What Introverts Can Teach Us – It’s Pretty Amazing

What Introverts Can Teach Us – It’s Pretty Amazing
by Rick Riddle

I have never met a stranger. It’s been this way forever. I am the person who can strike up a conversation with anyone, anywhere – on a bus, in an elevator, at a huge party, at the store – just anywhere there is another human being.

To me, life has been all about interacting and relationship-building and being around other people as much as possible. Every interaction and relationship, I believe, is a spiritual growth opportunity.

I didn’t “get” introverts. To me, they were really missing out on a lot of life experiences, and I felt sorry for them – shy, not able to “reach out,” living in their own small worlds. What soul growth was occurring within them was difficult for me to see. Until I decided to date one, that is.

There was a stunningly beautiful woman at work who was definitely an introvert. She was a “computer nerd,” spending her days in a rather isolated environment and rarely interacting with the rest of us – not attending happy hours or other social events, etc. I found myself fascinated with her, though she was certainly not “my type.” In fact, I came to think of her as cold and unapproachable and certainly someone who would be boring. Ultimately, I decided to ask her out just out of curiosity. After the third try, she agreed to have dinner with me.

We dated for several months. During that time, an entire new world opened up for me – one that I had previously cast off as irrelevant and unimportant. I am not sure how much she got out of the relationship, but my takeaways were huge.

Introverts are on a path of spiritual growth of observation and introspection. I was constantly amazed at the jewels of wisdom that this woman had to offer about life, relationships, and navigating this busy noisy world.
I became far more aware of my dependency upon the noisy world of social relationships – a dependency which usurped my need for introspection and self-growth activities.
Her path to enlightenment and self-awareness provided inspiration that moved me in new directions, specifically taking up meditation, reading, and getting comfortable being alone with myself.
I realized that most of my relationships were pretty superficial and based on getting together socially for entertainment and to pass the time. Now, I understand how meaningful relationships are built upon so much more. I now actively seek those relationships.
I understand the importance of thinking things through before contributing my opinion and making decisions. Before she came into my life, I was acting while I was thinking not after some thought. This has changed so much of what I do at work, especially in the new leadership role I now have.
I am improving on my listening skills. On our first date, I did all of the talking – surprised she even accepted a second one after that. She modeled good listening skills, and I will be forever grateful for those lessons.

If you are an extrovert, you owe it to yourself to develop a relationship with an introvert. The lessons to be learned are invaluable and will reap lifelong benefits.

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About the Author

Rick Riddle is a successful blogger whose articles aim to help readers with self-development, entrepreneurship and digital marketing. Connect with Rick on Twitter and LinkedIn.