Are you a Wind Turbine or a Battery?
Before I help you figure out the answer for yourself and reveal what am I, allow me to engage in some mental time-travel first :)
Back in my corporate HR days, there were so many times that I was criticised by senior management for not speaking up more, sooner and vigorously in office meetings and, (more often than not) I was, not so gently, nudged to be a fast thinker, more outspoken and chatty, just like, well, they were.
In addition, attending high-profile company events, all-day workshops and, worse, two, even three-day conventions, were a work-necessity that I desperately wanted to avoid, since attending such social events resulted in all-time low energy levels for me, leaving me mentally drained, emotionally wrung and physically exhausted.
It took me several years, extensive research and a life makeover to realise that…
There was NOTHING wrong with me.
Neither with the other people, nor the events!
What WAS wrong was my perception of my Introversion as being a character flaw that needed fixing, or even worse, a biological flaw that I was born with!
In a world that revered and celebrated Extroverts, I tried really hard to become a stellar Extrovert, only to end up performing as a broken Extrovert!
For a really long time, I truly believed and felt like something was wrong with ME.
And then, several years ago I stumbled upon Susan Cain’s “Quiet, The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t stop Talking”, Sylvia Loehken’s “Quiet Impact, How to be a Successful Introvert”, and Devora Zack’s “Networking for People who hate networking” (first on the list: Introverts!) and lo, and behold….
I discovered that I was not broken. Au contraire, I was perfectly OK! I was simply trying too hard to become an Extrovert and play by the rules of Extrovertland to excel in the corporate world (and beyond!), and failing miserably, while the key to success lay in understanding my Introvert temperament and capitalising on my Introvert core strengths (more on those, later on, so keep on reading!)
That’s when I learned that:
Extroverts speak first, then process their thoughts
(actually they are capable of doing thought processing while speaking…I mean, WOW!)
Introverts engage in inner thought processing first, then, and only then, do they speak up
(usually after some time has elapsed and often mistakenly labelled as being shy for doing so!)
Extroverts go wide
(they just love breadth when it comes to any subject matter)
Introverts go deep
(thntroverts and Extroverts differ biologicallyey simply love depth in subject matters of their interest)
Extroverts energize and re-energize by social interaction and preferably a multitude of stimuli.
(Loehken compares Extroverts to Wind Turbines: generating their energy from outside input first, and being actively involved in the process themselves, by ‘spinning’ dynamically)
Introverts energise and re-energize by quiet time, either alone or with as few stimuli as possible
(Loehken compares Introverts to batteries: they self-charge, without the need for outside input, and prefer not to engage in any activity while charging themselves)
And yes, there is such a thing as ‘Introvert Hangover’! Just ask any introvert you know how she or he feels after spending endless hours with a large group of people in a room full of noise!
The most thrilling piece of information however I stumbled upon that dispelled, once and for all, my fears of something being inherently wrong with me was that Introverts and Extroverts differ biologically because their Autonomic Nervous System is configured differently.
When presented with a stimulus, Introverts’ stimuli have to travel a longer route, deeper into the brain along various neural pathways, whereas Extroverts’ stimuli follow a much shorter path. And that is why Introverts often take longer to reflect and respond than Extroverts.
To keep matters simple, Extroverts are primarily Dopamine driven. Dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with seeking external rewards, activates the Sympathetic branch of our Autonomic Nervous System which is charged with energy expenditure (‘fight-or-flight’ activities).
Introverts are primarily Acetylcholine driven. Acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter associated with turning inward for pleasure, activates the Parasympathetic branch of our Autonomic Nervous system which is charged with energy conservation (‘rest-and-digest’ activities).
How helpful (I wanna shout, “how cool!”) is this information in understanding how each party perceives, responds to, and interacts with the world?
Understanding and acknowledging my Introvert temperament led me to embrace who I truly am at my core and fully leverage my key introvert strengths.
And that, has made all the difference in how I show up in life ever since!
Here’s that list of typical introvert strengths (Loehken, 2015) I promised you earlier:
Caution
Substance
Concentration
Listening
Calm
Analytical Thinking
Independence
Tenacity
Writing
Empathy
Do you recognise any of these strengths in eminent introverts such as Albert Einstein, Marie Curie, Sir Alfred Hitchcock, Rosa Parks, Bod Dylan, Bill Gates, Woody Allen, Mother Theresa, Mohandas Gandhi, Eleanor Roosevelt, Mark Zuckerberg or Clint Eastwood, to name but a few?
One simple and quick way to check where you fall on the Introvert-Extrovert Continuum* and find out whether you are a more of a Battery (leaning more toward the Introvert end) or a Wind Turbine (leaning more toward the Extrovert end) is to answer the following question:
After spending a full day interacting with people and engaging in various activities, do you find yourself in serious need of some quiet time-out alone (helloooo Battery) ?
Or, are you good to go on without taking any time off (Wind Turbine, it is!)?
As Dolly Parton once said: “Find out who you are - and do it on purpose!”
The world needs both Wind Turbines and Batteries.
Just make sure you live a life that complements your nature.
You’ve got this. Trust yourself. I trust you!
P.S. The links in the post are not affiliate links - they are for reference only!
*One may also fall in the middle of the continuum which makes one an Ambivert. Also, there is no such thing as a pure, 100% Introvert or Extrovert :)