"Keep talking, talky person"

The title sentiment was found on this graphic...

...that I grabbed from the blog "dept of lindsey".  The phrase has become something of a favorite of mine lately, although some of the other points made in the graphic are pretty spot-on as well.

What's interesting about the whole "where you get your energy from*" discussion for me is that I really, really didn't think about this sort of thing all that much until about two years or so ago.  When faced with challenges...or when looking for energy...introverts tend to look within, and in 2010 I had more than my share of challenges.  Now I've suspected my own introversion for quite a while, and the 4 or so MBTI diagnostics I've had run since about 1996 all consistently show that I am about as introverted as a human can get.  That point has never been shocking for me, but I never really spent that much time thinking about it either.  I did a search of this blog (you can too, just type in "introvert" in the search box) and found that I really started to think...and write...more about this aspect of myself much more over the past 2-3 years.

So what?

Well the "what" for me has been a greater measure of self-understanding and appreciation.  I feel better about myself the more I understand about myself.  I know, the previous sentence is bordering on nonsensical, but it does have the benefit of being true.  How about this instead:  "Having a greater understanding of self leads to a greater appreciation of self"?  Now there, that sounds better.

In the end, I suspect part of life is this constant action to find out how we, as individuals matter.  It's trying to figure out how we can be better...and feel better...not necessarily for "the world", but maybe more honestly for ourselves.  If you don't like yourself, then where's the logic in sharing that which you don't like with "the world"?  The only person we are truly with all the time is ourselves, and it astounds me, in retrospect, how little I've thought of myself over the years.  I suspect that I am not alone in that regard.  "Talky-persons" simply hide the sentiment differently.

As for me, I'm moving forward.  I'm working on being a better person.  I am constantly trying to improve.  The challenge has been and continue to be this notion of being able to accept failings as opportunities, not as some kind of damning universal absolute that leaves a scarlet letter on one's soul.  Sean's not the only one trying to re-build...I suspect we all are, all be it consciously or otherwise.  When we stop is when, well, everything stops for us.



(*) Introversion vs Extroversion is described as where one get's energy in the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), a tool used to quantify personal  preferences.  A "personality test" if you will\, although I don't think that phrase does MBTI justice.  It's a terrific tool when used as part of a personal self-discovery process or when a group may benefit from a better sense of  the strengths & preferences of individual members.