Life of the Introvert: Moving Beyond the “Legacy” of Needing to Participate More

If you are an introvert and reading this, chances are you encountered the following scenario when you were in school:

You'd get really good grades on assignments and tests and essays that you were required to hand in after working on them alone, but if you were anything like me you'd like get about a "C-minus" on on the part of your grade dedicated to “class participation.”

I always thought there was a real irony to the fact that I was making good grades and yet I was being marked down for not “participating.” How could I possibly be making good grades if I wasn't participating?

Of course, with 40 plus years of hindsight to my benefit, I can look back on those school days and recognize that whereas class participation wasn't part of the actual learning curriculum as such... it was being regarded as a necessary “life skill.”

Or, at least, as somebody’s interpretation of a necessary life skill.

Even as a 10-year old, I recall sitting in class and actively thinking about this “participation” thing. My “problem” was that — try as I might — I didn't really see any purpose in simply adding my voice to an already noisy environment of chittering without having much of a point to make. It felt (to me) like most of the other kids were just speaking up for the purpose of hearing their own voices, not because they had valuable information to add.

And the truth is, I did participate in class when I felt like I actually had something of value to contribute… which just wasn't the case when I felt like everything that needed to be said had already been said.

Maybe that was a very "old" or mature approach to school interaction when you're only 10 years old, but I just didn't get it. Granted, I had also been raised by parents who insisted that children shouldn't speak up unless they actually had something of value to add to the conversation.

Ultimately, this all led me to thinking about what prompted me to put this post together: Do we choose to live our lives in a manner that works for US, or do we live as "slaves" to following other people's interpretations of what our lives should look like?

When I was a kid and a young adult, I was far more concerned about "what others were thinking" than I am now... and I became the person I am today as a result of recognizing that my life is MY life, not anyone else's!

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great remainder of your week!

How about YOU? How were you at "class participation" in school? Are you an introvert by nature? Are your decisions about how you go through life your OWN, or are they guides by the opinions of others? Do leave a comment — share your experiences — be part of the conversation!

(All text and images by the author, unless otherwise credited. This is ORIGINAL CONTENT, created expressly for this platform — NOT A CROSSPOST!!!)
Created at 20220126 00:03 PST
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