Sunday 6 September 2015

Are you labelled as the QUIET GUY? How to deal with it?

As an introvert turned extrovert, I remember following a process that helped me get out of "the quiet guys club". I have tried simplifying it here:
  1. I read a lot and I love to read. It can be a book, an internet article, a newspaper or magazine column or simply those dozens of newsletters from various websites that fill up my gmail inbox everyday
  2. Although, I read because I love to. But it also helps me in polishing my communication, adding more words to my vocabulary and adds a good deal of information about a variety of subjects in my awareness. The next step is where the rubber touches the road and wheels start revolving
  3. When I meet people (irrespective of who/how they are) I do not really make any special effort to start a dialogue with them, rather, I listen to them for a while and then just make a casual comment on the subject being talked about. However, I make sure that what I say is impressive enough for them to know that they are in conversation with a 'no-nonsense' person. Once the conversation gets started I keep on observing them and the topics they choose to talk about. Once it gets clear to me about what interests them the most, I then mentally prepare myself by bringing all the relevant information regarding those subjects in front of me and put it across to them in the most interesting manner possible
  4. Although what I am talking about is not the only way but one among many ways to take the exit route from the "quiet guys club". I feel that making people interested in you is of vital importance and this happens only when you firstly show interest in them
  5. Understand, being called 'a quiet guy' is a fine thing, if you are around people who do not matter to you much, whereas those who do matter, I believe they love you for what you are and so all these things that I jotted down doesn't matter

Three DON'TS that will free you from a lot of negative energy

  1. Spending way too much of time on things that are unproductive. eg, watching TV for long hours. It is cool when you watch it for an hour or an hour and a half but when you watch TV and that too some of the most ridiculous TV soaps for more than 3 hours, it transforms into becoming quite 'uncool'
  2. Having a 'too much' social media presence. As long as you keep it sane, all cool. The moment you passionately start posting every lunch and dinner and every new book that you are reading, your profile and your persona begins appearing uncool
  3. Giving too much importance to insignificant gossips while indulging in them too. Again, a little gossip is cool, in fact 'talking' is one of those primary things that makes us humans and distinguishes us from other animals. But when we are focused on someone else's business and gossip excessively about the same, it ends up becoming a habit, a self-destructive habit that adds no value to life