NATIONAL INTROVERTS WEEK

The third week of March is set aside for National Introverts Week. This week is dedicated to confronting the stigma associated with introversion and to celebrate the inherent strengths and qualities that make introverts such a dynamic and successful part of our world.

Modern life seems geared to benefit the extrovert. Rewards seem to flow to those who embrace social interaction, and introverts are too often regarded as scared to speak up, trying to avoid attention. What many people don’t realize, however, is that introverts can and do achieve amazing success – not only in the quieter realms like creative or intellectual work (J.K Rowling, Albert Einstein), but in areas traditionally thought of as extroverted territory, such as business, sales, entertainment, and many more.

Take the business world, for example. It’s often assumed that industry titans must be extroverted – after all, they are constantly in the public eye, they regularly appear on TV, and at speaking engagements, they lead meetings, they’re master networkers and salespeople, and they have to be the face of their companies.

But Bill Gates (founder of Microsoft), Ivan Misner (founder of BNI, the largest networking organization in the world), Zig Ziglar (one of the best-known salespeople of all time), Judy Robinett (author of the INC top-10 book, How to be a Power Connector), Jaime Masters (host of the top-ranked Eventual Millionaire podcast) and Brian Smith (founder of billion-dollar brand UGG Footwear) – they’re all self-proclaimed introverts. And that only scratches the surface. Guy Kawasaki, Warren Buffet, Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg – all introverts who have changed the world.

And in the entertainment industry, we have Tom Hanks, Oprah Winfrey, Meryl Streep, Steven Spielberg, and Emma Watson, just to name a few.

The point is clear: Introverts can and do achieve incredible success; it’s a mistake to simply think of them as withdrawn, reserved, and hiding in the background. Achievement is not a matter of personality or sociability; it comes down to an introvert’s ability to discover and master the strategies to harness their inherent strengths.

During National Introverts Week, identify and celebrate the introverts in your life, and consider the ways you might point them to resources that help them achieve their true potential. If you’re an introvert, embrace the power that comes with knowing you can be successful in business, your career, and in your overall life. Understand that you’re not disadvantaged; you’re just different, and you need to embrace that. You have all the abilities you need to succeed in any area you choose.

HOW TO OBSERVE

Introverts, commit to discovering the secrets of introverted leadership, business, networking, sales, presenting, parenting…whatever speaks to your interests and goals. Master the strategies of other successful introverts who are leaders in that field.

Use #NationalIntrovertsWeek to share on social media the discoveries you make about yourself, your personality type, and what you consider your own introvert’s edge. Extroverts, spend some time identifying the introverts in your professional and personal life. Ask yourself, Are they being encouraged to embrace life as an introvert, or forced to bend themselves to fit an extroverted mold? Suggest new training and reading material to your company’s HR department, your children’s school, or your association or conference organizer’s learning and development committee.

HISTORY

Matthew Pollard, author of The Introvert’s Edge and host of The Introvert’s Edge Podcast, founded National Introverts Week to encourage introverts to be proud of who they are, and to draw attention to the fact that they too can be every bit as successful in business and in life as their extroverted counterparts – and in many cases, even more so.

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In 2018, the Registrar at National Day Calendar proclaimed National Introverts Week to be observed annually in the third week of March.

Dates

March 18-24, 2019

March 16-22, 2020

March 15-21, 2021

March 21-27, 2022

March 20-26, 2023

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