Published: 2013
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Pages: 290
Price: £11.50 at time of posting ( Purchase HERE)
USA : $10.77 at time of posting (Purchase HERE)
Genre: Self Help
Being an introvert in an extrovert world can suck sometimes, and it must suck even more if you are an introvert in the land of the extroverts – the USA. When society instructs you to be more outgoing, more outspoken, more social, it can really put a dent in an introvert’s self-esteem. So I wanted to know how an introvert can maneuver this extrovert world? Even though 50% are introverts.
Introvert Power by Laurie Helgoe does just that.
One thing I like about this book is that you can tell that Laurie has been there and bought the t-shirt. She’s not just the typical professor spouting off what they learned in the college lecture room, but someone who knows what she’s talking about, from experience, like many of us, wearing an extrovert mask for a while to fit in.
I had not realised that there were better ways to live in this world as an introvert before I read this book. To discover that we are actually fully able to be introverts even when extroverts are shouting ‘Be Extrovert!’.
I remember my school report at junior school every single year. There was always a note from the head-master saying: “Kelly needs to speak out more in class and interact more”. It sucked big time because he was repeatedly telling me I was not good enough as I was. That experience, alongside the embarrassing public questions constantly asked in class, group projects at university where extroverts always stole the limelight, it felt easier to just keep quiet as I no longer felt that what I had to say was valuable, but ‘Introvert Power’ put the power back in my hands.
This book helped me to see that introverts simply relate to the world differently and that it’s okay how we relate and that the world would be devoid of so much good without introverted ways.
Laurie takes you through important topics like:
- The opposite of social is not anti-social.
- The threat of solitude.
- No place to hide: the accessible introvert.
- The downside of up.
- The introverted society.
- The anti-party guide.
- The downside of self-containment.
- Loving our extroverts.
- The Yin celebration
And so much more.
It was fascinating to read how certain countries are naturally more introverted and others more extroverted and how they could learn from one another.
I learnt how to relate to extreme extrovert talkers who never stop talking, and how to find a quiet space within a loud world. Laurie has laid out this book into great chapters for every step of the introvert journey from relationships with others, to work, and to moving out of being isolated.
Overall I recommend this book to any introverts who have tried for too long to fit into an extroverted world and who want to accept themselves just as they are.
Perhaps a little too much research in the first part of the book, but worth persevering as it becomes more interesting as the book goes on.
- Do You Know the Truth?
- Why Awake People Don’t Think They Are Better
- Why a Powerful NO Is a Gift
- Why It’s Time to Drop Your Socially Acceptable Mask
- Why Being Nice and Social Conditioning Stops Self Love
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Kelly Martin, author of ‘When Everyone Shines But You’ is a dedicated writer and blogger who fearlessly explores life’s deepest questions. Faced with a decade of profound anxiety and grief following the loss of her father and her best friend Michael, Kelly embarked on a transformative journey guided by mindfulness, and she hasn’t looked back since. Through her insightful writing, engaging podcasts, and inspiring You Tube channel Kelly empowers others to unearth the hidden treasures within their pain, embracing the profound truth that they are ‘enough’ exactly as they are.
