Why Extroverts Need Introverts (& Vice Versa)

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“We know from myths and fairy tales that there are many different kinds of powers in this world.One child is given a light saber, another a wizard’s education. The trick is not to amass all the different kinds of available power, but to use well the kind you’ve been granted.”Susan Cain, Quiet: The Power Of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking

On every personality test I've taken, I am a solid extrovert.  This means, like all extroverts, I gain energy from being around people.  Introverts, on the other hand, are energized when they have time to be quiet and be by themselves.

I've never met a loud introvert.  Maybe that's because I talked over them, but still, shouldn't they speak up?

I struggle to understand introverts.  How could being with people be ANYTHING other than fun? Sure, there's the occasional "pill," but introverts willingly make choices to be away from friends and family too.  They need people to shush and leave them be so they can think.

I know this because 50% of my household is introverted (my husband and daughter).  No matter your style, half of the people in the world are NOT like  you.

So what do you do?  How do you cope with someone wired so differently from yourself?  How do you avoid bugging each other?

Susan Cain gave a terrific TED talk on the power of introverts last year (here) and also wrote the best-seller, Quiet, quoted above.

However, the best summary of her brilliant lesson is summed up in the video below.  I won't spoil the thesis.  See for yourself.

The world is full of noise and those that are the loudest are the ones we tend to follow but what about the quiet ones? Author Susan Cain shines a spotlight on introverts and reveals how over time our society has come to look to extroverts as leaders.

How well do you work with your "opposite"?