Introvert

Admit it....  You already have a sense of "negative" associated with that word, introvert, right?  I know I do.  Most of us interpret introverted to mean shy, socially inept...   Its no wonder this misconception exists, when google tells me synonyms of introvert are:

shy, reserved, withdrawn, reticent, diffident, retiring, quiet; 

I'll just pick on one of those synonyms, diffident.  The definition of diffident?

modest or shy because of a lack of self-confidence.

I certainly wouldn't have identified myself as an "introvert" given this list of descriptors.  So I find it funny that just this past week, a friend shared with me a more accurate definition of introvert.  

Introversion is "the state of or tendency toward being predominantly concerned with and interested in one's own mental life".  Introverts are characterized as people whose energy tends to expand through reflection and dwindle during interaction.  

Huh.  Huh...  Hhmmmmm....  Did I mention I'm an introvert?  While I LOVE engaging the world (as anyone that's aware of my too-full calendar can attest), I absolutely need time to process it afterwards to regain my energy.  This need to process my world internally is very much the driver of my blog, as I constantly have an inner dialogue going that is processing the events around me and then trying to harness that into something learned....  Given how introspective so many of my blog posts are, you might have all figured I'm an introvert before me??

Glad to know at 36, I'm still learning. :o)