Hell is Other People: An Introvert in an Extrovert World

Yes, I definitely started with a strange title. People are heaven and hell at the same time. But for introverts like me, in most cases, interacting with people is incredibly draining. So we’d rather be by ourselves, reading, watching YouTube or surfing the Internet. Alone time with our own thoughts. This is how we gain energy. 

This is the exact opposite case with extroverts who get their energy from being around and interacting with other people. There is definitely a spectrum on the range of introvert to extrovert. 

But if you are to have any kind of career or growth you need to be around people. Talking with them, selling to them, teaching or learning. There is literally no way around interacting with people if you want to get anything done. 

And especially in my line of work of venture capital, investing and international business it’s absolutely critical, if not just plain table stakes of the game.  Now don’t get me wrong, I do enjoy interacting with people, talking with smart friends, awesome founders and fellow investors is a joy, dream and privilege! 

But the role requires an excess amount of time that can be personally taxing for my introvert leanings at times. I do so many meetings & calls and plenty of public speaking, where I am literally surrounded with countless people, hour after hour, day after day. Sometimes for weeks on end. 

So you have to figure out how to cope. You learn to take small breaks and walks. You learn to be great at extricating yourself from conversations politely. Or in the absolute worst case, just plain “French Goodbye-ing” them. Otherwise known in modern parlance, “ghosting” them. It’s an important survival mechanism for an introvert to maintain their sanity and health. 

So for anyone who finds I’ve disappeared all of a sudden, don’t take it personally. I just need to step away to recharge my energy so I can back to you to engage again at full capacity!