Born This Way

We all come into the world already pre-stamped and coded by the genetic predispositions of our ancestors.  We are not given the choice between a), b) or c); it is decided for us.  Personality is only one of the many human genetic compositions that makes us who we are.  A predilection for quiet solitude, deep thought and introspection, and high sensitivity fueled by consistent cortisol arousal, (stress hormone) in the frontal lobes of humans, classically defines the introverted, inward-focussed personality.When genetics, and to some extent, environmental factors, decide for you how you are going to perceive your life experience, there is no fighting it.  At least not in any fulfilling, comfortable-in-your-skin kind of way.

We introverts, in particular those of us occupying the extreme end of the introversion continuum, were born with a temperament that is fairly different from the majority.  Depending on the study, 25 to 30 percent, with some studies showing as much as 50 percent of the population, falls somewhere within Jung‘s definition of introversion.   And given that the majority generally takes first dibs in society, our quiet temperaments have left us at a distinct disadvantage in the face of  extraversion idealization.  We have felt undervalued, set apart, judged and criticized.  No more.  We now know that introversion does not equal neurosis.  We now know that the introverts of the world are simply wired in such a way as to require more quiet time than most in order to nurture their gentle, introspective selves.  That we are simply biologically tuned to get our energy from within, rather than without.  That it is part of our personality; designed specifically for us through natural genetic engineering.

It’s time to go ahead and embrace your introversion.  There’s no reason to deny the real you. You are owed the right to be your authentic, thought-filled, wonderful, introverted self.

Because you were, simply put, born this way.