by Gregg Prescott, M.S.
Founder, Webmaster, & Editor, Zentasia.com
Society often ridicules the introvert and makes us feel as though we are socially inadequate, but this is a myth, not fact.
The difference between the introvert and the extrovert simply boils down to energy. The extrovert receives energy from being with others while the introvert draws energy from within.
Despite societal influences that encourage us to be extroverted, the introvert will stand his or her ground and will not be influenced by societal expectations. For example, when you see just about any television commercial, it will generally show extroverted people laughing and smiling with one another. The subliminal message is that if you drink this particular beverage or eat this particular food, then you’ll be socially accepted by beautiful people who are seemingly happy. The truth behind these commercials is that they are actors who are being paid to portray the illusion that if you buy the specific product they’re endorsing, then you will also have great looking and happy friends to go along with your wonderful social life.
The introvert will see right through this facade.
The introvert, by no means, is antisocial or shy. These are traits that can be observed in both introverted and extroverted people. For example, I’ve hosted numerous shows on In5D Radio but I’m extremely introverted. It’s not easy for an introvert to host a radio show, but we do it because it’s in humanity’s best interests, not our own. I don’t get paid to host a radio show. If anything, I pay $100 a month to be able to host it and spend many hours preparing for each show. So why would an introvert subject himself for 2-3 hours of being open on a radio show for no pay? Because I’m bringing people some fascinating information that may help them on their spiritual journey and that’s more important than my own introvertedness.
As a matter of fact, Heidi Cole and I once hosted a show about introverts and not surprisingly, we didn’t receive any phone calls from our fellow introverts!
If someone were to invite me to a party or gala event, I probably wouldn’t go… but if I did, you’d find me in the corner somewhere, watching everyone.
So, how much of the population is introverted?
In an article entitled, “Mental Health Matters: Introversion is not a problem – It is a gift,” it states:
While introverts are all around, with approximately 30 percent of people being introverts, they are often overshadowed by extroverts. In the United States extroversion is highly valued. We tend to be a loud, talkative nation that values socializing, group activities, and teamwork.
In a random In5D poll, I found that 78% of our In5D viewers are introverts. You can find the updated results at the end of this article.
How is it possible that, in general, 70% of the population are extroverts but 78% of our readers are introverts?
The answer is simple: Introverts tend to look within for answers while extroverts look to outside sources. In5D is a spiritual website that encourages people to look within while questioning everything.
I’ve found that many introverts are also empaths, which means that we are somewhat more sensitive to energy than most people. In a world that is stressed out by daily fear propaganda, we feel this global stress and would prefer to stay away from people who harness this negative energy than to be around them. We also have the ability to negate and transmute these energies, but prefer to do it from afar than in direct contact with them.
I’m sure there are many extroverts who feel extremely awkward, tired, or drained from pretending to be someone they’re not, due to societal expectations. Once they find themselves and can accept their introvertedness as a strength versus a perceived weakness, then they can finally feel comfortable with who they are regardless of what society thinks of them.
So, while the majority of the world chooses to be extroverted, I’ll choose to go within.
If you’re also an introvert, then you’re in good company!
25 Famously Popular Introverts
1. Gandhi
“A man of few words will rarely be thoughtless in his speech; he will measure every word. ”
2. Albert Einstein
“The monotony and solitude of a quiet life stimulates the creative mind.”
3. Nikola Tesla
“Originality thrives in seclusion free of outside influences beating upon us to cripple the creative mind. Be alone — that is the secret of invention: be alone, that is when ideas are born.”
4. Musician Jimi Hendrix
“It all has to come from inside…”
“Knowledge speaks but wisdom listens.”
Jimi’s brother Leon stated, “Jimi was always introverted. My dad didn’t like him playing music, and that hurt his feelings. He went inside with his art and his music. Performing on stage was a release and an escape.”
5. Musician Michael Jackson
“I sit there and say, ‘Please don’t call me up, I am too shy.’ But once I get up there, I take control of myself. Being onstage is magic. There’s nothing like it. You feel the energy of everybody who’s out there. You feel it all over your body. When the lights hit you, it’s all over, I swear it is.”
6. Tom Hanks
“Everybody has something that chews them up and, for me, that thing was always loneliness. The cinema has the power to make you not feel lonely, even when you are.”
“E-mail is far more convenient than the telephone. As far as I’m concerned, I would throw my phone away if I could get away with it.”
7. Keanu Reeves
“I was kinda shy in school, but I also had the class-clown element about me. I was removed, but I was involved.”
8. Leonardo DiCaprio
“I’ve always been a slow starter. My first date was with a girl called Cessi. We had a beautiful relationship over the phone all summer and then when we met I couldn’t look her in the eye.”
9. Johnny Depp
“I’m shy, paranoid, whatever word you want to use. I hate fame. I’ve done everything I can to avoid it.”
10. Rosa Parks
“My only concern was to get home after a hard day’s work.”
11. Carl Gustav Jung
“Your visions will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes.”
12. Abraham Lincoln
“Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.”
13. Albert Einstein
“One of the strongest motives that lead men to art and science is escape from everyday life. A finely tempered nature longs to escape from the personal life into the world of objective perception and thought.”
14. JK Rowling
“We do not need magic to transform our world. We carry all the power we need inside ourselves already. We have the power to imagine better.”
15. Julia Roberts
“I think enough cannot be said for what you can discover through literature. So I think that was probably my most valued characteristic as a teenager.”
16. Kim Basinger
“You see things that people project onto you… I’m not the biggest social butterfly in the world, but people don’t know you. They have not a clue who you really are. Not a clue.”
17. Audrey Hepburn
“I’m an introvert… I love being by myself, love being outdoors, love taking a long walk with my dogs and looking at the trees, flowers, the sky.”
“I have to be alone very often. I’d be perfectly happy if I spent Saturday night until Monday morning alone in my apartment. That’s how I refuel.”
18. Warren Buffett
“I insist on a lot of time being spent, almost every day, to just sit and think. I read and think… and make less impulse decisions than most people in business.”
19. Bill Gates
“I think introverts can do quite well. If you’re clever you can learn to get the benefits of being an introvert, which might be, say, being willing to go off for a few days and think about a tough problem, read everything you can, push yourself very hard to think out on the edge of that area.”
20. Golfer Tiger Woods:
Tiger Woods has been criticized for being a poor team player, but the truth is that the golf legend is simply an introvert.” (1)
21. Basketball star Kobe Bryant
“Kobe Bryant’s introverted personality has often been misinterpreted as being cold and standoffish.” (1)
22. Football player Arian Foster:
“I’m an introvert who strongly prefers the city to the country. When you really think about this, it’s actually quite logical because the anonymity of the city is far more suitable to an introvert like me who detests the idea of constantly having to make small talk. In a small town everywhere you go, you see someone you know & thus feel compelled by some social construct to converse with them.” (2)
23. Basketball star Larry Bird
“Larry Bird is shy and introverted. He wasn’t one to seek out the spotlight when he was playing for the NBA.” (1)
24. Football player Darrelle Revis
“Darrelle Revis is an introvert and shies away from attention off the field.” (1)
25. Basketball star Michael Jordan
“Michael Jordan is often listed amongst the greatest introvert athletes of all time.” (1)
A different brain wiring?
When you awaken out of the stupor provided by our educational systems and the mainstream media, you begin to see things in a different light.
Christina Aguilera: “I’m an ocean, because I’m really deep. If you search deep enough you can find rare exotic treasures.”
Aerosmith’s lead guitarist Joe Perry summed it up brilliantly during an interview with Joe Rogan: “I think my brain is wired different”.
Additional resources from our sister site, In5D
INTROVERTS, EXTROVERTS, AND SPIRITUALITY
5 Things About Introverts Other People Just Can’t Understand
14 Truths About Being An Introvert (That Mainly Introverts Will Understand)
Here’s What Introverts Need To Do To Recharge
Why Are Spiritual People Generally Introverts?
THE TOP BENEFITS OF BEING INTROVERTED OR EXTROVERTED
Take the Introvert/Extrovert Test! What Are YOUR Personality Test Letters?
Share this if you’re proud to be an introvert!
Sending you all infinite LOVE & Light!
Gregg
References
(1). People in Sports; https://www.ranker.com/list/athletes-who-are-introverts/people-in-sports
(2). Arian Foster poetry ; https://athicketofmusingsblog.com/tag/arian-foster-poetry/
About the author: Namaste, I’m Gregg Prescott. Despite being a Triple Libra and a self-proclaimed introvert, I’m also a public speaker and have spoken at many conferences as well as hosting an online radio show and LIVE Facebook shows. As a Triple Libra, I’m constantly seeking balance. Zentasia helps to bring me to that point and In turn, I can help others in finding their moments of zen. Feel free to follow Gregg and his Facebook Live videos on Facebook as well as our Zentasia Facebook page. Peace.
Image: Pixabay
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