As a child I was painfully shy. All through elementary school it was clear as day that I was an introvert. My teachers would call on me to respond and I would squeak out an answer at times. But once in a while, I would be so caught off guard by being put on the spot that I would just sit in silence, growing redder and redder in hopes she or he would move along to another student and all eyes would be shifted to a new focus.
As I’ve matured, the introverted nature is still a part of me, but I have learned to be more charismatic and prepared to be put on the spot. I’m now working in a field that involves a mix of working quietly on my keyboard at a distance from the world around me, and one of schmoozing at events, interviewing notable figures and overseeing the work of other writers.
We live in a world of the extrovert, always impacted most by those who are happy to shine in the spotlight. It seems that to succeed in the world of business and entrepreneurship, the introvert has to adapt.
My lovely co-worker and I were both chatting about our innate introverted natures and she shared that there is now a new term for those of us who are forced daily to put on the extroverted appearance. Behold, today I am an ambivert.
