So its now mid-January, and I’ve been doing fairly well with my New Years resolutions! I’ve exercised at least 3x a week, which was my main one. I actually subscribed to this program through Roku called “The Gym Box”. It has all different categories of routines (cardio, kickboxing, yoga, pilates, etc) and they add new routines every week. Right now I’m doing the 2 month trial, but I think I may pay for it when the trial expires (it costs $10/month) since its actually helping me to workout…and that’s definitely worth $10 to me haha. I’ve also paid off one of my three student loans, and planning to pay off the second one in February. Another thing I’ve done well with is not spending too much money. The month isn’t over yet so who knows how it’ll end up, but as of right now I’m comfortably within my budget!

But anyway…its snowing today (sort of, it already snowed, and not that much but its an excuse to be lazy haha) so in the interest of blogging more, I’m going to share with you something that I found on Tumblr a little while back that I thought was interesting (I’m melieanne on Tumblr if you want to follow me). Its an article called “10 Myths About Introverts” that was written by Carl of CarlKingdom.com. Its been floating around the internet a lot, so you might have stumbled upon it at one point or another.

Here is his list:

• Myth #1 – Introverts don’t like to talk.
  This is not true. Introverts just don’t talk unless they have something to say. They hate small talk. Get an introvert talking about something they are interested in, and they won’t shut up for days.

• Myth #2 – Introverts are shy.
  Shyness has nothing to do with being an Introvert. Introverts are not necessarily afraid of people. What they need is a reason to interact. They don’t interact for the sake of interacting. If you want to talk to an Introvert, just start talking. Don’t worry about being polite.

• Myth #3 – Introverts are rude.
  Introverts often don’t see a reason for beating around the bush with social pleasantries. They want everyone to just be real and honest. Unfortunately, this is not acceptable in most settings, so Introverts can feel a lot of pressure to fit in, which they find exhausting.

• Myth #4 – Introverts don’t like people.
  On the contrary, Introverts intensely value the few friends they have. They can count their close friends on one hand. If you are lucky enough for an introvert to consider you a friend, you probably have a loyal ally for life. Once you have earned their respect as being a person of substance, you’re in.

• Myth #5 – Introverts don’t like to go out in public.
  Nonsense. Introverts just don’t like to go out in public FOR AS LONG. They also like to avoid the complications that are involved in public activities. They take in data and experiences very quickly, and as a result, don’t need to be there for long to “get it.” They’re ready to go home, recharge, and process it all. In fact, recharging is absolutely crucial for Introverts.

• Myth #6 – Introverts always want to be alone.
  Introverts are perfectly comfortable with their own thoughts. They think a lot. They daydream. They like to have problems to work on, puzzles to solve. But they can also get incredibly lonely if they don’t have anyone to share their discoveries with. They crave an authentic and sincere connection with ONE PERSON at a time.

• Myth #7 – Introverts are weird.
  Introverts are often individualists. They don’t follow the crowd. They’d prefer to be valued for their novel ways of living. They think for themselves and because of that, they often challenge the norm. They don’t make most decisions based on what is popular or trendy.

• Myth #8 – Introverts are aloof nerds.
  Introverts are people who primarily look inward, paying close attention to their thoughts and emotions. It’s not that they are incapable of paying attention to what is going on around them, it’s just that their inner world is much more stimulating and rewarding to them.

• Myth #9 – Introverts don’t know how to relax and have fun.
  Introverts typically relax at home or in nature, not in busy public places. Introverts are not thrill seekers and adrenaline junkies. If there is too much talking and noise going on, they shut down. Their brains are too sensitive to the neurotransmitter called Dopamine. Introverts and Extroverts have different dominant neuro-pathways. Just look it up.

• Myth #10 – Introverts can fix themselves and become Extroverts.
  A world without Introverts would be a world with few scientists, musicians, artists, poets, filmmakers, doctors, mathematicians, writers, and philosophers. That being said, there are still plenty of techniques an Extrovert can learn in order to interact with Introverts. (Yes, I reversed these two terms on purpose to show you how biased our society is.) Introverts cannot “fix themselves” and deserve respect for their natural temperament and contributions to the human race. In fact, one study (Silverman, 1986) showed that the percentage of Introverts increases with IQ.

I think these are really interesting, and definitely widespread myths that need some debunking. Personally, I wouldn’t apply a few of these to me 100%…I guess, perhaps, there are different levels of “introversion”? Particularly #1, #3, and to an extent #7. I do love small talk, and I’m someone who doesn’t exactly appreciate brutal honesty. I also wouldn’t really consider myself someone who doesn’t follow the crowd…I’m very much a conformist, whether that’s a good or bad thing. I’d say the rest of them are pretty accurate, however, and indicative of my personality…some to a greater extent than others.

I couldn’t agree more with #10, mainly the idea that our society is biased. I feel like this is especially true of academic settings (the whole idea of grades being based on verbal participation, when in reality there is such a variety of different personalities who learn in different ways). This was more of an issue in elementary school classes, but I was surprised at a college class I had with a professor who still practiced grading this way. Needless to say I struggled through that class despite knowing 100% of the material and getting A’s on everything. I’m sure its quite rampant in work settings as well, but I consider myself lucky in that I’ve never had to work with people who were ignorant and not understanding (or, at least, to my face). I’m probably in the minority, though, and its unsettling to know that people in other work environments may be getting bullied by grown adults, which is discrimination just like any other. And don’t even get me started on the process introverts have to actually get a job…the interview process has always been tailored toward extroversion, whether or not its even a trait that’s needed for the job.

So those are my thoughts…what do you guys think about Carl’s list? Do you agree with some points and not others?