The Self-Reliant Entrepreneur

April 14Homes in Hearts

From a very early age I have felt that I was not born to the common lot. I knew I should never find a being who could keep the key of my character; that there would be none on whom I could always lean, from whom I could always learn; that I should be a pilgrim and sojourner on earth, and that the birds and foxes would be surer of a place to lay the head than I. You understand me, of course; such beings can only find their homes in hearts.

Margaret Fuller—Memoirs of Margaret Fuller Ossoli (1884)

Raise your hand if you're an introvert.

Funny, but these days a lot more hands go up to that thought than ever before. Entrepreneurs are coming to realize this trait not as something to overcome but as a strength.

First off, let's define the word “introvert.” It's not about shyness; it's about what brings you energy and what zaps it.

Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung is credited with introducing the term. He defined introverts as those whose interest is generally directed inward toward their own feelings and thoughts.

More recently, through works like Susan Cain's Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking, introverts are learning how to properly tap their tendencies as potent entrepreneurial tools. Cain writes:

I also believe that introversion is my greatest strength. I have such a strong inner life that I'm never bored and only occasionally lonely. No matter what mayhem is happening around me, I know I can always turn inward.

The world ...