The gift I received from this book was the encouragement to fully nurture the introvert within me. The author noted that we live in a society where extroversion is highly promoted and appears to be the preferred choice of personality not only in a social sense but also within the business, entertainment and service industries. Introversion is seen more as being too shy or too quiet and is discouraged. The author promotes integration – achieving a balance or a level of comfort within one’s own mix of introversion and extroversion. She says that “according to Jung, integrating opposites within the personality not only brings a person closer to wholeness, but frees up life energy. The more a person is able to tolerate paradox in search of truth, the less energy will be spent defending a rigid position.”Obviously, both extroversion and introversion are needed in a society. And with both being present within a personality, the key seems to be in allowing the extroversion to surface naturally and the introversion to be accepted and nurtured, appreciated and enjoyed. For an introvert, the benefit of truly nurturing one’s introversion is in discovering a comfortable and serene “home” within, granting a new level of satisfaction and peace and contentment. This is our "hidden strength." I really enjoyed this book. It had lots of good practical tips on how introverts should be leading their lives to achieve their maximum energy potential. I really liked the stories throughout the book touching on the personal experiences of the author and others introverts. I could relate to many of them.There were certain parts of the book that I skipped over; including the "imagination" sessions where you had to imagine your perfect room/space. These were too psychoanalytical for my tastes, but considering the authors background, I couldn't blame her for throwing those little exercises in.Overall it was a good read.
This was a really great book, I enjoyed reading it, there were lots to learn and it was really beautiful. I was comfortable in my own skin but I always carried this little ounce of guilt which this book freed me from. But it kinda felt like it was written from just a single person's perspective & there were many things not all of us could agree. Also some topics kept on dragging & I even questioned their relevance to the book. Also a single point was so repetitive and I was like"sheesh Laurie, you already emphasized on it a hundred times!" . Well except such discrepancies, this was a very interesting read :)
—Lou01
At first, this was a book I read because of my wife's introversion and came from a desire to better understand her experiences. As it turns out, there is a lot of introversion in me too, and this book helped me accept that it's not weird to want to be alone in a restaurant or not want to run into people you know when you're out and about.“Solitude is not rejection, isolation, depression, or a sign of spiritual desolation.”
—TOM
I really want to read this book
—amet
