Introvert Pride

Would you describe yourself as an early riser or a night owl? If it's the latter, you're most likely an introvert -- or at least you identify with them on this front. Indeed, I've yet to meet an introvert who doesn't go to sleep late at night.  As I've gotten older, this habit has regulated a bit. But I've never been one to call it a night at 9 p.m. like some of my friends do. So what exactly drives introverts to be nocturnal beings? For starters, introverts love their solitude -- it's how they recharge. And what better time to do it than when everyone else is catching some Z's? Nothing spells peace and quiet like total darkness (or dim lighting) accompanied by the sounds of nature or air conditioning.  Then again, there are times when I like listening to music at these late hours. The chances of being interrupted by someone or something are slim to nil.  Some find it odd that I happen to enjoy reading while listening to music. The tunes far from distrac

Introverts find the everyday grind to be monotonous for one reason: We guard our time fiercely and loathe seeing it wasted, whether in traffic jams, long lines at the grocery store, or mindless chitchat.  Who'd know better about the value of time than the very people who spend so much time contemplating life? Unless we make an active effort to enrich our lives with things that transcend the day-to-day humdrum, we can find ourselves rather bored and glum. Here's the good news: With their exceptionally active minds, introverts have no trouble finding ways to preoccupy themselves.  For starters, many of us are perpetual daydreamers who often get lost in our thoughts. If you happen to see an introvert zoning out, it might be because he or she is ruminating over: - a new idea for a book they're writing - the next destination on their travel list - the motives of a person in their life - the cosmos, philosophy, or some other profound subject But sometimes we need a tad of inspira

Do you love learning for its own sake?  Do you have a penchant for looking up the definitions of unfamiliar words you come across?  Do you enjoy going to museums -- not only to check out neat exhibits, but to read the descriptions  that accompany them? Does a day spent writing in a library or coffee shop sound ideal to you? While others watch reality TV, do you immerse yourself in educational documentaries?  Do you like traveling to cities mainly to soak up history and culture? If you answered "yes" to one or more of the above (as I proudly do), you're likely an autodidact, which simply means you're self-taught. You learn things on your own just for the sheer pleasure of learning.  Granted, an autodidact can still be college-educated, but once they have that diploma in hand, he or she refuses to give up his pursuit of learning.  When I graduated from college, I felt a sudden void in my life. No longer forced to read books or write papers, my intellectually curious sel