Mark Zuckerberg was already known to millions worldwide as the Harvard dropout who started the world’s largest social network in his tiny dorm room.
Today, his persona has expanded to epic proportions as Facebook’s IPO has made him the third wealthiest tech entrepreneur in the United States (and among the top 30 richest people in the world, population 7 billion).
People who have followed Facebook and Zuckerberg’s meteoric rise know that Zuckerberg is an introvert. And he’s not one of these closet introverts who looks like an extrovert to anyone who doesn’t know it. His introversion is fairly obvious and well-documented.
The good news for Zuck (that’s his Facebook username, so I trust I can be that cozy) is that introvert sentiment is on the upswing. It’s almost hip to be an introvert and to be who you are, in all of your introvert glory.
So here are a few “introvert, honor thyself” thoughts for you, Zuck, to consider as the spotlight goes from bright to blinding.
Recently I was reading about the origin of fairy tales and various children’s stories. I happened upon the story behind The Princess and the Pea, and it fit perfectly into today’s podcast. In this day and age, being sensitive is sometimes regarded as being weak, or emotional, or thin skinned. You hear some people say, “Stop being so sensitive!” as if it were a disgrace to not only have feelings, but to show them.
This was not the case with the Princess and the Pea. On the contrary, sensitivity was a signal that a person was of royal blood. Think about that! It was desirable, and a mark of nobility, to be sensitive.
There are those among us – especially among us introverts – for whom emotions, feelings, sensations and the environment play a profound role in how we relate to the world. We are the HSPs, or Highly Sensitive Persons.
This interview with Ane Axford, CEO and founder of sensitive + thriving, Inc., is not only interesting, but life changing … at least it was for me. Ane and I explore what it means to be an HSP, and specifically, an introverted HSP.
For those of us who have started our own businesses, I’d venture to guess few have stopped and actually looked up the literal meaning of the word “entrepreneur.” A recent Power Chicks International event inspired me to do just that. Here’s the shocking truth about what I learned, and how it changed the way I looked at my business.
Part of what I love about the end of the year is the reflective mood we all embrace. We take a few minutes to look back on the wins and losses, births and deaths, and turning points of the last 12 months. It’s a way of recognizing how far we’ve come, and it gives us a hint of where we’re headed.
We all seem to be suckers for Top 10 lists of any size, shape or color. We love to rank, judge, measure and crown winners and losers. My version of this is to do a shout-out for introverts who made a difference in 2010; like the year, some have had their highs and lows, yet they have undeniably changed the world. Plus, I bring your attention to some rising introvert stars who will make waves in 2011 and invite you to add your own!
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.
