That conversation

There is one conversation that I have had numerous times with many different people. The topic of this conversation is introversion.  I find that there is hardly a topic that can fire me up as quickly as this one.  Nearly two sentences in and I’m already spitting mad.

You see, I’m an introvert.

According to the Myers-Briggs personality profile I’m an INFJ.  The breakdown of this personality type (kind of) freaks me out with its accuracy.

I can become so riled up about the injustice of how misunderstood introversion is in our society.  I begin an inner-dialog (ahem, more like a rant.) about how unfair it feels when others don’t even try to understand.  But I’ve been trying to think more positively about introversion and leaving the anger out.

I asked myself the question: What does being an introvert mean to me?

Here is what I’ve come up with so far:

Introversion causes me to spend a great deal of time sifting through my head and heart.

It allows me to think before I speak.

It enables me to feel at peace in my own company.

It {hopefully} helps me to be a good listener.

It allows me to understand social interactions from a unique perspective.

It forces me to be intentional about the relationships I have.

Although this list is not exhaustive, it is a successful beginning.  I have found that thinking of this topic in this positive way has helped me to get over the feeling of victimization when I discuss this with non-introverts.  I am created in the likeness of Christ!  My personality, introversion included, displays a facet of Christ’s creativity that is important.