happened, if I was friendly enough, and what I could have done to improve myself for the next time should I be in that situation. I often need to take a short rest after interacting with others, as my efforts to be less introverted can be mentally (and sometimes physically) exhausting.

Good luck, and good patience, to the introverted person who attempts this.