Quiet Strength

I know people who are drama queens, who crave attention, who feel a need to be loud, brash and in your face, they have to put in their two cents, they need to control the situation. These people can drive me crazy sometimes, probably because I'm not like that.

I've always been on the quiet side, not shy, but quiet. I was the good kid in class, not the show-off. I was the one the teacher said, 'I'm so glad she's in the class to balance out some of the others.' I was good old reliable Lis. Sadly, the one the loud kids thought was shy and had no back bone.

Just because a person is quiet, doesn't mean they are shy, doesn't mean they can't assert themselves, doesn't mean they aren't fun. Quiet people, also known as introverts, are people who can think rationally, can keep calm in a situation, are at peace with themselves, don't need to attract attention to feel good about themselves. There's a strength that comes from within, a knowledge of self that isn't loud, it's a quiet comfort to quiet people.

I know people have thought I'm shy, can't make decisions on my own, don't have a backbone, let others make my choices for me, that I give in, am no fun, kind of boring. But it's not true. I know what I want, and I get what I want. I don't need others to validate my worth. I am assertive, fun, happy, a talker, a decision maker, and I'm also a listener, a peacemaker, a peace giver, a compromiser, a friend, a safe place.

Sometimes loud people, extroverts, have trouble seeing past themselves to others. They don't have the patience to get to know someone who isn't loud like themselves. Their friendships and lives are a series of explosive good and bad times. They need but dislike predictability, quiet alone time, calmness and peace, attention to others. It's a hard world they live in, but they thrive on arguments, drama, and loudness. Their sense of self worth is based outside themselves.

Introverts base their sense of self worth inside themselves. They know themselves and love themselves which helps them to know and love others. If you need a friend, a shoulder to cry on, a helping hand, a good word of advice, a safe haven, a good clean fun time, draw on the quiet person qualities within yourself or find a quiet person to help.