How many times has this been you, on the end of the diving board, doin’ everything but dive? It’s been me, more than once in my life. What can I say? I like to be prepared. I want to be sure. I want to minimize risk. That’s part of my I’m-an-introvert-so-don’t-surprise-me personality. But there comes a time when we have to stop bouncing and just DIVE.
You know how sometimes a word keeps popping up over and over, so much so that you have to stop a moment and wonder why? Over the past few weeks, my word-pop has been “fierce.” It’s not a word I’ve used very much, and I’ve certainly never used to describe myself or anyone I knew.
I mean, really, come on… I’m an introvert!! Can a “good girl” who’s also an introvert be fierce??
So I did what we do these days: I took the question to my Facebook community. Here’s what happened…
When I took a speech class in college, I learned a new word that I loved to say: extemporaneous.
I loved to say it, and what it meant scared me to death.
To be extemporaneous means to ad lib – to speak (and presumably, to speak intelligently) without a chance to prepare, at the drop of a hat. Another Merriam-Webster definition says “happening suddenly and often unexpectedly and usually without clearly known causes or relationships.”
It’s every introvert’s nightmare. Seriously.
Some thoughts on how thinking on your feet doesn’t have to knock you off your feet.
My guest in this episode of The Introvert Entrepreneur is Patty K. Famous for her love of pajamas, Patty is on a mission to help people overcome the fears that get in the way of doing their “Thing.” She’s a blogger, motivational speaker and nonconformist. She’s also an introvert, an optimist and an idealist who loves animals and Jimmy Buffet.
Our conversation covers Patty’s “Purple Cow” moment, how a work field trip and 17 seconds of terror informed her new career path, how logic can combat fear, and why the worst case scenario actually may be in your best interest!
Of all of the principles outlined in “Good to Great,” the one presented in chapter 4 presents the most potential challenge. It’s probably where companies – and entrepreneurs – either make it or break it.
Collins’ research found that good-to-great companies were able to confront the brutal facts while keeping the faith that they would not only survive, but prevail. Conviction, faith and belief were what kept them going in the face of nearly insurmountable odds. Not optimism. Not positive thinking. Not spinning the truth. This post is about how our Introvert super powers help us face reality head-on.
